One question inevitably arises among those who are going to quit smoking, and this is the quest for what to replace cigarettes with in moments of smoking craving? By listening to various healthy lifestyle practitioners, you can decide that when a person asks these and similar questions, it may mean that, deep down, they are unwilling to give up smoking, they have doubts, about eitherthe need for it, or beyond its own strength. . .
At the same time, however, one should not forget that nicotine addiction in the form of cigarette smoking is less a physical addiction than a psychological addiction, an unhealthy desire.
It is clear that when something is taken away from a person that has firmly entered their life and is a reason to experience positive moments, they begin to experience expressed fear, which then turns into a need to replace what has been taken away.
In addition, nature abhores empty spaces, it has to be filled with something. What replaces smoking in your case? What can replace the bad smoking habit?
Advantages and disadvantages. . .
Smokers today no longer have any problems answering the question of how to replace smoking with cigarettes. Everyone can find something suitable for themselves, someone likes the so-called safe cigarettes more: electronic or nicotine-free; others prefer lollipops or sugary pills; for some, chewing gum or seeds are the way out.
Unfortunately, all of these substitutes have their disadvantages: lollipops spoil your teeth and figure, chewing gum leads to increased gastric secretion and electronic and nicotine-free cigarettes are not always effective in withdrawal.
What is it worth to replace cigarettes and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each "substitute"?
Cigarettes replace lollipops
Many smokers who do not know how to replace cigarettes begin to consume large amounts of lollipops, lozenges, or pills. This helps to combat the urge to smoke quite well, lozenges act on the receptors in the oral cavity and the respiratory system and partially replace the cigarette.
Mint-flavored candies are particularly effective - they reduce the urge to smoke, freshen the breath and contain less sugar. The popularity of candy as a cigarette substitute is well founded: they are non-addicting and really help manage the urge to smoke.
However, if you replace every desire to smoke with sweets, the number of calories, as well as sugar, exceed all reasonable norms, and thus the problems with obesity and impaired carbohydrate metabolism.
Chewing gum instead of cigarettes
Chewing gum can be divided into 2 large groups: normal and special nicotine-containing. The first "work" on the same principle as sweets: to replace habitual smoking with another action - chewing.
However, when choosing chewing gum with a menthol or cinnamon flavor, one must remember that constant chewing leads to increased secretion of gastric juice, which increases the risk of gastritis and ulcers. Nicotine gum contains nicotine and while it alleviates withdrawal symptoms, it does not cure smoking cravings.
The electronic cigarette replaces the usual
The electronic cigarette is now considered to be one of the most effective methods of combating nicotine addiction. Completely copying the appearance of a cigarette and the ritual of lighting it, it helps to combat psychological addiction and smoking habit, and since vapor enters the body rather than cigarette smoke, the harm to the body is minimized.
But unfortunately, this remedy is not a panacea for smoking either, inhaling steam cannot replace the sensation of smoking, and the electronic cigarette itself is common. Doctors and scientists argue today about the benefits and dangers of e-cigarettes, but it has already been proven experimentally: the e-cigarette replaces conventional cigarettes for those who want to quit smoking themselves.
Nicotine-Free Cigarettes - Comfortable and Safe?
Nicotine-free cigarettes look and act just like regular cigarettes, but their tobacco does not contain nicotine. Such cigarettes are a real alternative to the usual ones, but it is recommended to use them only during smoking cessation. In fact, when you inhale the smoke of a nicotine-free cigarette, carbon monoxide resins, benzopyrene and other no less harmful components enter the body.
Other "substitutes" for cigarettes
You can replace cigarettes with seeds, drink straws, chew wooden sticks, or have a snack instead of a smoke break. But each method, in addition to its advantages, has many disadvantages, and whether it is worth switching one problem to another is up to each smoker to decide for himself.
Is it worth turning one addiction into another?
In smoking cessation, one should not think about how to replace a cigarette, but rather undertake a "revision" of smoking cessation incentives. And if an honest answer to the question "Why do I want to quit smoking" shows that the reason lies in everything, but not in your own aversion to smoking, then smoking cessation with cigarette substitutes will not be effective.
If the thrower finds something to replace the cigarette, be prepared that there is no substitute for safe, which means that if a substitute is already being taken there may be problems.
Caramel or snacks - obesity, chewing gum - indigestion, vegetables and fruits are also not without risk, and even in quantities comparable to the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
Chewing sticks of all kinds, from matches to branches, is also dangerous. Matches are impregnated with a flammable compound that is not useful to humans to say the least, and knots can cause side effects and just be unpleasant to taste.
In any case, it's important to understand that you shouldn't be hunting two hares at once, and the harm from an extra piece of candy and a pound of excess weight is little more than the harm from a day or two of smoking. And no need to lean on candy for years after quitting smoking - a week, two, and that's it.
It's up to you! What would you like to achieve, a healthy life, albeit with minor complications in the early stages, or years of smoking?