The harm of smoking is well known to most people-it increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases, not to mention bad smell and yellow fingers and teeth. Many non-smokers cannot help wondering: in this case, why are so many people smoking? Why can’t you quit? Today, let’s talk about quitting smoking.
Why is smoking so enjoyable?
Smoking is undoubtedly an addictive thing, Nicotine is as addictive as some drugs. The principle of smoking is: Nicotine enters the brain, binds nicotine receptors, promotes dopamine secretion, activates the brain’s reward mechanism, and you feel comfortable. Then nicotine is quickly metabolized, dopamine levels drop, you have a withdrawal reaction, and you look for the next cigarette to provide you with a comfortable feeling. To put it bluntly, the principle is similar to that of drugs.
Many people think that smoking can make people feel refreshed. But this is actually an illusion. Because in fact, when I don’t smoke, I have been giving up all the time. Of course, I feel not refreshed and uncomfortable. When I smoke, I just return to my [normal] state.
Less smoking is a false proposition.
There is no [safe] amount of smoking, It is not good for most people at all. Even if it may be a little good for some specific patients, His advantages far outweigh his disadvantages. Therefore, smoking always does more harm than good. Of course, it is better to smoke less than to smoke more, which is certain, so when we quit smoking, we also encourage patients to smoke one less cigarette. But the ultimate goal is not to smoke at all.
Why? Because [moderate smoking] is often a false proposition.
Since addicted, how can it be maintained at one or two a day? Most people smoke more and more. Even if many smokers reduce to one cigarette a day or even one cigarette a week, they will slowly return to their original level or even more over time.
From another angle: since one is enough for you a day, shouldn’t it be difficult not to smoke? Why do you need that one? Not yet, you still have the desire to smoke.
Therefore, to control, you often need more willpower than not smoking at all-not smoking at all, you can throw away all the cigarettes, out of sight and out of mind. One cigarette a day, you can’t buy only one cigarette at a time.
Keeping a pack of cigarettes every day, but only one cigarette a day, is like, a big table of dishes, only allow you to eat one bite, it is torture, it is better not to see a bite of dishes, isn’t it?
Therefore, there are not many people who can hold on.
It takes will to quit smoking
At the end of the day, what is most needed to quit smoking is personal will.
It is not to say that those who want to quit smoking will surely succeed, but those who do not want to really quit smoking will surely fail.
Research shows that a person who gives up smoking without any help has a success rate of only 10%. It takes an average of 14 quits to succeed. Moreover, the definition of [success] is very vague. Many people have not smoked for many years, and one careless relapse will soon return to the level of that year.
I have seen many people tell me that they have given up alcohol, drugs and caffeine, and none is more difficult than quitting smoking. Nicotine will permanently change the brain structure, and people who have given up smoking for 20 years will still have the urge to smoke when smelling smoke.
Therefore, quitting smoking is not only a matter of one place at a time, it requires long-term and unremitting efforts to control oneself.
An aide to quitting smoking
There are many ways to quit smoking. At present, there is evidence to support it, mainly smoking cessation stickers and other nicotine substitutes and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). There are two prescription drugs called Champix and Zyban, under the trade names of [Chang Pei] and [Yue Ting] respectively. As for therapies such as laser, hypnosis, acupuncture and electronic cigarette, there is no evidence in what to support their effectiveness.
Step 1 Quit smoking with drugs
Research shows that nicotine substitution and bupropion sustained-release tablets can double the success rate of quitting smoking (20%), while [Changpei] is slightly more effective. If drugs are combined with psychological counseling, the success rate of quitting smoking can reach 30%.
Since prescription drugs need to be used under the guidance of doctors, I will not go into depth. What needs to be mentioned is that Chang Pei has some negative reports, mainly focusing on patients’ depression and suicide. The connection between this and drugs is still unclear.
Any patient with a history of mental illness, depression or bipolar disorder needs to see a doctor regularly to quit smoking, because quitting smoking itself often leads to short-term depressive symptoms.
2. Smoking Cessation Sticks and Smoking Cessation Gum
The most commonly used drugs for ordinary patients are smoking cessation stickers, supplemented by smoking cessation chewing gum and the like, which are all over-the-counter drugs.
Regarding the use of smoking cessation stickers, one thing is very important, that is, enough dose must be used.
Smoking cessation stickers are divided into 21 mg, 14 mg and 7 mg. Many people find that smoking cessation stickers are ineffective because the dosage is not enough. Generally speaking, 1 mg is equivalent to a cigarette. The highest dose of smoking cessation stickers is 21 mg. If a person smokes one pack a day (Canada’s pack is 25), a 21 mg sticker is usually given. So if you smoke 30 cigarettes a day, you can consider using two smoking cessation stickers of 21 mg +7 mg at the same time.
Of course, specific to individuals, everyone metabolizes nicotine at different speeds and has poor physique, which should be adjusted appropriately.
-If there is too much, nicotine poisoning will also occur, and the symptoms are usually nausea, discomfort, dizziness and brain swelling.
-If you still want to smoke frequently after pasting, you can consider increasing the dose.
Generally, it takes at least 8 ~ 10 weeks to use smoking cessation stickers.
Although many people quit in two or three weeks, it is best not to stop taking drugs immediately, because the rebound may be very large. Some studies have shown that nicotine substitution can be used for a long time, and there is no obvious harm as long as 5 years. Considering the harm of smoking, it is still worth using.
Even if the auxiliary drugs are used, there will still be times when smoking addiction comes up.
Therefore, to quit smoking, one must be psychologically prepared and plan what to do if one smokes, whether to use nicotine chewing gum or other means.
I have seen people who drink water, walk, eat chewing gum, eat gummy bear, eat melon seeds, contain straws, and play with computers. Anyway, I don’t care about what’s tactics, so I can do it and grope for it slowly.
As for what’s best means and the best effective means, it doesn’t matter to try them all. There are also people who quit without any effort or need nothing.