Smoking is one of the oldest bad habits that leads to stable physiological and psychological dependence. That is, the habit of smoking creates an uncontrollable dependence on cigarettes in a person to such an extent that stopping smoking can cause serious emotional, mental or physical reactions.
The need for the stimulating effect of nicotine
Small doses of nicotine do give a slight stimulating effect, so a cigarette can become a means that can change the usual boring life. The more monotony and dullness in life, the greater the desire to make at least a little change into it.
People who have an unconscious craving for the stimulating effect of nicotine sometimes have a tendency to other types of addictions - alcohol, drugs, psychotropic drugs, overeating, gambling addiction and many others.
Such smokers, as a rule, cannot imagine their life without strong coffee, and when intoxicated they smoke more and more often. They often have a bad mood and a tendency to constipation.
What to do?
If you have a psychological dependence on this type of smoking, then you need to think not only about your psycho-emotional state, but also about your intestines. Good music, bright lights, positive communication, or anything else that suits you personally can lift your mood. If you are prone to constipation, you should consult a doctor who will recommend procedures or medication.
Characteristic symptoms
Symptoms may differ for non-smokers when trying to smoke for the first time. Some people experience clear signs of intoxication. Others have no feeling of discomfort. They are the ones at risk of becoming dependent on smoking; it will be much more difficult for them to overcome the habit.
During the period of addiction, a feeling of euphoria and relaxation is observed. The body reacts by increasing blood pressure, and intestinal motility is stimulated. As tolerance to the effects develops, these sensations become muted, but even after a short break (after a night's sleep) they will become brighter.
Long-term smoking leads to the appearance of symptoms characteristic of a malfunction of the body:
- angina pectoris;
- arrhythmias;
- increased blood pressure;
- myocardial infarction;
- heart failure;
- dental diseases (stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontitis);
- bronchitis;
- oncology.
Nicotine hunger is accompanied by constant thoughts about a cigarette. Analysis of symptoms indicates common signs: increased sweating, pressure surges, dizziness, pain of unknown etiology, fatigue. The patient's condition is characterized by decreased performance. Withdrawal syndrome reaches its peak 1-2 days after the last cigarette, then within 2 weeks the intensity begins to decline, but the periodic desire to smoke may not disappear for a long time.
Smoking with communication difficulties
Sometimes people experience some difficulties when communicating; it is difficult for them to feel cozy and comfortable in a company. But simply keeping silent in society is also not very convenient, and then the pauses are filled with smoking. Cigarettes become a means of silent communication. It is noteworthy that such people often manage well without smoking in situations where they do not need to communicate with anyone.
What to do?
It is necessary to learn the art of communication, develop confidence and communication skills in order to be a worthy interlocutor in any society. Well, for the first time, you can try another “mouth plug” instead of a cigarette - let it be a cup of tea, a sandwich or the notorious chewing gum.
What to do when you really want to smoke?
- Call a friend
- Chew sugarless gum or eat something healthy
- Take a walk
- Brush your teeth
- Take a shower
- Take a deep breath and try to relax
- Write a letter
- Keep your hands busy: make something, fix something, sew something...
Desire to look more mature
Very often, smoking begins in childhood and adolescence, when the desire to appear adult, strong and independent is especially strong. Modern realities are such that in the eyes of teenagers, a cigarette looks like a symbol of independence and independence. Very often, a teenager who smokes at heart is a weak and insecure child who is unable to establish his “I” among his peers with other “adult” qualities.
What to do?
Most often, the reasons why you started smoking in your youth have already disappeared on their own, and now you need to understand yourself and find other components of the addiction.
High suggestibility
Man is a social being, living according to the rules and canons of his environment. Modern culture has greatly inflated the importance of smoking, which is extremely beneficial for tobacco corporations. The idealization of a smoking person leads to the fact that young men and women start smoking in order to be fashionable, cool, stylish.
What to do?
If this is the reason for smoking, then you need to change your priorities and ideals. Realize that in pursuit of fashion and cool, you are acting like robots that someone programmed to smoke. Health, beauty, strength are much better ideals than the dubious joy of being a smoker.
Lack of motherly love
Sucking the mother's breast is the very first and earliest human instinct. A mother is the personification of everything a child needs. Mother is warmth, care, comfort, food, peace, affection, tenderness. The mother and the mother's breast are perceived by the baby as absolutely equal. The pacifier is also a kind of “mother” - the child calms down if he received a pacifier instead of a breast.
A cigarette is also a kind of pacifier, only for adults. The greater the need for the mother, the higher the dependence on cigarettes. Moreover, what is needed is not a mother in the literal sense of the word, but what she personifies - confidence, comfort, calmness, absence of problems. The harder and harsher life is, the stronger the unconscious need for the “mother's breast” or “nipple”.
Such moments are very easy to track. When a person feels bad, he usually reaches out to his wife, husband, or other loved one. Tender feelings awaken.
What to do?
In your case, it would be useful to work with a psychologist in order to understand your inner world and find the right line to get rid of problems. And imagine the following: you have a tireless need for your mother’s breast, but instead of it you are offered not a rubber “pacifier”, but a nipple filled with poison. Do you need it?
Smoking to relieve psychosexual tension
Neuropsychic stress in a person can arise for various reasons; one of them is tension of a psychosexual nature, that is, the expression of sexual need. Adults relieve such tension through sexual intercourse. However, psychosexual tension occurs in early adolescence, which indicates the beginning of hormonal changes in the young body, and is in no way connected with sexual life.
This tension is very painful for teenagers, so they subconsciously look for ways to reduce or relieve it. Sometimes a more global satisfaction of habitual needs helps to reduce the level of tension - some people start eating a lot of sweets at this age, some immerse themselves in music, some find salvation in sports.
But, unfortunately, in the modern world there are many other ways to reduce psychosexual tension that act faster and much more effectively - alcohol, psychotropic drugs, drugs and tobacco.
What to do?
If a cigarette has become a way to relieve psychosexual tension, then the connection is easily traced: the richer the sex life, the lower the level of smoking, and, conversely, during periods of sexual abstinence, smoking becomes more intense. The conclusion suggests itself: to get rid of this component of addiction, you need a regular, full-fledged sex life.
Stages
Psychologists distinguish 3 stages of nicotine addiction, which are preceded by another, preparatory stage. Personal psychology is such that a person begins to abuse not too actively, systematically increasing the dose of poison consumed. The preparatory stage is characterized by smoking up to 15 cigarettes. per month. Smoking itself in people who are not yet dependent is accompanied by coughing attacks, as well as symptoms of nicotine intoxication (dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc.).
When the harmful effects of smoking become less noticeable, a person becomes addicted. Smokers' health is increasingly suffering from irreversible changes. He goes through the following stages of developing nicotine addiction.
- Initial. Lasts from 3 to 5 years. Characterized by systematic smoking with an ever-increasing number of cigarettes per day. After receiving the next dose of nicotine, a person feels better. There is no psychosomatic disease.
- Chronic. Lasts from 5 to 20 years. The patient may consume more than 1 pack of cigarettes per day. The detrimental effect of a long history of smoking affects a person’s well-being with periodic bouts of coughing, heart pain, and decreased performance.
- Late. The final stage of development of nicotine addiction is characterized by abuse until the end of life or until smoking cessation in old age. Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, etc. occur. At the late stage of addiction, a person ceases to distinguish the quality of tobacco, and smoking itself becomes causeless. The patient can no longer break the habit. Any attempts to quit can lead to the manifestation of acquired chronic diseases.
How to get rid of psychological addiction to smoking?
Our article provides small recommendations on some types of psychological addiction. In general, we can say the following: you need to carefully and thoroughly understand yourself.
Can you do this on your own, or will you need the help of a psychologist - in any case, you need to find out exactly what reasons are preventing you from getting rid of your nicotine addiction. An honest, impartial analysis of your motives and actions will help you understand the true state of affairs and free yourself from tobacco slavery forever.
Also:
- You can use the smoking cessation forum. It has thousands of participants who have already overcome psychological dependence on nicotine. Thanks to their help, you can too.
- In addition, download our super popular calendar.
Afterword
It is impossible to say with certainty which method will be effective in a particular case. For example, 5% of smokers successfully quit smoking in one day. The nicotine patch also works, but it continues to poison the body with nicotine. Hypnosis, healers, teas (by the way, most of them are calming and tonic, so there are many already known alternatives) can also help someone, albeit with the help of the placebo effect.
The real problem with any habit lies much deeper. For example, smoking can be an excellent way to shorten working hours (unloved work), to give confidence in a difficult situation (self-doubt, immaturity or the role of a victim (self-pity)). It is better to deal with the problem by removing the root cause. Therefore, I recommend solving the problem from the inside, changing your entire lifestyle, understanding your true desires and environment, that is, adhering to the general recommendations from this article.
I advise you to find the book by D. V. Nesterova “All ways to quit smoking: from the “ladder” to Carr. Choose yours,” the provisions of which were taken as the basis when writing the article. The book describes the effect of smoking on all systems of the body, discusses the specifics of hookah smoking, presents many popular methods and ways to quit smoking, provides the author's advice, and describes how to overcome withdrawal symptoms. Overall, a useful practical guide.
