How to quickly quit smoking for a woman. 7 tips from psychotechnologist Alunika Dobrovolskaya.

How long does withdrawal last, what causes it and how does it manifest itself?

Withdrawal after quitting smoking lasts from a week to several months. Its duration depends not only on the length of service and the number of cigarettes per day, but also on the individual’s individual predisposition. The withdrawal mechanism is caused by a deficiency of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter of nervous excitation) and is manifested by dizziness, nausea, anxiety or irritability and other ailments. A persistent cough indicates that the lungs are struggling, but beginning to adjust to a life without tobacco. You may have a headache - after all, the vascular system is also accustomed to constant nicotine stimulation.

Write down triggers and eliminate them from your life

This recommendation is partly related to the point above. The point is that often we could not smoke. But there are situations that actually make us reach for the pack. These are the so-called Know Your Smoking Triggers.

Calculate them: for several days, scrupulously describe all the moments when you lit a cigarette. "I'm drinking my morning coffee." “I lit a cigarette to talk to a girl.” “I went out into the yard with my colleagues and smoked for company.” Then try to modify at least those situations that are repeated day after day.

For example, if you are used to smoking a cigarette with your morning coffee, start drinking tea. Or switch to healthy breakfasts altogether: you’re unlikely to want to smoke with your oatmeal.

Try to develop a replacement strategy for each trigger you discover. You won't get rid of your addiction right away, but you can significantly reduce the amount of nicotine you consume. And this is a serious step on the path to success.

Why do some people start smoking again many months after quitting?

What is triggered here is not a drug addiction to nicotine (remember, withdrawal even in severe cases ends after a few months), but a psychological one. Smoking is integrated not only into our physiological processes, but also into our social and psychological ones: some people use a cigarette to relieve stress, some people cannot imagine socializing without tobacco, for some people coffee or alcohol are closely related to smoking.

It is worth thinking about what other habit can replace this or that function of smoking. In addition, following the general principles of a healthy lifestyle helps: a normal amount of sleep (at least 7 hours a day), healthy nutritious food, physical activity and fresh air. For some time, you may have to avoid the usual “smoking” situations so as not to provoke yourself (replace smoking breaks in the office with a shared cup of tea).

Quit during pregnancy

1. If a girl continues to smoke while carrying a child under her heart, she must understand that nicotine will begin to flow through the placenta. In this case, it is not advisable to use nicotine replacement therapy. After all, this toxic substance will negatively affect the development of the fetus, its body, and will affect growth and development after birth.
2. If you are trying to stop smoking using traditional methods, you should understand that this is also unacceptable without consulting a doctor. In addition, you do not know which plants and how they will affect pregnancy. For example, immortelle decoction in large dosages can cause heavy bleeding.
3. A pregnant woman should give up a bad habit, based on the understanding that now it is harmful not only to her health, but also to the life of the baby. It is important that all close people convince her of this every day. Then it will be much easier to say goodbye to smoking; this action will be conscious.
4. The absence of cigarettes can be replaced by increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Particular attention should be paid to celery and broccoli, they will help eliminate toxins as quickly as possible.
5. During the period of quitting cigarettes, it is necessary to spend as much time in the fresh air as possible to saturate the body with oxygen.

A friend of mine quit smoking and gained a lot of weight. Why?

Firstly, cigarettes suppress the feeling of hunger. Smokers release glycogen, blood sugar rises, and you no longer want to eat. In addition, nicotine speeds up metabolism and food is not digested properly. When a person quits smoking, he now feels hunger more acutely, and food is digested properly. Therefore, he eats the same amount, but his weight increases. There is some “natural” weight gain after quitting smoking, and it does not exceed 3-5 kilograms.

Secondly, it is not uncommon for a person to exchange one addiction for another. Many former smokers note that in the first year after quitting smoking they begin to drink more alcohol, coffee, and sweets. The brain is looking for ways to relieve stress caused by quitting smoking and to “get” pleasure from other sources. Therefore, some former smokers actually gain more than 5 kilos.

How to deal with this? You should not go on a strict diet, this will only increase stress and unbalance the body even more. It is better to ensure that you consume less starchy and sweet foods and more healthy protein foods. If you really want to “chew” stress, choose sunflower seeds, rye crackers or carrot sticks.

Harm of smoking

Toxic elements affect human internal organs. The risk of developing diseases in the female body is several times higher. Cancer is considered a common disease caused by smoking. Having such a diagnosis, a woman will have 4 years to live, a man half that. But you must admit, the forecast is disappointing for no one.

In addition to the high probability of acquiring a fatal disease, smoking carries many other health risks:

• A large amount of nicotine components in the body increases blood pressure and cholesterol.
• Smoking a cigarette leads to a narrowing of blood vessels, which are restored only after 20-30 minutes.
• Pathology in the lungs occurs more often in the smoking half of the population. Coronary heart disease affects addicted people.
• Smoking leads to gastritis, which can gradually develop into stomach cancer.

German gynecologist Bernhard published statistics based on his own studies of the health of 6,000 women:

• Smokers suffering from infertility accounted for 42% (for non-smoking women the proportion was only 4%).
• Premature babies occurred in 30% of smokers.
• Interrupted pregnancies associated with miscarriages in women who smoked were 96%.

Pregnancy occurs less frequently in women who smoke. Women's eggs do not renew themselves as they do in men. Smoking destroys their condition and the chances of getting pregnant become less and less. The risk of losing a child during pregnancy is high; according to statistics, this happens 5 times more often than in non-smoking women.

Pathologies that appear after birth in babies are provoked by the mother’s nicotine addiction.

Not everyone knows about the incompatibility of tobacco and hormonal contraceptives. Because of this, heart attacks among the female half of humanity have become more frequent, so doctors suggest that female smokers abandon this method of protection.

Smoking also has a negative impact on external beauty:

1. Yellow teeth on the outside and inside.
2. Bad breath.
3. Loose skin and its unhealthy appearance. Wrinkles under the eyes before the proper biological age.
4. Unpleasant odor from body and clothing.
5. Brittle nails, split ends and dry hair.
6. Psoriasis in most cases occurs in smokers.

The skin ages quickly, since the amount of components that nourish the skin due to smoking is minimal. A narrowing of the superficial vessels occurs, and the condition of the skin begins to rapidly deteriorate.

Many women switch to thin cigarettes, but this is a mistake. Tobacco manufacturers are deceiving you, this is a cunning move on their part. Such cigarettes cause no less harm to your body.

It is worth remembering the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and their substitutes. The smoking cessation patch will not bring you results without your willpower. This is just a move by marketers to help strong people cope with addiction.

Once you quit smoking, you will begin to feel lighter in about 5-7 days. You can have children after 1.5-2 years.

What else helps not to return to smoking?

• Strong motivation. Unfortunately, people often quit smoking after they have been diagnosed with a dangerous disease. But in this case, we are no longer talking about “willpower”; rather, it is about saving one’s own life.
• Let's throw it together. If spouses or close friends smoke, it is much more effective to give up the bad habit together. You have to come up with something useful that can replace joint smoking breaks.
• Allen Carr. Yes, many say that when they had already decided to quit smoking, this book really supported and helped.
• Psychotherapy. If you have been smoking for many years and the side effects after quitting are too strong (a persistent decrease in mood, anxiety, irritability go through the roof and do not go away), perhaps a psychotherapist will help you. In this case, you need to choose a doctor who practices within the framework of the cognitive-behavioral direction - they are the ones who work effectively and quickly with bad habits.
• Communication and forums. When you're undertaking a difficult task, it's always nice to know that you're not alone. On the forum you can ask for advice, share your impressions, and simply brag. This is probably the most important and powerful aspect. Choose to communicate.

How a woman can quit smoking on her own at home: 10 proven ways

Count your money

In the legendary book, Allen Carr invites readers to calculate how much money they spend buying cigarettes every day. Try it too. Surprisingly, some discover that the money that is so in short supply for the trip was simply burned along with the cigarettes.

But this is a long-term option, it’s difficult to hold out for a year, only the highly motivated will reach the finish line.

Try saving for a month and buy a new dress, or for a week and then treat yourself to a delicious dessert.

Use milk

A technique aimed at causing maximum aversion to smoking. The idea is to take a sip of milk after each puff. Nicotine and milk are an incredibly disgusting duo, so you’re unlikely to want to reach for a pack again. Some quitters go to extreme measures - soak all the cigarettes in milk, dry them, and then smoke them exclusively.

Refuse voluntary slavery

Realize how dependent you are on your addiction. Instead of calmly watching a movie or chatting with your loved one, you nervously dream about the opportunity to smoke. What if you also have to hide your addiction from your loved ones? Is it worth it?

Switch

Smoking is a matter of habit. Most often, people take out cigarettes when they want to relax or get distracted. But there are many ways to do this without destroying your health.

Find a hobby, like knitting or drawing doodles. Whenever the urge to smoke becomes unbearable, take out your knitting needles or start drawing funny animals.

Avoid a toxic environment

They start smoking “for company” in order to remain on the team or to be accepted. But if you have firmly decided to get rid of a bad habit, and your friends are against it, maybe it’s time to get rid of such “harmful” friends?

Go travel

How a woman can quit smoking on her own at home - go on a trip. We are not talking about Thailand or GOA, but about trips, for example to Lake Baikal with tents. A tourist trip for a month in a non-smoking group, fresh air, will help you forget about your addiction to tobacco.

Go to a place where you won't be able to buy another pack. Accordingly, you cannot take reserves with you. Travel through forests, explore caves, conquer inaccessible mountains.

Use pharmaceutical drugs

In this case, you need to completely give up cigarettes. Do not reduce the quantity, but refuse, throw away, burn, or give as a gift to a less strong-willed smoker. It is recommended to consult a doctor before use. Buy 2 drugs at the pharmacy:

• special pills that help you get rid of a dangerous habit;
• drugs with a sedative effect.

Choose natural-based sedatives: infusion of valerian, mint, lemon balm, chamomile, motherwort. If your job involves driving, use caution when concentrating, as sedatives can cause drowsiness. In such a case, take it at night, you will fall asleep faster, and your sleep will be stronger.

Play some sports

Yes, it’s not easy to run a marathon at first, but it will give you an additional incentive to clear the smoke from your lungs. The further you go, the easier it will become to cope with physical activity, and the joy hormones released during sports will serve as a reward more valuable than another puff.

Nicotine replacement therapy

If you lack willpower and motivation, use the NRT method. The idea is to introduce nicotine into the body in other ways: a patch on the arm, a spray. It would seem, what is the difference? Dangerous nicotine will still enter the body.

The main health damage from cigarettes comes from smoke, which contains 4,000 toxic toxic compounds that cause cancer. Thus, this is a viable option for experienced smokers. Over time, the habit of grabbing a cigarette will be forgotten, the lungs will be cleansed and restored. It will be easier to give up nicotine itself.

Replace the habit

A cunning measure based on replacing cigarettes with seeds and nuts. Many people, when giving up cigarettes, have a desire to chew something. Buy almonds or walnuts that are good for your health. Replace your smoking habit with eating healthy nuts.

This moment is dangerous, if you switch to sweets, you will gain extra pounds.

Not all methods are indicated. It's easier to get rid of a dangerous habit, you just don't want to. Hundreds of books have been written, millions of people have already been saved from nicotine slavery! You can do it too!

How to quit smoking forever yourself? An effective way.

Where to start for someone who has decided to quit smoking? The strength of addiction to nicotine is quite high. British doctors equate it to heroin addiction. This is why so many people do this. Simple tips on where to start:

Rules for the first cigarette.

What it is? When you get up in the morning, push back the time of smoking your first cigarette as much as possible. At least for half an hour, for an hour, before lunch, until the evening. In this way you will learn to endure. If you don't smoke the first one, you won't move on to the second one. Just don’t cheat, like I’ll skip the first one and start right away with the second one. And if suddenly you smoked that first cigarette again, then apply the same rule to the second. This way you will reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke during this day. And your inner so-called nicotine monster will begin to starve and suffer. Then you need to move on to the second rule.

Constantly fresh brain.

The brain controls the desire to smoke, it suffers from it. But he can be taught to deal with it. This is done in the following way:

1. You need to breathe correctly. There is a principle of breathing that you need to take when you want to smoke. This is 4-4-6 breathing. Inhale for four seconds, pause for four seconds, exhale for six seconds. This should be done 10-15 times every time you want to smoke. In fact, you are taking a breathing break, that is, without smoking a cigarette, you calm your brain by breathing deeply.
2. Or breathing can be simplified. Make it 3-7, where you inhale for three seconds, exhale slowly for seven seconds. Do this up to 30 times if you have a strong attack of desire to smoke.

Glass of water.

Before smoking a cigarette, be sure to drink a glass of water. Just plain water every time before you want to smoke. Yes, you will go to the toilet more often, but believe me, it is not as harmful to your health as a cigarette. This will make your brain breathe clearly. The benefits of water were written in detail in the article “How to lose weight and stay slim. Secrets from nutrition specialist Alexandra Zhitskaya.”

Physical exercise.

Every day you need to walk for at least 50 minutes or swim for 30 minutes, continuously, without stopping, at an average pace. This will give you a level of happiness hormones that will replace cigarettes. This will make it much easier to get through the withdrawal period.

Tell yourself “stop.”

Constantly tell yourself that you will not smoke, you will not think about it when this thought begins to occur to you. As soon as it comes into your head, immediately say “stop, I won’t think about it”

Seek help from a specialist

First, see a therapist. There are medications that block receptors associated with nicotine addiction in the brain. As a result, a person gradually and gently weanses the habit of cigarettes. But treatment with medications has a number of side effects, so only a qualified doctor can prescribe and administer it.

An option is to undergo behavioral therapy with the help of a psychotherapist. This specialist will analyze your psychological profile, help you find the reasons that make you crave cigarettes, and tell you how to adjust your lifestyle so that your craving for nicotine decreases. Ideally, to zero.

Five days method

This method was developed by American specialists for astronaut pilots, and it is great for those who are wondering how to quit smoking on their own.

The first day you need to start by getting up half an hour earlier than usual and drink half a liter of clean water, then take a cool shower. For breakfast, eat fruit and drink fresh juice. Then you need to do special breathing exercises. During the day, if you have a craving for smoking, eat a piece of fruit or drink juice, and then repeat the breathing exercises. For lunch, you should not be overzealous and overeat; it is recommended to eat soup, vegetable salad or stew, and then take a walk in the fresh air for about 30 minutes. For dinner - fresh vegetables or fruits again. Be sure to find something to do on this day to take your mind off smoking.

On the second day, when we quit smoking, we need to drink half a liter of clean water before eating and do breathing exercises again. For breakfast, fruits or vegetables again, and after that, usual activities, for example, work or study. It is advisable to get to your destination on foot. Also, if you have a strong desire to smoke, interrupt it with a fruit snack or juice.

For the next 3 days, repeat the same steps and already on the 4th day you will notice a lack of craving for cigarettes. The main thing is self-confidence, constant motivation and a positive attitude!

How smoking affects a person

Let's start our tips on how to quit smoking by describing what happens to the body when smoking.

• With daily smoking, about a kilogram of toxic tars, which are contained in any cigarettes, settles in the lungs per year.
• Lung volume and elasticity decrease, and the risk of cancer increases by 50%.
• Nicotine irritates the cilia of the bronchial epithelium, causing inflammation of the mucous membrane, stomach and esophagus.
• The composition of the blood deteriorates, white cells are produced in smaller quantities, and immunity decreases.
• Tobacco consumption leads to cardiovascular problems and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke by 3 times.
• Smoking disrupts peripheral blood supply, causing numbness in the arms, muscle spasms and a feeling of fatigue in the legs.
• The smoker's gums are irritated, inflammation occurs around the tooth root, bleeding, and plaque.
• The skin becomes grayish, loses elasticity, and wrinkles appear. A lack of vitamin C contributes to early skin aging.
• Smoking reduces potency, impairs sperm quality and sperm motility, which affects the partner’s ability to become pregnant.
• Nicotine during pregnancy increases the risk of premature birth and causes congenital developmental disorders of the child.

In addition to the negative impact on the body, smoking is an expensive bad habit. Calculate your budget spent on cigarettes per month and you will be surprised how much money you could save.

On a note!

Smoking reduces the sense of smell and sensitivity of taste buds by 70%. If you quit smoking, the body will restore these functions within 3 days.