Smoking cessation: advantages and disadvantages

It’s hard to find an adult smoker who wouldn’t regret his first cigarette, dreaming of giving up the addiction. Unpleasant odor, discomfort during flight or at work, where they are punished for smoke interruption, condemning the attitudes of passers-by and household members, damage to health, paid for with personal money (moreover, considerable) - this is not a complete list leading to separation from the desired pack. With all the disadvantages, people often think about why it is impossible to quit smoking abruptly or it will be just a plus.

Inside the smoker

There are two camps among ordinary people and doctors that differ significantly in their approach to dealing with nicotine addiction. Some believe that “the tail is not cut off in parts, ” others are of the opinion that if you suddenly stop smoking, the health consequences can be unexpected.

Under the constant influence of nicotine on the body, some natural processes change:

1. There is constant hypoxia in the tissues. Red blood cells combine with carbon monoxide and can no longer carry oxygen. It is very dangerous for pregnant women, especially in the first and last trimester.
2. Immunity is amplified. The body is regularly poisoned by nicotine, other harmful components of tobacco, it gets used to defending itself.
3. The oral cavity is washed by saliva that carries with it resins that have accumulated on the teeth, mucous membranes in the stomach, causing gastritis, other digestive disorders and nausea.
4. The work of the central nervous system is disturbed, the brain is constantly lacking oxygen, the transmission of nerve impulses along the fibers is slowed down.
5. Smoked cigarettes stimulate an increase in adrenaline levels, which causes an increase in pressure, dilates blood vessels and speeds up the work of the heart.
6. The brain produces dopamine in response to bloating. The hormone creates the illusion of pleasure, it creates a habit. The longer and more people smoke, the more tobacco smoke needs to pass through them to get a sense of satisfaction.
7. The blood thickens, the walls of the arteries become brittle. The number of strokes and heart attacks among those who like to raise is much higher than among non-smokers.

A special danger is the simultaneous consumption of alcohol and smoking. The heart and blood vessels have double the stress due to these destructive components. The brain, which consumes most of the oxygen and nutrients from the blood, is first affected by alcohol and carbon monoxide.

In addition to nicotine, cigarettes contain a lot of harmful ingredients, the most dangerous are recognized:

1. Benzene.
2. Chrome.
3. Cadmium.
4. Nickel.
Uranus.

These elements provoke cancer of the lungs, esophagus, oral cavity, larynx, pancreas.

In men, there is an early loss of sexual power, in youth, slow erections due to circulatory disorders. Semen quality suffers, sperm cells are less active, leading to complete or partial infertility.

Cigarettes often prevent women from getting pregnant quickly, the mechanism of follicle maturation is disturbed, the level of the main female sex hormone - estrogen drops, menopause in smokers comes faster, libido suffers. A woman often smokes while carrying a child, which provokes hypoxia in the fetus, the development of pathologies that can be found at birth or later. There is a high risk of premature birth, stillbirth and severe toxicosis.

How the body reacts to a sudden cessation of cigarettes

It is important to understand what will happen if a person decides to quit smoking abruptly, what the consequences will be. A sharp rejection is hard to bear, but recovery is faster. It should be understood that the longer you smoke, the harder it is to abstain from the period of abstinence:

• Day 1. Joy, inspiration, faith in success, the body has not yet understood anything.
• Day 2. The first signs of “withdrawal” begin, awareness of a lifestyle change comes. Irritability appears, I want to smoke.
• Day 3. All thoughts revolve around cigarettes, it's hard to fall asleep, there's a feeling of emptiness inside. Rash, peeling of the skin may occur.
• Day 4. There is more oxygen in the blood, it is easier to breathe, sleep can be light, intermittent. Some notice noise in the head, ears, slight swelling of the limbs.
• 5th day. The climax, the urge to smoke becomes unbearable, the likelihood of failure is high. A cough appears, mucus is difficult to get out, it has a dark color and an unpleasant odor. Aromas and flavors get new shades, become brighter, richer.
• Day 6. Sleep is disturbed again, hands tremble, mood varies from aggressive to depressed.
• 7th day. The body got rid of the nicotine addiction. From this moment on, every desire for upbringing is connected only with habit, psychological attachment. It is worth removing everything that causes cravings for cigarettes, simulating differently known situations. Replace morning coffee with tea leaves, collect a Rubik's cube for a phone call, etc.

Over time, the body will be cleansed of breakdown products, removing all accumulated resins and toxins. Lung circumference will be restored, the brain will begin to work more productively, clarity of thinking will appear, and the ability to learn will increase. Sleep will become deep, full, fatigue, mood swings will disappear.

Immunity drops at first, the person catches a cold easily. In this context, bronchitis, tracheitis, laryngitis, stomatitis often occur. The voice can change tone, become hoarse, hoarse. You should understand the reason for these phenomena and that it is related to the restructuring of the body into a nicotine-free regime. It is recommended to refrain from taking vitamins, immunostimulants (ginseng, eleutherococcus).

Stop the habit or not

Quitting smoking definitely pays off, the overall benefit far outweighs the temporary discomfort. To reduce the negative consequences, you can:

1. Do sports. Physical activity accelerates metabolic processes, blood circulation, improves heart function, improves mood, promotes sound sleep and stabilizes blood pressure. Older and unprepared people should gradually increase the load, starting with long active walks and gymnastics.
2. Examine your diet. Fill your diet with high-quality, healthy products, exclude fast food and other food waste.
3. In the first stage, take a drug that dilutes sputum, facilitating its excretion.
4. Don't drink alcohol. Alcoholic beverages in themselves are not useful, under their influence you want to smoke more.
5. Instead of expectorants, a good result is achieved by taking a decoction of the plant coltsfoot, calamus, nettle, elecampane.

Each organism is individual, an elderly person with a bouquet of chronic diseases should consult a doctor when and how best to plan to quit smoking.

In some cases, doctors do recommend reducing the number of cigarettes, but not completely eliminating them.

Subtle Moments

There are situations when people hesitate to quit smoking abruptly, fearing negative consequences:

1. Blood pressure disorders. Patients with hypertension and those suffering from low blood pressure are convinced that rejection can worsen their condition. Your doctor will help you choose medications that stop the body’s reactions to rejection and over time the situation will stabilize.
2. Overweight. Many girls and men are afraid to gain weight, and smoking some really inhibits the feeling of hunger, but cigarettes alone do not contribute to weight loss. Initially, food can make up for the feeling of emptiness if you want to smoke. The taste is brighter and the food looks more appealing. If you consciously approach its use, you will even be able to lose weight.
Pregnancy. A woman usually finds out about an interesting situation at 6-8 weeks, she should immediately rule out a harmful factor, while there will be no harm to either her or the fetus.
3. Tuberculosis. It can be psychologically difficult for people to quit smoking, which puts them under stress and slows their recovery. In any case, the doctor will tell you whether to do it during the illness or wait for healing and forget about cigarettes forever.

The use of weeds and hashish is considered to be useful in quitting smoking. The bronchi and lungs clear faster, the nervous system calms down and the process is easier. There is no objective evidence for that, smoking hashish, marijuana and other hemp products is no less harmful to people than nicotine cigarettes.

In order to alleviate psychological discomfort, they try to replace cigarettes with electronic colleagues, hookah, vape. Inhalation of vapors saturated with substances of unknown origin (often there is no clear composition for mixtures and fillers for them), is very harmful, it is:

• Irritating to bronchi and lungs.
• Contains heavy metals, toxic substances.
• Causes allergies.
• Steam causes broncho-pulmonary diseases.

Hookah smoke exceeds cigarette smoke in carbon monoxide content. All compresses have a pleasant aroma that encourages a person to take a deeper breath, a large amount of substances contained in them come into the blood. The WHO said at a conference in 2008 that e-cigarettes had not been shown to be effective as a replacement therapy for smoking cessation.

Consequences of sudden rejection

The hardest part is going through a period of cancellation, many people find it psychologically difficult to admit that they are saying goodbye to a part of their life forever, although negative, they often follow this action:

1. Irritability.
2. Feeling empty.
3. Decreased body tone.
4. Mood swings.
5. Deterioration of concentration, confusion.
6. Reduced performance.

Physiological reactions may include:

1. Sleep and appetite disorders.
2. Temperature rise.
3. Pain, sore throat.
4. Onset of cough.
5. Headache, migraine.
6. Pressure drop.
7. Accelerated heart rate.
8. Common respiratory diseases.

Depending on the length of service, the number of cigarettes smoked daily, the age and health of the person, the symptoms disappear from month to year, gradually losing weight.

Summary

Quitting smoking is a step towards a new, free life. No cigarettes:

• health is improving;
• self-esteem increases;
• conflicts with non-smoking relatives are leveled;
• saves money.

There are dozens of benefits of addiction treatment. Of the disadvantages of abrupt rejection of nicotine, only temporary psychological discomfort, withdrawal period, and short-term deterioration in well-being caused by restructuring of the body can be observed.