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Hello, dear readers of Valery Kharlamov’s blog! Quitting smoking is a difficult process that significantly affects both physical well-being and emotional state. Today we will look at ways that will help you recover faster, minimize discomfort, and, of course, eliminate the temptation to break loose by allowing yourself at least a couple of puffs.
Consequences of quitting smoking
Negative
I think it’s not worth talking about the harm that smoking causes, even small children already understand what this habit is fraught with. But, oddly enough, the rejection of it also entails negative consequences. The human body can have enormous resources, but despite this, it will recover gradually, sometimes requiring a significant amount of time.
So, the symptoms that are most common in people who have overcome this addiction:
Psychological
- Irritability and aggressiveness. Due to the existing stereotype that a cigarette calms, smokers usually immediately reach for it at a time of stress. And the more serious the experience, the more will be smoked. This process turns into such an obligatory ritual, and, having decided to refuse it, a person simply does not yet know how to relax, come to his senses, which makes him angry. In addition to the fact that there was a problem, he was also deprived of the usual way of acting. Who wouldn’t be annoyed by that?
- Depression. Giving up cigarettes can feel like giving up something important in your life. Yes, there is an awareness that it is harmful and dangerous, but this is what a sufficient amount of time and money has been devoted to, which is why the process itself, from buying and ending with stewing a bull, becomes one of the components of a person’s life. And it is not so easy to live through the so-called parting, the feelings and sensations that arise in connection with this.
- Due to emotional upset, insomnia may occur at first. Often the appearance of nightmares.
Physiological
- Cough. For the first couple of months, there may be a strong cough with copious sputum discharge, sometimes resembling asthmatic attacks. And this is normal, in this way the lungs are cleared of accumulated harmful substances. I want to note that he usually accompanies those people who have a long smoking history and the number of packs consumed per day.
- Increase in body weight. It is not obligatory, and occurs in those individuals who, trying to distract themselves, begin to abuse food. Then one dependency is transformed into another. Although sometimes there is a complete loss of appetite, and you just have to force yourself to eat.
- General physical malaise. Due to the fact that harmful substances poisoned the body for a long time, after the cessation of their intake, the immune system is rebuilt, which makes it weaker during this period, at the risk of «catching» the virus.
- Dizziness and headaches. Nicotine constricts blood vessels, so you need to wait until your body gets used to the fact that blood pressure will be consistently normal.
positive symptoms
For the first 12 hours, nothing significant will happen, since the accumulated toxins are enough for the usual functioning of the whole organism, but after that they begin to feel a shortage, as a result of which such changes are observed as:
- Breathing stabilization. Bronchial spasms that arose due to the fact that a person inhaled smoke saturated with harmful substances disappear. Recovery begins literally 12 hours after quitting smoking, and on the third day, the bronchial tubes begin to clear, which threatens to cause a cough. Although you can immediately notice how much easier it becomes to breathe, shortness of breath disappears, and the volume of the lungs increases.
- The amount of oxygen in the blood is replenished, and carbon dioxide, on the contrary, decreases, and this happens already a day after the last cigarette smoked. Improves blood circulation, which has a positive effect on the appearance, in particular on the condition of the skin.
- The level of energy rises, which makes a person more active, mobile, strong and resilient.
- Cells are updated. In women, this passes faster than in men, by about a couple of weeks, and this usually takes several months.
- Significantly reduces the risk of developing cancer.
- The chances of having a healthy baby are increased. And this applies not only to women, but also to men, because nicotine negatively affects the quality of spermatozoa.
- Taste and olfactory receptors are restored. This is why other smokers are immediately “noticeable”, although they were not particularly smelled before.
- The stomach and intestines also return to normal, which makes the stool regular.
- The level of self-esteem rises, and there are reasons for this, because the realization that you have coped and overcome a bad habit, when many are not able to do this, is not a reason for pride?
- The liver returns to normal, however, not earlier than six months after the person is tied up with nicotine.
- The heart ceases to disturb, and all because tachycardia disappears, that is, a rapid heartbeat. It also reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack.
- Small capillaries and white blood cells are restored.
- The body is getting younger, and all because the largest organ regains elasticity, as blood circulation improves and the process of cell renewal is established. What cannot but please women, especially those who are in constant search for the best creams and masks for wrinkles.
How to quit?
Tip # 1
As usual, you should start by understanding what this habit gives you. Without receiving a certain benefit, which psychologists call secondary, you would not spend energy and health on maintaining it. Therefore, take responsibility for your actions, not simply writing off the fact that you cannot help yourself, that your will is weak and you are a prisoner, like many dependent people.
Admit to yourself that you smoke because you get something from it. If realizing this doesn’t help you quit, it will make it much easier for you to try to lead a healthy lifestyle in the future. What need do you satisfy with a cigarette? Are you trying to drown out the feeling of loneliness? Or are you just focusing like that? Having discovered the problem, you can explore other ways to solve it, without the inclusion of nicotine.
Tip # 2
Nothing “sobers up” and enhances the value of life like the proximity of death. Unfortunately, people often have the illusion that something bad will not happen to them, for example, they will not get into an accident, they will not be “touched” by cancer and some kind of accident. But as soon as there is a threat to life, there comes an understanding of how stupid it was to devalue it before, especially if the bill goes to days that you really want to extend.
Do not bring the situation to such a point, learn to appreciate what you have while you have it. Nicotine provokes the occurrence of a heart attack, stroke, cancer and other diseases leading to death. Did you know that smokers are considered passive suicides? Just think, why are you doing this to yourself?
Tip # 3
«Grow» new hobbies by switching attention. Do you know the feeling when you were so captivated by excitement and interest that you even forgot to have lunch or dinner? Find a new source of inspiration, let it be the desire to achieve sports success, drawing, picking up puzzles, games, walking …
Tip # 4
The most difficult thing is not knowing how to be in moments when it is impossible to act in the old way. They are used to relaxing so much, which is why it is very difficult to resist in a moment of stress, and then you want to send all ideas about a healthy lifestyle to hell, offering yourself a deal that “just now I will allow slack, but tomorrow, no, no.” Anticipate these torments of the soul, look in advance for ways by which you will rest and gain strength, or vice versa, relieve anger.
Tip # 5
Don’t compromise by buying lower nicotine cigarettes or quitting gradually. What purification then can be? None, the fact that the number was reduced is good, but in fact, your experience continues to grow and no positive changes should be expected. We made a decision — proceed to its implementation, there is no need to look for loopholes, otherwise everything will be down the drain. As a last resort, consult a specialist so that he can prescribe you remedies that will ease the suffering.
Recommendations
- Exercising will help you release negative energy, distract yourself, and speed up the recovery process. Swimming has a very positive effect on lung function,
- Work on your willpower so that, having made a decision, you will always move towards its implementation, without going astray under any pretexts. And you can do this by studying the article about the education of your character.
- The body, after you quit smoking, experiences a lot of stress, because at the same time it tries to perform several tasks — get rid of toxins, reconfigure the work of all organs and systems, and also cope with stress due to the lack of steadily incoming harmful substances. So help him, then all processes will happen much faster. It will take at least 10 years to get back to the state it was before you started smoking. A lot, right? And this is provided that during this period there were no diseases due to inhalation of toxic smoke. Help yourself to “lose” at least three years, start leading a healthy lifestyle, consuming only wholesome food, playing sports and having a good rest. More details can be found here.
- There is an interesting book, thanks to which a large number of people are tied up with this dangerous addiction, and I strongly recommend reading or listening to it, because after a few pages, a feeling of disgust for cigarettes begins to appear. And this is a book by Allen Carr «The easy way to quit smoking».
- In order to help the lungs cleanse, it is recommended to drink more milk, do inhalations using linden, mint, wormwood or celandine. You can remove toxins by visiting the bathhouse at least once a week, while drinking herbal teas.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! I hope you have been inspired by the information about what happens after a person quits smoking, and you want to increase your chances of being able to live a healthy and quality life. And, every day, healthy lifestyle is gaining popularity, and smoking is becoming completely unfashionable, but rather disgusting. So good luck with your addiction. Take care of yourself and loved ones!