Every day there are more and more smokers, not only adults, but teenagers too. Why do people deliberately poison their bodies and endanger their health? Reasons for smoking are different for everyone. Some "turn on" the pressure, others do not want to be the scapegoat in the company of friends, and others kill time in this way. Addiction takes a catastrophic scale, destroying a person not only physically, but also psychologically.
Why does smoking addiction happen?
To answer the question of what is attractive about smoking, you need to understand how nicotine acts on the body. The first cigarette was unpleasant. After inhaling tobacco smoke, dizziness, nausea, coughing appear, and tremors in the limbs may occur. It seems that all these sensations should be an incentive not to take cigarettes. But if for some reason a person continues to smoke, then the body gradually gets used to nicotine.
In the first month, smoking is fun. Within 10 minutes after the first puff, certain processes occur in the body. The production of adrenaline increases, the person begins to feel euphoric, the speed of thinking and concentration increases and a feeling of calm comes. But over time, the joy of smoking gives way to real addiction. Nicotine is included in the metabolism and the body gets used to the fact that this substance is always present in the blood. When the concentration of nicotine decreases, the nervous system signals that it is time to refresh. It makes you want to reach for another cigarette. The time elapsed from smoking the first cigarette to nicotine addiction is individual for everyone. Usually it takes a year or a year and a half.
Studies have shown that the psychology of nicotine addiction is different in men and women. Men smoke because they are used to it, they like to play cigarettes in their hands and smell the smoke. The reason women smoke is to enjoy the process itself. In addition, tobacco companies themselves encourage the weaker sex to start smoking by producing their products in beautiful packs with various flavors. Among smoking friends, a girl with a cigarette and a glass of wine feels supported, the desire appears to talk, to share her secrets.
Psychological reasons for smoking in adults and adolescents
How many people, many reasons. Teenagers most often pick up cigarettes because they feel pressure from their peers. A teenager wants to be like everyone else, to be "one of their own. "
Recruitment into smoking groups occurs among individuals who do not have an opinion. A similar situation can arise in a couple where one partner smokes and forces the other to join, otherwise their relationship will end.
Another reason for smoking tobacco among teenagers is a sense of independence. Of course, this is an illusory feeling that allows you to grow theoretically and only among your peers.
Family relationships are largely a prerequisite for future nicotine addiction in children. If one or both parents smoke, it is more likely that their child will smoke cigarettes in the future.
Social networks, attractive advertising on the Internet and on television, bright promotional signs on the street, all this at an unconscious level encourages young people to smoke. Even out of curiosity, the odds of him smoking sooner or later are above average.
The reasons for starting to smoke in adulthood are quite different, although in some cases they are similar to teenagers:
"attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" , which translated means the desire to occupy oneself with at least something. Some cope with the situation by going shopping, others by nibbling on sunflower seeds, eating, playing computer games, etc. Smokers keep their hands and mouths busy with cigarettes, they like to feel the taste of smoke and the feeling of nicotine on their body;feeling nervous . Stress at work or at home leads to constant irritation. How to get out of the situation and calm down? For some people, the only solution is a cigarette. Smoking in the fresh air or while drinking a cup of coffee becomes a ritual. Of course, you can find many other ways to relax, but not everyone wants to do it;shy and unable to communicate with people . If a person is naturally silent and does not know how to talk to strangers, then every pause in the dialogue becomes torture. Smoking in such a situation is a kind of substitute for communication, a "plug" for a pause;weak will . Once you get involved in the smoking process, you can become a real household drug addict. Demented people, no matter how hard they try to get rid of addiction, can't do it on their own. There are many reasons: I will quit tomorrow, I had a hard day today and a cigarette won't hurt, I will finish the pack and definitely quit. You cannot cope here without the help of a qualified professional;misconception that cigarettes are not as dangerous as they say . And if there is no risk to life, then giving up what brings pleasure is foolish;problems in the family, at work, with friends, mental illness due to the loss of something or someone . Smoking helps you, at least temporarily, to get out of the reality of life and immerse yourself in peace;silence . People whose only friends are cigarettes will not give them up voluntarily. With their help, the feeling of uselessness fades into the background for a short time.
Regardless of the reason for starting to smoke, people do not quit smoking. The desire to inhale the aroma of tobacco smoke comes unconsciously. A person, often, on a subconscious level, reaches for a cigarette, each time leading himself into tobacco addiction.
The psychological reasons for smoking are all obvious, but nicotine is also addictive on a physical level. In addition to increasing the activity of brain receptors, the alkaloids contained in nicotine are included in all body systems. Already after the first cigarette, he began to actively adapt to previously unfamiliar conditions. And soon a certain dose of nicotine becomes the norm for a person, and in the future they need to be increased, as the body's tolerance develops.
Psychosomatics of smoking
Scientific research has proven that the main reason for smoking is psychological in nature. That is why it is easier to get rid of the physical desire for nicotine than to break yourself psychologically. A truly adequate person, if told about the dangers of smoking and its consequences, nods his head firmly, but immediately lights a cigarette. Why is this happening? The answer lies deep in the human subconscious. Internal programs, no one knows how, are turned on and pulled into dependencies, without asking for permission.
Why is it that a person, even with a strong will, cannot stop smoking? He did this because he felt the desire. What made you start smoking in your youth now prevents you from kicking the habit as an adult. And it is not a matter of simple curiosity or a feeling of euphoria that drives cigarettes. Now this is a completely different reason - psychosomatic.
Every time, after taking a puff of nicotine, a person feels relaxed and relieved, but not in any way of pleasure. All smokers have their own reasons for not quitting:
- In the morning, nicotine with coffee helps you wake up and recharge your batteries;
- at a party, smoking after a glass of cognac allows you to feel a double dose of calmness;
- in moments of emotional stress, you get relief with the help of a cigarette;
- nicotine triggers mental processes (according to smokers).
Quitting smoking once and for all without the possibility of relapse is possible only in cases where a person has a convincing motive to do so or he stops feeling the urge to inhale tobacco smoke.
The main reason to quit smoking
The main reasons for quitting smoking most often include health problems. In second place is the fear of destroying relationships and families. And only after that it is possible to develop a conscious desire not to damage your health and not spend money on cigarettes. Among the main diseases caused by smoking are as follows:
- problems with the heart and blood vessels;
- stroke;
- cancer;
- bronchitis;
- ulcers;
- emphysema.
Recurrence of existing conditions may also occur.
Increasingly, crime chronicles contain material about fires caused by cigarettes. For some people, this is just a situation that happened to someone there and has nothing to do with them personally. But when the problem affects relatives, friends and even neighbors, the thought of quitting smoking becomes closer.
In many countries, governments are actively fighting smoking. For example, laws have been adopted according to which appropriate measures are being taken:
- ban on smoking in public places;
- increase the excise tax on tobacco products;
- labeling and pictures with text on packs warning about the dangers of smoking;
- "information onslaught" from the media, teachers, parents, company leaders and enterprises;
- prohibition of advertising of tobacco products;
- punishment for illegal trade in cigarettes;
- Prohibition of sales to persons under the age of 18.
For non-compliance with all these rules, various types of punishments are provided, from fines to compensation for damage caused to the health of others.
How to stop smoking?
Today there are enough ways to get rid of nicotine addiction, but the main thing is the desire of the smoker himself.
- Nicotine replacement therapy. These include medicines containing nicotine in small doses, chewing gum, patches, nasal sprays, etc. A person, using this or that product, continues to receive nicotine, but in its pure form, without harmful impurities and smoke. Therefore, it is easier to leave cigarettes, because there is a gradual cessation of smoking without withdrawal symptoms.
- E-Sigs. The so-called nicotine inhaler causes mixed opinions among experts. In fact, in most cases, addiction develops precisely because of the process itself, which relieves a person on an emotional level. The use of electronic cigarettes imitates smoking, but without the use of carcinogens and tar that are harmful to the lungs. In addition, there is no tobacco smoke that negatively affects other people.
- Coding. There are many private drug treatment clinics that provide services to get rid of tobacco addiction. There are three coding methods: hypnotic, instrumental and Dovzhenko method. With the help of hypnosis, a person is given information about the dangers of smoking and the consequences that may arise. Instrumental methods include acupuncture, which affects various nerve centers, and lasers aimed at different areas of the patient's body. The Dovzhenko method is the oldest method to get rid of addiction. Consists of two levels. In the first, smokers are given information about the dangers of cigarettes, in the second, an aversion to tobacco and smoke is instilled in them. The doctor and the patient decide which method to choose.
- Psychological help. Just as in the case of coding, psychological effects occur within the walls of the clinic. Individual sessions and group training are held there. Expert help increases the chances of quitting smoking completely by one and a half times.
Nicotine addiction is one of the most common in the world. Along with alcoholism, drug addiction and gluttony. If a person does not realize the harm of his condition in time, this will lead to very undesirable consequences.