Maybe there is no smoker who has not tried to quit smoking at least once. Unfortunately, few people are able to do this on the first try. What can help you to break free from bad habits?
Psychological dependence
Smoking is not only physiological, but also psychological. It is believed that the craving for nicotine disappears within a month after the last cigarette. However, many return to smoking after a longer period of time, feeling that the body needs a dose of nicotine.
The reason for this is that the brain deceives the body and buys and inhales a pack of cigarettes again. Smoking is a kind of conditioned reflex. A person becomes accustomed to smoking while relaxing or to relieve tension, and a cup of coffee with a cigarette becomes a familiar morning ritual.
How Can I Get Over a Psychological Addiction? The first thing you can do is replace one ritual with another. For example, for a cup of green tea instead of smoking during a break at work.
If the smoker works at home rather than in the office, the urge to smoke can be eliminated by exercise, such as a few sedentary movements. In addition, you can make it a habit to brush your teeth when you want to breathe. Of course, you will have to do this often at first, but this trick helps a lot to "trick" the brain by replacing one ritual with another.
This not only helps you to quit smoking with like-minded people. For example, there are forums on the Internet that encourage people to give up bad habits. There you can activate a special meter that shows how much a person does not smoke and how much money he saves.
This creates a visible motivation to quit smoking, because after a month it will be noticeable that quitting smoking saves a significant amount of money that can be spent on something pleasant.
Sometimes people who quit are reminded of others, such as co-workers, colleagues who claim that it is impossible to quit because they can't, or their past failures.
It is better not to laugh at this, but to ask others not to say such words. These can, in fact, lead to a decrease in motivation and lack of self-confidence. In addition, any unnecessary reminders about smoking cause you to want to take at least one breath.
The absence of objects reminiscent of smoking helps to quit smoking. It is better to throw ashtrays and lighters out of the house and wash clothes that smell of tobacco smoke.
Physiological dependence
Getting rid of a physiological addiction can be very difficult, and some people may even experience a withdrawal-like condition in the early days. To make it easier to quit nicotine, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe special pills to help relieve the symptoms of smoking cessation. In addition, chewing gum or patches that contain small amounts of nicotine and make it easier to get rid of withdrawal symptoms can be purchased at any pharmacy.
If a person does not feel well after deciding to quit smoking, hot baths can help relieve tension.
You can get a massage or even start taking a mild sedative. It is especially important to find a way to relieve tension in the first days when the passion for smoking is most strongly felt.