Is it hard to quit smoking for good? There is no definite answer: people are different, the length of smoking and the depth of “immersion” too. Someone can solve this issue quickly and effectively without help. Others have to come up with different ways to help themselves.
- Medical help. People with severe addiction need it. The doctor, if necessary, will prescribe medication to help with the stressful state and special pills to stop smoking. Sometimes addicts offer to help with hypnosis, coding, acupuncture. All of these methods are from the field of psychotherapy, and help is individualized.
- Strenuous work. There is no time for a smoke break with a busy schedule. More and more companies impose a complete ban on smoking and encourage non-smoking employees – it is possible to choose such a place of work for career growth.
- Sports and new interests. For many, the method of “displacement” works. The best antagonist to tobacco is sport. It affects the biochemistry: the body produces endorphins, which give rise to a feeling of pleasure. Distracting yourself from obsessive thoughts also helps you to do something new and exciting. Learn to drive, master photography, start learning a foreign language – each person can decide for himself or herself what he or she wants to do.
- Travel. The most difficult time without cigarettes – the first weeks. The total absence of temptations and the very possibility to smoke it is possible to provide, if to go for a month somewhere far away. Canoeing, horseback riding, hiking in the Valley of Geysers – all will do. The main thing is to do it in a non-smoking company. If you have no one to take a cigarette from, the hard work and exertion will soon “switch” your brain from thinking about tobacco.
- Patches and nicotine gum. Although they are available (sold without a prescription), it is still better to consult a doctor. These means deliver a minimum amount of nicotine into your body while you are weaning from cigarettes, softening the “withdrawal” of the first days. But you should take into consideration: later you will have to start weaning from substitutes.
Interesting information
In the U.S., measures vary from state to state. In New York, for example, the anti-tobacco program has been in place for 15 years: raising taxes on cigarettes, bans on smoking in public places, and help for those who decide to quit smoking. Smoking is prohibited not only at work, in public buildings, but also in parks.
According to WHO, China has over 300 million smokers and the country itself is the world’s largest tobacco producer. China recently introduced a nationwide ban on smoking in public places, which is enforced very strictly.
In the UK, such a ban has been in place for quite some time. And not only cigarettes, but pipes and hookahs are prohibited. The fine for violation is 50 pounds, and those who don’t pay it in time can be punished by the court with the quadrupled sum (200 pounds). In England, Wales it is also forbidden to smoke in cars carrying children. TV advertising of tobacco in England has been banned for half a century, and in 2005 the ban was extended to any advertising of tobacco products.
Japan takes the problem of secondhand smoke seriously and protects the rights of non-smokers. In many cities it is forbidden to smoke not only in public rooms, but also in crowded streets. Businesses have special smoking rooms. Non-smoking employees are rewarded financially. Three years ago in Tokyo’s Minato district “Minato Tobacco Rules” were introduced: here special places for smokers were designated.
Now you can even buy diabetes tablets online, so it’s easy enough to buy smoking cessation medication.