Every long-term smoker at least once in his life thought about whether to quit this bad habit. But far from everyone who decides to “start” a relationship with cigarettes and turn onto the road of he alth is not enough for character and endurance.
When is International No Smoking Day celebrated
Year by year, the problems associated with smoking are gaining momentum. For those who are accustomed to postponing all good undertakings “until Monday”, International No Smoking Day can be a good reason to quit smoking. Back in 1977 in America, the International Cancer Society, together with the World He alth Organization, initiated the establishment of this holiday. The day of support for all those who wanted to change their lives was scheduled for the third Thursday of November. In addition, the Convention on Tobacco Control adopted in 2003 by the World He alth Organization was called upon to draw attention to the negative consequences of the acquired habit. It was supported by more than 90 countries of the world, including Russia.
Heavy smokers, who are they?
It is with great regret that,despite the growing anti-propaganda established by the World No Tobacco Day, the cigarette is firmly integrated into the life of modern society. For many, taking a cigarette in the morning is as natural a ritual as, for example, drinking a cup of coffee or making a toast. Statistics show that most people (about 90%) try smoking at an early age. Just think about it - the average age of a novice smoker in our country is 11 years old. In the seventh or eighth grade, about 8-12% of students regularly smoke, and already in the ninth or tenth grade, the percentage increases to 21-24. Scientists say that mostly young people who smoked before the age of 18, in the future, can not get rid of this harmful
habits for the rest of your days. Young people are trying to find themselves, their image, often imitating the behavior of idols. Very often, unfortunately, their heroes are the characters of feature films with a cigarette in their mouths. Maturity makes us not only look for answers to many life questions, but also think about our he alth. In middle age, when the day of quitting smoking for many could be an occasion to change oneself, as a person is aware of the harmful effects of tobacco, for many years an ingrained habit does not always allow a person to rule over himself. The closer to old age, the more difficult it becomes to overcome yourself.
Disappointing statistics
Tobacco smoke negatively affects almost all organs, exacerbates and causes
a whole bunch of diseases. 45% of all deaths are directly or indirectly linked to smoking. 4.9 million people worldwide die every year from diseases caused by smoking. Heavy smokers are 20 times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers. Those who like to drag on tobacco suffer from angina pectoris 13 times more often, and stomach ulcers - 10 times more often. Scientists directly link chronic lung diseases with tobacco inhalation. In Russia, smoking is gaining catastrophic proportions. In the country, 77% of all men, about 30% of women and almost 40% of teenagers smoke. Doctors around the world are calling at least once a year - on No Smoking Day - to try to get rid of the deadly attachment.
Why is it hard to quit smoking
Tobacco addiction ranks next to drug addiction and alcoholism among the most common deadly habits of mankind. Almost all smokers believe that they can quit at any moment,
but many fail to overcome nicotine addiction. It would seem that there is both a desire and a good reason - the "Smoking Day" event, and the support of loved ones, but a person who quits smoking faces enormous difficulties. These are irritability, nervousness, insomnia, increased appetite, gaining extra pounds, slowing the heart rate. Usually, such manifestations reach a peak one to two weeks after the cessation of tobacco intake in the body and are explained bythe fact that both types of nicotine addiction - psychological and physical - closely intertwined, simultaneously affect the body. This puts the ex-smoker under stress.
Some tips on how to quit smoking
But there is some good news. Unpleasant conditions of the body of a person who has given up smoking can be stopped, and willpower can be strengthened through a few simple techniques. The body's need for tobacco with a gradual decrease in dose and weaning from it at the physical level make it possible to satisfy modern nicotine substitutes - patches, tablets, etc. The following tips help overcome psychological addiction. Set a clear date - a no-smoking day - and prepare to replace the bad habit of holding a cigarette in your mouth with
another action, like buying yourself bags of seeds or chewing gum ahead of time. Try to replace the pleasant sensations of inhaling cigarettes with other pleasant moments - when you really want to smoke, they recommend having sex. In addition, ex-smokers advise a proven method - if at this stage it is not at all possible to abruptly put cigarettes aside - on the first day, remove the cigarette from the pack and throw it away. Every day, the number of removed cigarettes must be increased by one. The electronic cigarette has also helped many people quit smoking - this is for those who cannot wean themselves from blowing smoke from their mouths. And in no case reproach yourself if your day of quitting smoking somehow went wrong and youbroke. Very few succeeded in quitting smoking on the first try.
Life without a cigarette
Those who gave up cigarettes soon feel the favorable changes that occur in their body. More than once, everyone will thank themselves and give a standing ovation for the fact that one day they came up with a great idea - to spend a day of quitting smoking. Already at the end of the second day after giving up the bad habit, the body begins to remove carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, the tone of the blood vessels returns to normal, and it literally becomes easier for a person to breathe. After a week, the sense of smell improves and the taste intensifies. After a couple of weeks, a he althy complexion returns, the smell from the mouth disappears, as well as the specific smell of skin and hair. A person becomes energetic, endurance increases significantly. Among other things, concentration and memory improve.
Smoking control methods in the world
The fight for human he alth is happening all over the world. The World He alth Organization widely supports International No Tobacco Day. November in many countries is the starting month in the "he alth marathon" of events aimed at supporting everyone who wants to quit smoking. In 140 countries around the world have already passed a number of laws restricting the use of nicotine. In America, some firms have closed the recruitment of smokers, a ban on the production of especially strong cigarettes, as well as cigarettes without a filter, has been introduced. And in Singapore, for example, there are “non-smoking” neighborhoods. And yet the mainanti-smoking activities have been and continue to be raising the price of cigarettes and promoting he althy lifestyles.
