From childhood, we have been told of the dire dangers of smoking, and medical research and facts from the lives of smokers confirm this. But why do people smoke without paying attention to the dangers to their own health?
Where does smoking addiction come from?
chronic stress
A long list of stressful situations can upset even the most calm and balanced people. At this point, many people stop looking at the situation from a different perspective or distract themselves with some activity and start looking for a quick way to calm down and relax. And most of the time it's smoking.
Having found such a quick way to get moral gratification, every time in the middle of an argument with someone or just a serious conversation, a person lights another cigarette, believing it will calm his nerves and be able to properly assess the situation. The funniest thing is that it really helped him. But not because smoking is supposedly "calm", but because he firmly inspired the idea in himself.
fashion influence
As unfortunate as it may sound, fashion trends often make mistakes. So, for example, posting a photo in a glossy magazine with a model smoking in a frame could become another craze in smoking fashion. Moreover, this fashion trend is spreading rapidly. Literally, the day after the magazine was released, it was possible to observe how many teenage girls and girls who had never smoked before were imitating famous fashion models.
transition age
The addition of the ranks of smokers at the expense of high schoolers and students may not just be because of a new wave of fads. Among the common reasons teens start smoking, the following are also popular:
- Needs recognition from peers, desires to be like everyone else. The fear of teens being black sheep is sometimes so great that they are able to do a lot of stupid things, including smoking.
- Instead, desire to stand out from the crowd.
- protest. Sometimes young people start smoking as a sign of protest, thereby turning against society and trying to show everyone their independence and independence. Think rockers in the 80s. They had a very typical pattern of behavior: they smoked, mocked social vices in songs, drank a lot, were mild-mannered, and defiant.
nicotine addiction
A smoker's dependence on cigarettes can be of two types: physical and psychological. At the heart of physical dependence is the body's addiction to nicotine. Psychological dependence is based on a person's explicit belief that smoking relaxes, calms, helps focus faster, etc. The difference between these types is that psychological addiction is often the reason why smokers start using tobacco, while physical addiction becomes the consequence - the main problem people have with smoking and not being able to quit this bad habit.
How to quit smoking?
Once you figure out why people smoke, it's a lot easier to start the quitting process. However, you need to prepare ethically for this step. At the very least, familiarize yourself with the medical literature, gain insight into the health hazards of smoking, and calculate how much it costs to buy cigarettes each year. After that, put all your will in a fist and quit smoking.
quit once and for all
Most ex-smokers are advised not to "reinvent the wheel" but to quit smoking immediately - once and for all. Having chosen this path, under no circumstances should one succumb to weakness, believing that smoking one (or more) cigarettes a day won't change anything (justified by the fact that there are still fewer than before). Once decided, there is no turning back!
gradually throw
A similar approach works for those with significant nicotine addiction. To quit smoking, they need to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. For example, if a person smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, then you should try to reduce the number of cigarettes by at least one cigarette a day. If you smoke 2-3 cigarettes a day, you can quit smoking completely.
Leading a healthy lifestyle
Psychologists have found that smokers who start eating right and exercising will eventually get rid of the bad habit on their own. How did this happen? Again, the secret lies in self-hypnosis. A person's psychology is such that when he starts eating healthy food and exercising, he can't help but reject unhealthy foods and other obstacles that prevent him from living a new, healthier lifestyle.
In addition, smokers notice shortness of breath during many recreational activities. Swimming and running are particularly illustrative examples in this regard. After unsuccessful attempts to combine smoking and exercise, a person is likely to make the decision to quit smoking.
Additionally, the following suggestions can go a long way in fighting addiction:
- Listen to audio files and read books about the dangers of smoking.
- Drink enough water.
- Replacing habitual cigarettes with e-cigarettes turned out to be much easier for some people than regular cigarettes.
- Also, when you really want to smoke, you can try substituting sweets or seeds for cigarettes. Or grab a cigarette, don't smoke, and simulate the process of smoking for 10-15 minutes.
- Deny access to places where smoking is permitted (smoking areas and lobbies of nightclubs, restaurants, etc. ).
- Make an agreement with acquaintances not to smoke during communication.
- Post affirmations (text and pictures with desired meanings) about a healthy lifestyle on the walls of the house. For example, pictures of healthy and beautiful people and pictures of disgusting smokers. This helps to subconsciously identify the right type of behavior to fight smoking.