How to overcome an acute attack of desire to smoke? I quit smoking, how to kill desire, folk remedies? How to deal with the urge to smoke.

First step: you must be aware of the harm of smoking to your health.

It is impossible to quit smoking without understanding the harmful effects of tobacco on the human body. Because only the fear of the consequences of smoking can overcome the painful craving for nicotine. The insidiousness of smoking lies precisely in the fact that the manifestations of the consequences of smoking develop slowly and imperceptibly. Therefore, many smokers are dismissive of information about the dangers of smoking. They do not notice the disadvantages of smoking and see only the benefits. They don't care much about the prospect of getting sick from smoking. It seems to such people that smoking can harm anyone, but not them. And nothing will happen to them. And only the beginning symptoms of smoking-related diseases make them think about the risks to their health and often become the motive for quitting smoking. For clarity, I want to give one example.

... A patient came to the surgeon complaining of severe pain in the calf muscles. A thorough examination was diagnosed with obliterating endarteritis. With a progressive course of the disease, the prognosis is unfavorable - gangrene of the lower extremities is possible with their subsequent amputation. The surgeon drew the patient's attention to the fact that one of the main causes of the disease is smoking and he urgently needs to stop smoking. Otherwise, disability awaits him ... The patient threw cigarettes into the trash without leaving the doctor's office.

Kudin Mikhail. I lost 51 kg and quit smoking. 10 years weight holding

As a rule, in such cases, a person quits smoking forever, without experiencing withdrawal symptoms. The thought of losing his legs was a shock and overcame the painful craving for cigarettes. This begs the question: is it really necessary for a person to get sick in order to give up bad habits? So that the fear of death, disability, finally helps to realize the perniciousness of smoking and suppresses the desire to smoke. But is it necessary to wait for the appearance of diseases, would it not be wiser to stop smoking in time? Is it worth risking your health for a beautiful cigarette and blue haze? Unfortunately, many smokers have no idea of ​​the true extent of the damaging effects of smoking.

I want to illustrate to you one more, perhaps not very pleasant, but instructive story, when, while still a student, I was present at the autopsy of a patient who died of cardiopulmonary insufficiency. The professor drew special attention of the students to the unusual color of the lungs. They were the lungs of a heavy smoker, black with soot and tar, they resembled in color a tarpaulin boot smeared with shoe polish. After this incident, many of the students in my group quit smoking. I think that if even the most heavy smoker knew what his lungs had become from smoking, he would seriously think whether he should continue to smoke. And there are many such examples, when a person's awareness of the harmfulness of smoking helps him quit smoking.

Second step: you must admit your guilt for smoking addiction.

In order to combat such a sin as tobacco smoking, one must first realize one's guilt, involvement in this sin. Only the recognition of one's guilt by a person contributes to his internal purification, change for the better and spiritual growth. In order to quit smoking, a person must change himself, change his value attitude to health, lifestyle, bad habits. But can a person change if he does not consider himself guilty of his troubles? Why would he change if he's not to blame!

Until a person realizes personal responsibility for his addiction to nicotine, for the development of diseases associated with smoking, he will always lack the motivation to stop smoking. Many smokers avoid personal responsibility for their smoking by transferring it to their uncontrollable craving for smoking. The main reason why many smokers avoid personal responsibility is the fear of having to show their will and character in the fight against a bad habit. At the same time, this justifies the complete inaction and passivity of smokers in the fight against smoking.

“I can’t do anything with myself, I’m drawn to smoke,” smokers usually say, referring to their lack of will, ultimately blaming their smoking on an uncontrollable craving for tobacco. Thus, recognizing his inability to fight the irresistible desire to smoke, a person refuses to fight this bad habit. But if a person himself does not want to quit smoking, no treatment will help him get rid of nicotine addiction.

Nabutovsky Leonid. I lost 30 kg and completely quit smoking

Third step: you must have a genuine desire to quit smoking.

So, a person's awareness of guilt pushes him to change. And in any act of change, the problem of desire and will arises. Desire is the forerunner of the will, for without the original desire there can be no meaningful action. In other words, without desire there is no action, no will to win.

In my practice, there were cases when patients with a formal desire to quit smoking turned to me for help. As a rule, the reason for treatment for smoking was a tribute to fashion, medical propaganda, persuasion of close relatives and work colleagues. But there was no true desire emanating from themselves. A formal desire differs from a true one in that, with a true desire, the patient takes an active part in the treatment process, strives to achieve positive results, and with a formal desire does not make any effort for this.

In this case, the smoker's inaction is motivated by the desire for peace, since his inertia overshadows the desire to quit smoking. And most importantly, he does not believe in himself and in the very possibility of quitting smoking. He knows that he needs to quit smoking, but at the same time does not feel a true desire to do so. To make it clearer to you the role of the true desire to quit smoking or the desire to quit drinking, not to abuse sweets - in a word, the desire to change in the fight against bad habits, I want to give such an example.

At one time, I had to give conditioned reflex therapy for patients suffering from alcoholism. That time I used apomorphine. This is a powerful drug that produces a persistent aversion to alcoholic beverages. As soon as I uttered the word "vodka" or gave patients a sniff of a glass of alcohol, they (after taking apomorphine) developed severe vomiting. But the behavior of one patient deserved special attention. Despite his violent reaction to the drug, whenever the liquor store closed, he looked at his watch anxiously. After the session, he ran to the store and bought alcohol, drank, and he felt sick ... He continued to drink anyway, until he got drunk.

Here we see such a paradox: the flesh, under the influence of apomorphine, rejects alcohol, and the soul, despite this, wants to drink. From this we can conclude: the decisive role in the fight against bad habits is played not by the drug effect on the body, but by the patient's desire to get rid of bad habits.

So, in order for you to have a strong desire to quit smoking, you must:

firstly, believe in the way to quit smoking that you have chosen;

Secondly, believe in yourself and in the victory over smoking;

third, you must have a strong motive for quitting smoking;

fourth, you must overcome your inertia and lack of will and take an active part in the fight against smoking.

Fourth step: you must make the final choice between health and smoking.

A special place in the fight against the habit of smoking is the problem of choice. Before you decide to quit smoking, you need to resolve the dilemma: live the old way, continue to destroy your body by smoking, suffer the harmful effects of smoking, be a passive observer of your failures in life or still make another choice, decide to change your lifestyle, change quit smoking completely.

Zharov Sergei. I lost 30 kg and completely quit smoking

You must consider the pros and cons of quitting smoking. In this case, in the soul of smokers there is a struggle of motives: to smoke or not to smoke. That is, your internal “prosecutor” and “lawyer” come into action. The “prosecutor” accuses you of weak character, lack of will, of destroying your body with tobacco smoke, of slavish dependence on nicotine, of feeling unwell, of premature aging. And the “lawyer” defends the treacherous thoughts about the pleasure you get from cigarettes, that smoking brightens up your life, lifts your spirits, relieves stress, and brings you closer to your smoker friends.

As a rule, many smokers go through such an internal struggle - to smoke, not to smoke - before making the final decision to stop smoking. The problem of choice is crucial in the end result - to quit smoking, since the decision precedes not only smoking cessation, but also a relapse during the period of abstinence. That is, a breakdown does not go away spontaneously, but a painful struggle of motives begins: to smoke or not to smoke. The reasons for quitting smoking can be: dissatisfaction with your appearance (“smoker’s face”), poor health, morning cough, etc. They will just be “guard posts” that protect you from a breakdown during abstinence from cigarettes. And as soon as your hand reaches for a cigarette, you should immediately remember the strong weakness and depression in the morning after the first smoked cigarette, the yellow, haggard face of a smoker, coughing in the morning - and your hand will immediately come back.

Therefore, it is necessary to realize the arguments that are significant for you for quitting smoking, write them down for yourself on paper and remember - and then the decision to smoke a cigarette again will not work. You must answer the main question: "Why did you decide to quit smoking?" And as soon as you have an idea to smoke again - remember it.

Fifth step: you must have a strong motive to quit smoking.

If you decide to quit smoking, but you do not have a clear motivation, you need to identify and understand the motives that would help you fight smoking. From the variety of reasons that make you quit smoking, choose for yourself the most significant motive that will block the craving for nicotine.

I bring to your attention the most common motives for quitting smoking.

1. Negative attitude to the early and long-term effects of smoking.

2. Restoration of health.

3. Fear of premature old age.

4. Fear of death.

5. Recovery of working capacity and endurance.

6. The desire for rejuvenation.

7. Restoration of sexual potency.

8. The desire to go in for sports.

9. Striving for a healthy lifestyle.

10. Employment.

11. Improving the quality of life.

12. Desire to become an energetic person.

13. The desire to restore the appearance.

14. Self respect.

15. Desire to achieve the approval of relatives and work colleagues.

I always advise my patients: "Quit smoking for someone or something." For example: “I decided to quit smoking because I don’t want to cough in the morning”, or “I want to quit smoking because I love my husband”, or “I want to quit smoking so that I can live and help my children”, etc.

There are usually several reasons for quitting smoking. Write down your most intimate motives and memorize them. And these motives, written down on paper, will become a psychological defense against a breakdown during abstinence from smoking. For example, if you have the thought of smoking and your hand reaches for a cigar, you give yourself the order: “I want to look younger” or “I will not smoke cigarettes because I want to exercise”, etc.

Sixth step: you must take a decisive step towards a new life - to make a sharp break from smoking.

Breaking away from smoking is an important point in treatment because some people fail because they cannot overcome their inertia and quit smoking completely. The period of transition from smoking to non-smoking is very painful for them. Some people are psychologically unprepared for this, they have a fear of failure, fear of discomfort, deprivation associated with a sharp break from smoking. What should be done in order to overcome the fear of non-smoking, the fear of the unknown and the fear of future hardships? Often the fears of impending hardships are exaggerated by our consciousness. Until a person quit smoking, the process of abstinence from nicotine will be unfamiliar to his consciousness, and therefore, there will be a fear of this unknown. If a person decides to quit smoking and consciously quit smoking, the state of abstinence from smoking ceases to be a frightening unknown and the fear of it recedes.

Zolotarev Yuri. I lost 25 kg and quit smoking. 10 years without smoking and maintaining weight

Therefore, in order to overcome the fear of abstinence from smoking, you need to start it and take the first steps to completely quit smoking. As practice shows, already in the first hours of abstinence from cigarettes, my patients are convinced that abstinence is not so terrible as it is drawn in their imagination.

In order to overcome your fear of completely quitting smoking, you need to begin to exercise your will. To do this, you must take some action. You must set a date for quitting smoking completely. Choose a calm, relaxed day. Let it be a day off or the first day of vacation. Let your family and close friends know about your decision so you can get their support. On the eve, before going to bed, mentally say goodbye to the last cigarette and start a new life in the morning - without cigarettes. Throw away all cigarettes, remove ashtrays, try not to communicate with people with whom you used to smoke cigarettes during this period, so that nothing reminds you of smoking.

In the first hours and days of abstinence from smoking, a person may experience discomfort associated with nicotine withdrawal. These include weakness, dizziness, irritability, headache and insomnia. During this period, people often have thoughts of smoking for the last time in order to somehow mitigate withdrawal symptoms. At the same time, they are sure that they will never smoke again. But, as practice shows, even a few puffs will lead to a breakdown, as they only increase the desire to smoke. So quitting smoking is a must. You need to endure two days without cigarettes, and these "paroxysmal" desires to "smoke one last time" will completely disappear.

Patient V.I. Mirkin. I lost 30 kg and quit smoking. Non-smoker 8 years

During the first two days of abstinence from smoking, you must fight for every hour without cigarettes. You should know that time is on your side, with each passing hour the physical craving for nicotine decreases.

Seventh step: you must make a firm decision not to smoke a single cigarette.

In order to fight the recurring thoughts of smoking one last time, you need to make a firm decision - never, under any circumstances, smoke a single cigarette. In the morning, you should set yourself up as follows: “No matter what happens, I still won’t smoke. Even if I have a bad mood, or I have trouble at work, or I have a fight with a woman, I still won’t smoke a single cigarette. Because I made a firm decision not to smoke.” As a rule, people who make such a decision in the morning easily abstain from smoking, because they have already made the final choice and have calmed down internally. They are no longer tormented by an internal struggle: to smoke or not to smoke.

If you try to quit smoking according to the principle: "I will try not to smoke a single cigarette, if something does not bother me, if I do not drink, if guests do not come, if I do not quarrel with my wife," etc. - you will definitely break loose and smoke, as you admit the possibility of smoking. I described in detail how to set yourself up to fight smoking in the chapter “Self-beliefs that help you quit smoking”.

In my practice, I often offer my patients self-hypnosis to help them overcome their physical dependence on nicotine during the first two days of abstinence. You too can use these autosuggestions. To do this, you need to mentally imagine that during the first two days, every four hours after the self-hypnosis, the desire to smoke will decrease by 5-10%. This time is necessary to get rid of the withdrawal syndrome. The whole process can be divided into two stages:

the first stage - overcoming physical dependence (lasts two days);

the second stage is overcoming psychological dependence (from 2–3 weeks to several months).

Therefore, at the first stage, you need to endure two days at all costs. To do this, in the morning, write down the time of the beginning of a new life in your diary, for example: 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 hours. Self-hypnosis can be done after sleep or before bedtime (8 am, 24 hours), lying in bed or sitting in an armchair (12, 16, 20 hours), while you need to close your eyes and relax.

The self-hypnosis formula is: “I am completely calm. My whole body is calm and relaxed. I have a strong character, a strong will. Every hour without cigarettes is healing and rejuvenation of my body. With each hour without smoking, my health improves, my body is freed from the harmful effects of tobacco and I have a chance to quit smoking. Every four hours, the desire to smoke decreases by 5-10%. In two days I will completely get rid of the desire to smoke. There will be healing and healing of my body. The quality of life will improve. And I will feel like before, when I didn’t smoke at all!”

Murashko A. Lost 47 kg and quit smoking

After conducting self-hypnosis, use various ways to distract from smoking: drink a glass of water, chew gum, gnaw seeds, brush your teeth, take a bath, take a walk in the fresh air, do gymnastics and sports, but avoid intense physical exertion. As practice has shown, these self-hypnosis turned out to be very effective. In many of my patients, after two days, the desire to smoke completely disappeared, and with them the accompanying unpleasant sensations disappeared: weakness, dizziness, headache, bad mood, etc.

Eighth step: you must adhere to the new model of your behavior.

So, congratulations! You survived the first two days without cigarettes and overcame the withdrawal syndrome. But this is not yet a victory, since psychological dependence still remains - the habit of resorting to a cigarette in certain situations or in special psychological states, for example: during stress, nervous tension, during rest, smoking for company, during emotional relaxation, etc. Appears conditionally -reflex connection between smoking and various situations. Psychological dependence can last from 2-3 weeks to several months.

After living without cigarettes for 2-3 weeks, you are happy to notice that the desire to smoke has almost disappeared. But it's too early to relax. You need to be aware of situations that can provoke your desire to smoke. Such situations can be various holidays, meetings with friends, drinking alcohol, drinking a cup of coffee, talking on the phone, driving a car, waiting for a long time, etc. During this period, you must be vigilant and not give in to the temptation to smoke. Try to avoid situations that provoke a breakdown. Do not visit cafes, restaurants, bars. During your lunch break, avoid the company of smokers, communicate more with non-smokers. Instead of a smoke break, take care of unfinished work. Announce to your family and work that you have quit smoking.

Promote life without cigarettes among friends and relatives. If your relatives and friends, colleagues at work see that a complete cessation of smoking has helped you change your life, overcome illnesses, improve your well-being, they can turn from opponents into your like-minded people and will provide you with moral support. And this, in turn, will be a good prevention of your own breakdowns.

Analyze the situations in which you most often light a cigarette. Choose from them the most relevant for you, write them down on paper and remember. For example, drinking alcohol, a cup of coffee, an important message, stressful work, a long wait, a lunch break, etc. can cause you a strong temptation to smoke. Think about what you can replace cigarettes in these situations. Find an alternative to smoking. For example, you are waiting for a train to arrive. If earlier in this situation, not knowing how to fill your free time, you often smoked, now you can replace cigarettes with reading an interesting newspaper or magazine. Or are you used to holding a cigarette in your hands. Replace this habit with rosary beads, knitting, or simply clicking nuts or seeds. In one of my patients, who used to like to smoke with a cup of coffee, the smell of coffee caused a desire to smoke. Therefore, in the early days of abstinence from smoking, he was forced to replace his morning coffee with a glass of juice or milk. After a month of non-smoking, the conditioned reflex to coffee completely disappeared, and he could calmly drink his favorite cup of coffee, while remaining completely indifferent to cigarettes.

Eliminate alcohol, especially in the first 2-3 weeks. Of all the factors that provoke the desire to smoke, drinking alcohol is the most dangerous. Firstly, because even taking small doses of alcohol causes a person to have a slight poisoning of the nervous system and loss of control over their behavior. In a state of intoxication, a person can do things that he would never do sober. And secondly, among the population there is a tradition to combine alcohol intake with smoking. In any feast there will always be a whole company of smokers who will always seduce you with their smoking, and also offer you to smoke. In such a situation, it seems to the ex-smoker that he will smoke only one or two cigarettes per evening while he is in a state of intoxication. And the next day, having sobered up, he, as before, will not smoke. But as practice shows, the next morning, even when completely sober, he still continues to smoke. Therefore, in the first 2-3 weeks of non-smoking, try to completely abstain from alcohol. If you still don't succeed, try to drink a small dose. The main thing is not to bring yourself to a pronounced intoxication, in which you can no longer control yourself.

If the desire to smoke provokes stressful situations in you, it is better for you to quit smoking at the beginning of the holiday. Having gone on vacation, create a calm environment around you, walk more in the air, do physical exercises, harden yourself, strengthen the nervous system. Rejoice in your successes. Your complexion has improved, your teeth have turned white, your morning cough has disappeared, your fingers are no longer yellow from tobacco. Think that every day of abstinence from smoking brings you closer to full recovery and rejuvenation of the body. Ahead of you is youth and health.

You should also get rid of the habit of relieving emotional stress with cigarettes. In this case, an alternative to smoking can be walking in the fresh air, taking a bath, showering, listening to music. You can also use auto-training, self-hypnosis, self-persuasion aimed at relieving emotional stress. Use the following self-hypnosis formula: “I am completely calm. My whole body is calm and relaxed. In any situation, even when there are troubles in the family or at work, I remain calm and do not smoke. I'm completely calm."

Blinkova Elena Vladimirovna I lost 20 kg and quit smoking

How to cope with a sudden desire to smoke?

If you still find yourself in an unforeseen situation, for example, guests unexpectedly come to you, you have a little drink and you have a strong desire to smoke, then how to cope with the temptation?

1. First of all, you need to calm down and wait a few minutes. As a rule, during this time the desire to smoke weakens, and then completely disappears. You must know that this is only a fleeting desire, the last echo of a bad habit. And with every day of non-smoking, the desire to smoke will appear less and less. If you do not believe in this, then remember those times when you still did not smoke at all and easily managed without cigarettes. Life without smoking then did not seem dull and dreary to you. Therefore, you are able to live without cigarettes and still feel good. And thanks to weaning from cigarettes, this time will come in the near future. And you will never feel like smoking again.

2. In addition, think about your most significant motives for quitting smoking. Remember why and for whom you quit smoking. Try using self-motivated self-hypnosis: “I won’t smoke because I want to be healthy, get rid of my cough, I want to restore my heart, improve my quality of life, improve my well-being. If I show weakness, all dreams of recovery and rejuvenation of the body will collapse like a house of cards. This fleeting desire will soon disappear. You just need to pull yourself together and not succumb to temptation.

3. Think about the consequences of even one puff. After a long abstinence from cigarettes, you will smoke again and from a successful, healthy, flourishing person, turn into a heavy smoker, into an old ruin, an invalid. Your fingers will turn yellow from tobacco again, you will smell unpleasantly of tobacco smoke, morning cough, shortness of breath, pain in the heart will appear ... And most importantly, severe depression and disappointment. So is one smoked cigarette worth all these troubles that may soon fall upon you?

4. Find an alternative to smoking: pay more attention to conversation, interesting conversation, dancing. Show guests the family album. This will distract you from the temptation to smoke. Drink several glasses of water or fruit juice. When the guests leave, take a shower, take a walk in the fresh air. And most importantly, take a firm stand against smoking.

Ninth step: use self-beliefs aimed at developing a negative attitude towards smoking and a positive attitude towards quitting cigarettes.

The main goal of these self-beliefs is to equip a person with a new positive idea of ​​himself, as a strong-willed and purposeful person who has decided to completely stop smoking. This can help him achieve positive results and strengthen his will to win. In this case, personal changes occur, which are so necessary for the formation of a new model of behavior in a person.

But before proceeding to self-persuasion treatment, it is necessary to imagine and compare the image of a heavy smoker and the image of a strong-willed person. Briefly, the image of a heavy smoker looks like this: weak-willed, afraid of the inconvenience and discomfort associated with quitting smoking, conservative, does not want to change anything in his lifestyle, does not want to quit smoking, even if smoking causes serious harm to his health. In addition, he is emotionally unstable, the slightest stress, nervous tension cause him a strong desire to smoke. As a rule, such people are physically inactive, avoid physical exertion, hardening, do not like to do gymnastics and sports.

How should a smoker change in order to defeat a bad habit? First of all, he must become a purposeful and strong-willed person. But for this he must know why and for whom he quits smoking. And most importantly, he must find an alternative to smoking, find a replacement for cigarettes in various provoking situations.

Now let's imagine the image of a person who has overcome a bad habit. They should be a strong-willed and purposeful person who has made a firm decision to quit smoking forever, who knows how to control his behavior in any situation, easily endure stress, depression and find a replacement for cigarettes in any situation. At the same time, he must completely give up smoking and adhere to a firm position regarding abstinence from smoking, be able to cope with the temptations that cause the desire to smoke. He must believe in himself and in the way to get rid of smoking, and most importantly - he must have a serious motive for quitting smoking.

Lydia is a grateful patient. I lost 30 kg and quit smoking

All this can change a person's attitude towards himself as a person. If earlier he perceived himself as a heavy smoker, then thanks to a strong motivated desire to quit smoking, he creates for himself a new ideal image of a strong-willed person who has given up smoking forever and completely defeated addiction to nicotine. The image of a winner will strengthen his will to win and help him cope with any temptations that cause a desire to smoke.

Here are some self-belief formulas that will help you find your “winner” image. Self-belief will help you make the right choice between health and smoking, completely quit smoking and make a firm decision - never smoke a single cigarette. Self-belief formulas are very useful to apply in the morning, after sleep, especially in the first days of abstinence from smoking. They can also be used in the evening or before bed, or in situations where you might be tempted to smoke.

Smoking is an addiction that causes psychological and physical dependence, which leads to the desire to inhale a cigarette. As a result, the lungs become polluted and health deteriorates. Quitting smoking is real, but for this you need to know what exactly makes a person reach for a pack of nicotine again and again.

Where does the compulsive urge to smoke come from?

Man is a complex creature, in which, in addition to physiological needs, there are also psychological ones.

Origins of compulsive smoking:

Desires are different from needs, but the line between them is thin, barely perceptible.

Psychological cravings

The practice of psychologists and testing of many smokers have revealed the psychological underpinnings of dependence on the use of tobacco products.

The main explanations for the craving for cigarettes are:

1. The habit of holding something in the hands, the need for ritual. Smoking promotes confidence, comfort due to habitual actions.
2. Craving for the stimulant effects of nicotine. Its exciting effect brings some change to the routine.
3. Use to relieve tension and calm. Self-hypnosis and the process of smoking promotes relaxation.
4. Maintaining the environment or when there are problems in communication skills. Pauses in conversations lead to a smoke break.
5. Gaining confidence (more typical of young representatives of humanity). A cigarette in the hand creates a feeling of lack of control and self-sufficiency.

physical addiction

Cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive drug. Withdrawal is more severe if you have a long history of smoking.

Nicotine starvation usually begins within an hour after the last cigarette smoked.

Feelings of discomfort, anxiety, irritability increase in ascending order until the next day. After them, physical torment begins, reaching its peak on the 3rd-4th day of quitting tobacco. With the obsessive desire to smoke come aggressiveness and irritability.

In the process of giving up cigarettes, unpleasant responses of the body also occur in the form of increased sweating, discomfort in the throat, headaches, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Within a month, the physical need practically disappears.

Why do non-smokers want to smoke?

The need for smoking lies in the subconscious. Suppressed sadness, fear and other negative emotions create a general tension in the body, especially in the chest area, which leads to shallow breathing, frequent and prolonged sighs. Smoking due to rhythm and a deeper breath compensates for stress. Nicotine, ritual, and deeper ventilation act as relaxing and sedative agents for the tobacco user.

Asks the question "to smoke or not to smoke" a lot of people. The spread of healthy lifestyle messages and many spiritual teachings create anxiety about addiction, which often leads to the opposite result - obsessive desire. Young people who love to rebel and oppose themselves to others may become involved in this negative addiction as a protest.

A passive smoker who constantly inhales the smoke of the cigarettes of people around him, in addition to receiving a huge amount of toxic substances from the smoke (even more than with active consumption), can become physically dependent on nicotine.

Sometimes the appearance of such a desire is a signal of the body about the lack of some important elements.

Why do you want to smoke when you quit

The more thoughts about the intention to quit or about the accomplished feat - the rejection of tobacco addiction, the greater the thirst to smoke.

The reason for the craving for cigarettes is similar to the usual feeling of hunger. Receptors located throughout the body send signals to the brain. When you get what you want, the concentration of dopamine in the blood increases. This hormone creates the effect of saturation and satisfaction. Its action provides peace and tranquility.

The principle of action of nicotine is similar to the production of dopamine and causes a similar effect on the body. Getting tobacco toxin by the body is similar to eating.

When quitting smoking, a kind of hunger remains for some time, memories of pleasure and satiety received from the dopamine imitator.

What is missing in the body when you want to smoke

All nicotine users noted occasional excessive cravings for tobacco, regardless of the time elapsed since the last cigarette was smoked.

Even people who have never smoked may have an unreasonable desire to exhale smoke. In this way, the systems of the human body suggest the need to obtain certain substances.

Silicon

One of the elements, the lack of which the body signals with the desire to smoke a lot of cigarettes in a row, is silicon. It is needed for the full functioning of the human body, strengthening of the bone substance and its restoration.

Silicon has an antioxidant effect, favors the preservation of the activity of all body functions, improves the plasticity and extensibility of connective tissues and, as a result, the good condition of the joints and blood vessels, preventing many diseases.

Products to compensate for its deficiency:

• sunflower seeds;
• nuts;
• tomatoes, especially those that have undergone heat treatment;
• greens;
• black bread products;
• Bulgarian pepper;
• boiled or baked potatoes;
• beet;
• garlic.

To improve the absorption and assimilation of silicon, it is recommended to reduce the intake of simple carbohydrates and starchy foods.

Tyrosine

A lack of tyrosine can also lead to frequent cravings for cigarettes. It is a non-essential amino acid that can be reproduced from phenylalanine.

The effect of tyrosine:

• providing a positive state of mind;
• protection of the nervous system from damage due to stress;
• increase in concentration;
• restoration of activity;
• activation of dopamine release.

To supply the body with the right amount of this amino acid, you should increase the intake of foods such as:

Vitamin C and foods containing it improve the absorption of tyrosine.

What to do when you want to smoke

The answer to the question of how to distract yourself from the desire to smoke, so as not to break loose, excites everyone who wants to quit an addiction or has already taken this difficult step.

The hardest thing is to hold on. There are a few simple ways that can really be used anywhere.

Expectation

The desire to smoke can be predicted: eating, an unpleasant conversation, a smoke break in the company. It is necessary to prepare in advance and find a substitute for a cigarette.

Switching attention

The most effective and easiest method is to shift your attention to anything, up to watching the clouds. The rationale behind this method is not to think about smoking and everything related to it, because it is thoughts that awaken the desire to puff on a cigarette.

Sport

Moderate exercise detoxifies the body, helps fight withdrawal symptoms, and shifts focus. After completing a set of exercises until fatigue appears, it can make you feel sick even at the thought of smoking.

During sports, adrenaline and endorphin (hormone of happiness) are produced, which cheer you up. Regular physical activity, in addition to fighting off the desire to smoke, has a beneficial effect on weight, and after all, those who quit often experience an increase in extra pounds.

Breath control

The process of smoking is in many ways similar to breathing exercises, so cigarettes help to calm down.

If you want to take a cigarette, you need to take a few slow and deep breaths, concentrating on this action.

Food

Eating, even snacking on hard candies or nuts, is an effective distraction from cigarette cravings. Nicotine mimics the action of dopamine, which is released when food is ingested.

The desire to smoke is due to physical and mental addictions, which any person can get rid of. It is important to remember what all this is for, and by any means to fight the craving to take a cigarette, even one. Then every day the addiction will control and influence life less and less.

In addition to physical dependence, smoking is insidious in that it leaves behind a psychological habit. And if all sorts of substitution methods and medications can help in the fight against nicotine addiction, then it is not so easy to deceive the psyche.

As soon as substances that have become habitual cease to enter the body, a person begins to experience withdrawal symptoms. Here all kinds of chewing gums, tablets, patches and sprays come to the rescue. A competent specialist will be able to help choose the right one for each particular patient. But the fight against psychological dependence falls entirely on the shoulders of the patient himself.

Those who have tried to quit a bad habit for the first time know how important it is to have a number of techniques at the ready to help distract from the desire to smoke. For example, many are simply accustomed to holding a cigarette in their hands or in their mouth. Some use the smoke break to communicate with other smokers. In this case, you need to use some tricks that will help you switch to something else for 15-20 minutes, during which the desire to smoke will begin to fade.

• Reception of breath. It is necessary to sit up straight, try to relax and inhale very deeply slowly through the nose. Exhale should be through the mouth. On inhalation and exhalation, you need to count up to 5. You need to breathe like this for several minutes and imagine that you are smoking. This method is very simple but effective.
• Finding a Physical Replacement. Many people go outside during work to take a break from work and smoke. Instead, you can go out and make a circle around the building or yard. This is a very efficient replacement.
• Search for a psychological replacement. In such cases, meditation can help. There are techniques that can be practiced in any conditions. Plus, it will bring a positive effect for those who need to find peace.
• Communication. You can not refuse to communicate with colleagues friends. No matter how naive it may seem, but breaks at work for communication help to distract from the desire to smoke. If possible on a work computer, you can update your page on the social network. Your manager, of course, will not be delighted, but it will help you a little.
• brain training a. There are many variations of short games and puzzles on the Internet. True, they can distract much longer than they should. You can solve crosswords and sudoku in newspapers and magazines. They will also have a positive effect on your thinking.
• Try shopping online. At first, it is difficult to pass by cigarettes in stores. Therefore, you can organize the purchase of everything you need on the Internet. This, too, can take time and distract from the cigarette for a short time.
• Search for gifts. Again, use the services on the Internet to order a gift for someone's upcoming birthday. In the workplace, such worries are a great distraction from the current moment.
• Studying the Internet. You can prepare in advance stupid questions, the answers to which you have long wanted to know, but all the time your hands did not reach. In addition, you can review the pages with the latest news. Watch trailers for the latest movies and plan a weekend getaway.
• Reading and audiobooks. Download the book so that you can read when you need to distract yourself from the desire to smoke. Often the thought of a cigarette comes in the car, while standing in long traffic jams. If so, download the audiobook. They are much better distractions than just music, songs, or radio.
• Event planning. In moments when you want to smoke, try to plan for the upcoming holidays. Maybe you will have a non-standard idea for holding them. Or an interesting gift option.
• Checking the state of finances. Check the balance on the phone, the state of the account, count the money that is in the wallet. Remember if all payments are made. Try to count without buying cigarettes.
• Listing. You can make lists for all occasions. For example, guests invited to a future holiday, or products needed for the next week.
• Concentration at work. Ironically, without the distraction of cigarette breaks, it's easier to pay attention to work.
• Proper nutrition. During the smoking cessation period, it is recommended to add more grains, fruits and nuts to the diet. Drink more herbal teas and water.
• Allow yourself some nice little things. During the period of refusal of cigarettes, you can afford small weaknesses. For example, chocolate lovers can help to cope with the habit of eating their favorite treat a couple of times a week.
• Food replacement. Not a very good way that works, but has a bad effect on the figure. Instead of smoking, you can eat hard candies, nuts, or dried fruits.

There is no one way that is the same for everyone. Therefore, you need to try and find the one that works in your case.

It should be remembered that an acute attack of desire lasts 5-10 minutes. And this is the time to be patient. Then you can safely return to your business. The desire to smoke will not bother you for a long time.

If a person smoked a pack of cigarettes a day before quitting smoking, then this means that at least once an hour, he held a cigarette in his mouth or in his hands. And the first days the desire to smoke will appear with this frequency. Further, this impulsive desire will come less frequently.

Every day, the most important thing will be to overcome yourself and not smoke the first morning cigarette. Then during the day it will be much easier to cope with cravings. You need to get rid of the constant thought of how to live the next few hours without cigarettes. This will only lead to depression and anger at oneself because of one's own impotence. To make it easier to fight the habit in the morning, you can cook something tasty for breakfast in the evening, and immediately pour coffee or tea into a thermos.

For those who care about tactile sensation, it may help to carry around a nicely shaped glass ball or pebble that can be twirled in the hands or simply clenched in a fist.

The most difficult will be the first evening of the weekend. At this time, it is desirable to meet with non-smoking friends. You can make an appointment in a non-smoking area. For example, a gym, swimming pool, sauna or cinema. When you get over yourself on such a day, then the next morning you will be able to wake up with a sense of satisfaction with yourself. At the same time, you need to fight thoughts like that you will light just one cigarette, and this will not change the situation. In fact, just one cigarette will set you back a long way. And you will start over again.

Many help to distract from the bad habit of sports. Firstly, it is simply not compatible with classes, because smoking affects stamina and breathing. Secondly, it really helps to distract from the desire to smoke. But you need to do exactly what you like most: cycling, swimming, gyms and just long walks.

Try to find yourself a like-minded smoker. You will be able to control each other and support the conversation in moments when you need to cope with cravings. Go for workouts or walks together. In companies where people smoke, it will be easier to resist the majority.

Take care of your dental health. Buy special pastes, and note for yourself how they turn white over time. This will help to strengthen you in the idea that even your appearance will receive only positive effects from the absence of cigarettes in your life.

At the moments when the desire to smoke rises most acutely, always remember that this is only for 5-10 minutes. And you need to overcome yourself at this moment. Then the next time will be much easier. If you give yourself an indulgence at the very beginning, then the body will demand more.

How to quit smoking? Millions of smokers around the world are concerned about this issue. Answer found! The best ways to kill the urge to smoke are here!

It is no secret that for many people who have eliminated this bad habit, the desire to smoke periodically reappears. Once quitting smoking, the smoker often returns to smoking after some time. And someone stops and never touches cigarettes again.

All people are different: different character, temperament, metabolism. It makes no sense to delve into these subtleties of human nature. It is important to understand how to overcome the desire to smoke, and how to quit smoking once and for all life?

What gives smoking?

People start smoking most often in their youth. To look, from their point of view, older, cooler, sexier. This is important at this age. Gradually, nicotine addiction develops, and the cigarette becomes an indispensable companion of life. The cigarette begins to perform certain functions: it calms, helps to concentrate, to occupy oneself with something, facilitates communication ...

Certain rituals are formed in the behavior of most smokers. In certain situations, it is necessary to “smoke” - after eating, after a cup of coffee, a glass of cognac, every 1.5 - 2 hours (for some people, every 0.5 hours). And if there is no cigarette at the right time, discomfort arises. This is a kind of nicotine slavery.

Over the years, smokers' teeth darken, the skin of the face becomes gray, shortness of breath, "smoker's cough" (as a result - chronic bronchitis), stomach ulcers appear. The vessels of the heart and legs are affected. Cancerous tumors develop in the oral cavity, lungs. According to WHO, tens of millions of people die each year from smoking-related causes.

But with all this, most smokers and smokers do not want to quit smoking. With what stubbornness and irritation they refuse to stop poisoning themselves and others when their loved ones ask them to do so! They believe that they cannot live without this familiar "pacifier". As if they were born with a cigarette in their mouth.

Agree, a fantastic business for manufacturers and sellers of tobacco products! However, smoking has a detrimental effect on the health of not only the smokers themselves, but also those who are close to them (passive smoker).

Why quit smoking?

Why do some people still quit smoking?

Most often, some events or health problems lead to the idea of ​​quitting smoking. For example, shortness of breath when climbing stairs, pain in the heart, a stomach ulcer discovered by doctors, bronchitis, obliterating endarteritis of the legs.

Or the desire to quit smoking can be triggered by the funeral of a friend who smoked a lot and died of lung cancer.

And someone "just like that" suddenly stops smoking, not understanding the true reasons for this.

Think and decide if smoking is a harmful and dangerous habit for you? If the answer is “yes”, then you are ready to stop smoking, if “no”, then most likely you will not succeed now.

If you want to learn how to quit smoking, then this is the first step on the road to success. Make a decision to stop smoking now (not tomorrow, not on Monday, not after the holidays…). If you are thinking about it now, then, in fact, the psychological process has already started, and you just have to do it.

One way to quit smoking is as follows.

Write on a piece of paper in large letters and spread out in the apartment in several places: “I BREATHE ONLY CLEAN AIR!”, “STOP POISING YOURSELF”.

Replace harmful behavior - smoking, with another behavior (useful), which will give you the same thing (calming, concentration, pleasure, relaxation, etc.) that smoking used to give.

For example, music, exercise, the Internet, television, reading a book, a warm bath, doing what you love can be soothing. Choose as you wish. To focus, some people draw some shapes, letters on a piece of paper ...

For the first 3 weeks, control yourself, your new behavior, what and how you calm yourself, if necessary. If not everything immediately turns out, do not reproach yourself and do not worry. Everything takes time, every day will get better. Feel the satisfaction that you made the right decision, and you will succeed!

There is no need to be afraid, embarrassed, and also follow the lead of this desire, since there is nothing shameful and dangerous in this, and if you give in, then there is no point in deciding to quit.

Everything is surmountable, and the desire to smoke too

The period of acute desires lasts on average up to 4 months - agree, not for long? Interestingly, the most acute time does not come immediately, but after 5-10 days of non-smoking, when the enthusiasm and joyful rise from the awareness of one's own capabilities ends.

Everyone who quit smoking has his own threshold for the severity of the desire to smoke, the frequency and duration of the "attack" period. But all critical periods are similar and there are only four of them: the second half of the first month, the third month, 7-8 months, and ranging from a year to a year and a half after the refusal. In the future, the desire to smoke is blunted and it is quite easy to overcome.

Let's get started!

Do I need to do something in order to overcome the acute attack of desire to smoke?

Undoubtedly. But before you do something, you should work out your own tactics of behavior in such cases.

1. Replace a cigarette with a toothpick, a stick (fans of alternative medicine recommend bird cherry), folded paper.
2. Speak to yourself your own formula, in which you include the most important motivations that led to quitting smoking.
3. Abruptly change the type of activity at the time of the attack. If you were sitting, get up and walk, at least to the closet with the papers you need for work, or, being at home, straighten the curtain on the window, change the towels in the bathroom, do small homework. Call the phone, look out the window, think about the weather, in general, whatever action is appropriate in a particular situation. The attack has passed - return to the interrupted activity, and if the need for it has disappeared, then calmly go about other things.
4. Switch not to any activity, but to a pre-planned, pleasant one for you. For some, this is listening to their favorite musical composition, for others - playing solitaire or mahjong on the computer.
5. Use physical switching techniques. For some, this is the famous rubber bracelet on the wrist, for others - a series of deep breathing movements, light gymnastic exercises.
6. Learn breathing exercises. It is not necessary to master the entire system (the Niche system is recommended for smokers), but you can take the simplest exercises. This is, for example, a breath-holding system: in the event of an acute attack, smoke, stop breathing for the maximum possible time, then resume it, and repeat if necessary. Another option is hyperventilation followed by respiratory arrest. For 3-5 deep, long breaths - so many long exhalations, and then the breath is held for a slow count of 15-20, if necessary, can be repeated. As a rule, one or two such exercises are enough.

The advice "don't think about it" is simply meaningless, especially in the first critical period. This desire comes from the body's need for nicotine, from the fact that with a person's decision not to smoke, the body cannot immediately reorganize to work in new conditions.

At the first manifestation of the desire to smoke, “turn on” your own plan to overcome it. It is impossible to give individual recommendations in a general article, but everyone is free to choose something suitable from the list below and combine techniques.

These are approximate solutions to the problem of how to overcome an acute attack of desire to smoke. The main thing is to remember that these attacks will become weaker and occur less frequently over time, and the fight against them will gradually be brought to automaticity.