Alcohol and nicotine are active substances, the use of which depresses the body, disrupts metabolism and hormonal levels, and contributes to persistent chemical and mental dependence. Every person who smokes and abuses alcohol eventually thinks about how to stop drinking and smoking, given the extent to which these habits are harmful to he alth.
Consequences
Smoker often gets sick, loses weight, suffers from mental deterioration, exposes organs to irreversible changes under the influence of toxins. A person becomes mentally unstable, sickly, his will is suppressed by addiction.
Due to the abuse of alcohol, a person experiences constant anxiety, becomes asocial, suffers from impaired organ activity, reduced reproductive function.
People who quit drinking, smoking, feel the need for increased attention, support and alternative ways to cheer up. Relatives and friends should help them stay on track.
Get rid oftwo interrelated habits is extremely difficult. Therefore, the following picture is often observed: a person quit smoking - he began to drink. Without a well-established stimulation of the nervous system, few people manage to get rid of addictions on their own.
If a person quit drinking and smoking, the consequences can be:
- Stop production of psychoactive substances in the brain.
- Cleansing the body of toxins, resulting in possible vomiting reflexes, upset, diarrhea, arrhythmia, migraine, dizziness.
- Jumps in blood pressure.
- Exacerbation of heart disease.
- Weakness and malaise, chills.
- Shaky limbs; muscle spasms.
- Shortness of breath when walking.
- Sudden pressure surges.
However, such symptoms do not last long, only until all harmful toxins are removed from the body. Further, the condition and appearance are greatly improved.
Fighting Addiction
The abuse of nicotine and alcohol becomes a necessary dope, without which the sensations of the sufferer resemble hunger. The physical and volitional components of a person take part in overcoming addiction.
The will, as a rule, is strongly suppressed, so the individual is poorly aware of the new state that he will achieve after liberation from addictions.
There is a belief: you need to stop drinking and smoking at the same time, so that giving up one habit does not lead to an increase in another In the case of withdrawal syndrome, the addict must be under controlphysicians, given the possible exacerbation of diseases. The body needs to be supported with vitamin complexes.
Medications are great for clearing up and removing symptoms, but if the physical addiction after alcohol and nicotine disappears after a month, then the psychological one returns much longer.
Quitting smoking and drinking without outside help is almost impossible. Many people need not only psychological support, but also medication.
Alcohol addiction
Changes that occur under the influence of alcohol in the human psyche are very difficult to recover.
Stages of alcoholism:
- In the first stage, a person is often drawn to drink. He tells himself that if he wants to, he can easily cope with his problem.
- At the next stage, more and more alcohol is required, memory lapses, withdrawal symptoms, hallucinations occur. You can't do without the help of a specialist.
- At the third stage, the addict is forced to drink daily, does not orient himself in time. It is possible to rid him of addiction, but the damaged organs cannot be healed.
A number of dangerous diseases caused by addictions:
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Alcoholic cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure.
- Korsakov's disease.
- Other mental disorders.
Often one addiction leads to another. Therefore, it is often observed that a person quit smoking and started drinking. Therefore, the main task is psychological reconfiguration. In somecases, doctors recommend reducing the dose and degree of alcoholic beverages.
But if a person quit smoking and started drinking, this does not mean that he has abandoned his goal and will again slide to the bottom mark. It is important to have a constancy of intention in order for the final changes to take place.
No alcohol
Toxins accumulate in all organs, a hangover syndrome sets in, accompanied by severe he alth. Alcohol no longer stimulates the nervous system, natural cleansing begins. With the use of additional methods of removing toxins from the body, the condition improves, there is an incentive for creative processes.
About 80% of addicts experience mental disorders in the form of fear, hallucinations, nightmares, popularly referred to as "delirious tremens". Some become tyrants and despots for the home, others become apathetic and indifferent people.
What happens in the body when you quit alcohol
- In the first 3-7 days: there is pain, trembling in the body, rapid heartbeat, vomiting. The main mistake is to follow the hangover syndrome
- Beginning of the second week: subsidence of the withdrawal syndrome, improvement of sleep, body productivity, disappearance of edema.
- After two weeks: thought processes return to normal, restless symptoms disappear, blood pressure normalizes, dizziness disappears.
- After 21 days, the products of alcoholism are completely eliminated from the body, the brain is cleansed, peace sets in. Weight is normalizing.
Folk remedies for alcoholism
Medicines for alcoholism are divided into sedatives, de-addictions, vomiting and disgust, restoring the state of internal organs.
- Dried thyme (tablespoon) pour a glass of boiling water, boil in a saucepan, leave for 40 minutes. Take a spoon twice a day.
- Four teaspoons of thyme, a spoonful of wormwood and centaury, mix, brew with boiling water. Leave for a couple of hours. Take before every meal.
Nicotine addiction
For a smoker, this habit is like a special ritual. It intersects tightly with others and becomes an integral part of life. For some, this is due to hard work, for others - with the instability of personal relationships. Smoking promotes the production of the stress-reducing hormone cortisol in the blood.
What happens in the body when you quit smoking: the peak of negative reactions occurs on the third or seventh day. The duration of adaptation can be about 3-4 months. There are several stages in the state of quitting smoking.
In the interval from 2 to 6 hours without a cigarette, the following is observed:
- By the end of the second hour without cigarettes, an obsessive desire to smoke follows.
- There is confusion, scattered attention.
- Disturbs nervousness, insomnia; increased appetite.
- By the fourth hour, breathing becomes deep, which makes the smoker uncomfortable.
- After the 6th hoursymptoms decrease, but an unpleasant state of depression and fatigue remains.
Changes in state on the second day:
- Carbon monoxide that combines with blood cells is replaced by oxygen.
- A smoker's risk of having a heart attack is 70% higher on the second day compared to the same probability in a normal body, but the risk has continued to decline since then.
- Adds a wide range of flavors and odors that the smoker lacks.
- Appetite increases, vivacity and physical activity appear.
- Decreased desire to smoke.
Feeling on the third to seventh days:
- Nicotine products are excreted from the body.
- Psychological state is characterized by fatigue and apathy.
- Nausea, headache, shortness of breath, indigestion, which can last for several days, may be added to the existing symptoms.
Status during the first month:
- Negative symptoms stop in most smokers (nervousness).
- Starting from the second week, there is an increase in vitality; movement is fun.
- Improves blood circulation in peripheral vessels.
- Lung capacity increases; through sputum and coughing, the remnants of smoking products are excreted.
Changes in first year smokers:
- He alth and rejuvenation of the skin.
- Tobacco addiction finally disappears.
- Respiratory diseases do not remind of themselves.
- Declining50% risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Of the unpleasant consequences - weight gain occurs.
Folk remedies for smoking
The following remedies will help stop the withdrawal syndrome:
- Collection from catnip, dandelion and valerian: pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of each herb, cool. Take a sip with every urge to smoke.
- Crushed oats (250 g) brew in 500 ml of boiling water, leave for an hour. Take half a glass with each desire to inhale.
- St. John's wort (25 g) brew in a cup of boiling water, take instead of tea. Calamus root is chewed in its natural form, and also mixed with mint (1:3) and brewed as a tea.
- Crushed plantain, combined with horseradish, eat several times a day, chewing thoroughly. Those who have already been treated with such a remedy are advised to take an equal amount of components. There are no strict proportions. This remedy should not be used for stomach ulcers.
Alternative methods in the fight against smoking
Nicotine-free cigarettes help in the fight against smoking. They contain cinnamon, saffron, coriander, St. John's wort, eucalyptus, mint, oregano, thyme, horsetail, motherwort.
Such cigarettes relieve symptoms of withdrawal, eliminate addiction, help to get rid of smoking forever. You can buy them in pharmacies. In addition to them, antidepressants are used.
Nicotine patches, chewing gums, inhalers help to extract the dose of nicotinegentle method, but this method is not harmless, therefore it is suitable only for the first time. Subsequently, you need to get rid of it.
Effective alternative methods are acupuncture, breathing exercises, auto-training.
The following products will help you quit smoking:
- High in omega-3 fatty acids: bananas, citrus fruits, kiwi, persimmons, plums, tomatoes, pineapples.
- "Energy drinks" that make up for the deficiency of substances well: apples, mate tea, natural honey, seafood, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, red meat.
Rehabilitation programs
Rehabilitation programs are designed to gradually move towards the desired result. Before you quit smoking and drinking, you need to determine for yourself short-term and long-term goals, making a plan in the form of a table.
Among simple tasks can be: morning exercises, obligatory help to relatives, consultations with specialists, going out into nature, self-education, hobbies and other things that help to distract from your condition and enjoy life. From the more thorough ones: changing the circle of friends and place of work, introspection to improve relationships.
If for one person getting rid of addiction looks like this: "I quit drinking, smoking - I go in for sports." Others cannot do without serious preparation. Outdoor work, communication in a team of like-minded people, help from specialists, prayers help addicts to stop drinking and smoking at the same time.
Relatives are able to provide supportaddicted patient who has decided to give up a bad habit. The company of smokers or drinkers should be avoided, concentrating all willpower for the purpose of self-control.
The Shichko method consists of the following steps:
- Awareness of addiction. A person must understand that he has a problem.
- Support improvements with photos. Photographs of appearance, from the first to the last day of treatment, inspire and help to maintain the achieved level.
- Describing the onset of addiction in the presence of a psychologist in order to form a history and be able to track changes. It is necessary to keep a diary in which to fix the features of well-being.
- The use of self-hypnosis. You need to fix in your brain the thought: "If I quit smoking and start drinking, I will get even worse."
- Finding a hobby and a worthwhile activity.
Expert Tips
To make it easier to quit smoking and drinking, some psychologists recommend that you start by reducing the number of cigarettes per day so that the interval between them is about 2 hours. They believe that this is necessary for the gradual restructuring of the body. You also need to limit yourself to alcohol.
You can't abruptly stop drinking and smoking after years of addiction. Sudden refusal leads to the resumption of the old way of life, but with an exacerbation of hidden diseases.
What experts and former addicts advise:
- Set realistic goals for yourself, don't try to be alcohol free in a matter of days.
- Keeping a diary will help to more accurately identify the causesdeterioration.
- You can distract yourself from a cigarette with seeds, chewing gum.
- It is recommended to avoid smoky rooms, wash linen, curtains, items that were in the house.
- It is useful to get rid of the attributes of smoking: lighters, ashtrays and other items reminiscent of cigarettes.
- In order not to gain excess weight, you need to take care of your diet, avoid harmful foods, including coffee, chocolate, alcohol.
- Contact Alcoholics Anonymous, surround yourself with successful people.
- Get rid of smoking habits: "coffee-cigarette", "beer-cigarette".
- Report decision to friends.
- You should change your habitual environment, including where you live.
- Reward yourself for your accomplishments.
- Don't accumulate negativity. Try not to get into conflicts.
- Avoid being alone.
- Do not overload yourself during the rehabilitation period.
Conclusion
If the addict does not realize the true danger of his bad habits and does not want to get rid of them on his own, but does it only at the insistence of his relatives, he easily resumes smoking and drinking.
Means such as electronic cigarettes, sweets, herbal decoctions are effective, but only on condition that a person acts consciously.
If you fail, don't consider it a failure. If an individual has given up drinking, smoking and "hanging around" forever because he has set high goals for himself, he will never return to the "swamp" from which he managed to get out.
