The desire to get rid of nicotine addiction is a challenge in itself. Many avid smokers try to quit a bad habit, but only a few achieve their desired goal.
Is it really that complicated and there is no easy way to quit smoking on your own? We offer several options to help you deal with harmful relationships at home.
Reasons for addiction
Every smoker has their own reasons for reaching for a cigarette. Sociologists say most tobacco addictions begin in adolescence. Young people believe that a smoked cigarette will enable them better integration into the company, bring them closer to their peers, enable them to open up and break free. Instead, nicotine addiction occurs.
In old age, a person begins to reach for cigarettes in order to find peace and tranquility in them, to drown pain or resentment. There can be many reasons. Some do not know what to do with themselves, and use smoking as a cure for boredom. For example, when they are waiting for a bus at a bus stop or when they want to take a break from boring, monotonous or uninteresting work. Others drown the fear of loneliness with cigarettes. They are afraid that if they refuse to support the company in the circle of smokers, they will reject them and will not understand. For others, smoking is a way to relax and release tension. In other words, smoking is an attempt to drown an internal conflict or a desire to solve a problem. So how do you quit smoking on your own?
Where to start
The first step to breaking an addiction is realizing that your cigarettes are not going well. On the contrary, they deprive health, beauty and youth, destroy from within and take away strength. Understand that by dealing with nicotine addiction you have nothing to lose. Then make a firm decision to act now. Not tomorrow, not on Monday or in the new year, but the latter. Remove all the characteristics of smoking, ventilate the apartment well. Throw away ashtrays and lighters, wash curtains and clothes, change routes to get around your favorite tobacco shop, stop visiting smoking companies.
The most difficult period of smoking cessation is considered to be the first 3-5 days. To reduce stress, experts recommend that you have several distractions in your hand.
Warn your friends and family that you have decided to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Ask them for help and support. Take a piece of paper and write down what you get by solving smoking: lowering and normalizing blood pressure, enriching cells with oxygen, increasing body function, the ability to feel new tastes and smells, beautiful and even skin color, reducing the risk of heart attack or lung cancer, etc. . . . Remember the contents of the leaflet or simply carry it everywhere with you. Let this list motivate and inspire you.
The first 3-5 days are considered the most difficult period of smoking cessation. To reduce stress, experts recommend a few distractions in stock: exercise, going to the movies or an amusement park, good company, etc. Therefore, even before you stop smoking, think about where and how you can take and distract from cigarettes. The more distractions the better.
Folk remedies
The easiest way to quit smoking on your own is to get rid of cigarettes and never deal with them again. But for many people, such an act remains a matter of dreams. They are therefore looking for aids to overcome the consequences of quitting nicotine. Folk methods are becoming invaluable helpers on this path.
One of the additional tools that facilitates the waiting period is rinsing the mouth with a special solution. To make it, you will need a large coil, baking soda and hot water. Add 1 tbsp. l. dried herbs and soda in a glass of boiling water and leave for about 1-1, 5 hours. Rinse your mouth with the prepared product whenever you want to smoke. The solution tastes so disgusting that it is quite capable of causing nausea or vomiting. 2-3 rinses are enough for a bunch of disgusting-tasting cigarettes to act on a subconscious level and any desire to touch them disappears.
Some abandoning mouthwashes have prepared a different solution. They mix 1 tbsp. boiling water and 1 tbsp. l. sea salt. The action of this drug is also aimed at discouraging the urge to smoke.
Anti-nicotine tea is a gentler smoking cessation drug. In 2 tbsp. Pour boiling water 1 tsp. black long tea and 0, 5 tsp. mint, chicory, nettle, valerian and ruta. Insist the solution for 15-20 minutes and consume half a glass every day. You can enhance the effect of the drug by adding the juice of honey, beets and lemon.
Another effective infusion that suppresses the need for smoking is a decoction of cereals. Mix 100 g of oats, rye and millet and pour them with 1 liter of water. Put on the fire, cook for 10 minutes, cool and strain. Take half a cup of infusion 3 times a day. Due to the large amount of nutrients contained in the soup, the body will cleanse itself of toxins in record time and get rid of harmful addictions.
Infusions can be made with other herbs. For example, from valerian, catnip and dandelion, or from plantain, St. John's wort, echinacea and calamus. Take 1 tbsp. l. of the above herbs pour boiling water, cover with a lid and leave for about 30-40 minutes. Then strain and drink several times a day instead of regular tea. All these herbs have a sedative and calming effect.
In some cases, when the urge to withdraw a cigarette becomes unbearable, you can use rolling mullein and rosemary leaves. A few exhausts of this product will satisfy the desire of the smoker and at the same time will not harm the same as the tar contained in the tobacco.
Breathing exercises
Prolonged smoking is a very common cause of shortness of breath. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with its restoration during tobacco withdrawal. This will speed up lung cleansing and significantly improve overall well-being.
Try the following exercises from time to time:
- Sit upright. Relax. Take a deep breath and hold it for a few seconds. Exhale slowly. Repeat 8-10 times. You may feel a little dizzy during the exercise. Don't worry. This is normal and is caused by an active supply of oxygen to the brain.
- Accept the previous starting position. Inhale slowly through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. Inhale about 30 times. Then rest for 1 minute and start again at a slightly faster pace. In total you need to do 5-6 cycles.
- The final exercise can be practiced sitting or standing. Take a deep breath and fill your entire chest and then your abdomen with air. Hold your breath for 1-2 seconds. Exhale air from the abdomen first, then from the lungs. Watch your spine as you do this. It must remain absolutely flat. Repeat 6-7 times.
Anti-nicotine diet
Quitting cigarettes is a big stress for the body. To cope with this, many start eating fatty, sweet foods and flour foods in unlimited quantities. This eventually leads to dramatic weight gain. A refrigerator inspection and proper nutrition will help avoid such consequences. Don’t bury the problem with cakes and candies.
Try to include as many vegetables, fruits and dairy products as possible in your diet. Eat often, but little by little, then the feeling of hunger will not be a constant companion. Drink the drink through a straw, chew food thoroughly and for a long time. In the early days of smoking cessation, eat cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower and eggplant. These vegetables contain small amounts of nicotine and will help reduce the craving for nicotine. You will find it easier to quit smoking on your own.
Chewing
Some experts recommend keeping something in your mouth when you stop smoking, replacing cigarettes with something useful. Leaders among such substitutes are the bird cherry branch and the marsh calamus. As soon as your hand reaches for a cigarette, grab the replacement and chew it.
Cigarettes with cheese are an excellent help in overcoming the psychological addiction to nicotine. Cut the cheese into thin slices, roll them into rolls and dry a little. Fold in a box instead of cigarettes. As soon as you have a strong need to smoke, take out a stick of cheese and chew it. In addition to these products, substitutes include carrots, apples or candied pineapple pieces.
Recommendations
Here are some more tips for smokers with a strong psychological nicotine addiction. They will facilitate the smoking cessation process.
- Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke every day.
- Before you procrastinate, do something to prolong the time between smoke breaks.
- Replace natural cigarettes with e-cigarettes and gradually reduce the amount of nicotine.
- Use a special patch. Stick it on your body every day and after 1-2 months you can finally get rid of the bad habit.
- Smokers find it easier to give up cigarettes with the help of psychotherapeutic techniques or under the influence of someone's opinion: they bet, challenge a rival, promise their husbands or think about the child's health.
- Men can look for motivation in running, gym or playing sports or in chatting with other pitchers on forums or social networks.
- Moisten regular cigarettes with milk or cream and then dry thoroughly. Try smoking such a “milk cigarette” for a while. In just 2-3 days, even ordinary tobacco smoke will make you very disgusted.
We hope we have been able to clarify all the points regarding ways to quit smoking at home. Remember, the main thing is your sincere desire to get rid of bad habits. Learn to relax and distract yourself with other more rewarding and fun methods. This will be the easiest way to quit the addiction.