Do you want to stop smoking but need an additional dose of motivation? We’ll tell you why it’s worth stopping and how you can do it.
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Five good reasons to stop
1. Smoking is bad for your health
Smoking triggers a third of all cancers (lung cancer, oral cancer, lip cancer, neck cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer or uterine cancer).
The other harmful effects are no less dangerous: smoking increases the risk of heart attack and stroke as well as the risk of developing arteries (aneurysm) or arteritis (arteritis) in the lower limbs.display
2. Smoking is not particularly glamorous
Pale complexion, wrinkles, bad breath, yellowish teeth and fingers, a nauseating smell and a scratchy voice … Smoking is really not very attractive.
3. Smoking is expensive
A package now costs around 7 euros (as of 2020). 7 euros per day corresponds to 2,500 euros for the whole year. You could go on a nice trip, eat 50 times in a good restaurant, buy 1 or 2 fine It-Bags or fill up the car around 40 times …
4. Smoking is stressful
If you have to drive through the city three times in the late Sunday evening looking for a new box because you have run out of supplies, you are getting nervous. Another fear factor is the fear of surviving a long-haul flight without a cigarette. Not to mention standing in front of the door, shivering in the freezing cold, to quickly smoke one during the break … It’s not life!
5. Smoking is dangerous for the baby
Smoking also threatens the development of the embryo. You are not pregnant But maybe one day you want to have children. So it’s better if you quit smoking right away. By the way: passive smoking is also dangerous for babies and children!
Financial motivation?
If you only need a little nudge to finally keep your hands off of cigarette, e-cigarette and tobacco heater, then try the cigarette calculator from Onmeda.de: Here you can find out how many cigarettes you have in your average life as a smoker, but also how much money it cost you. >> To the cigarette calculator <<
Tobacco withdrawal is a difficult time
The desire to smoke only stops after several months. Even years later, a single cigarette is enough to reawaken the latent need and revive the addiction.
There are three dimensions of addiction, all of which must be taken into account if you want to give up smoking permanently :
1. Environmental or behavioral factors : The need for smoking can be triggered by certain situations, people and places.
2. Psychological factors:The cigarette is a means to treat yourself to a little pleasure, to cope with stress or fear, to concentrate or to stimulate … This effect is caused by the nicotine contained in the cigarette: a substance that triggers euphoria and relaxation, intellectually stimulates, has an anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effect and eliminates the feeling of hunger. If you stop smoking, you also know that you may gain weight in the process and this is a decisive inhibitor!
3. Physical factors: Here too, nicotine is responsible for physiological dependence.
Stop smoking with apps
Most smokers find it difficult to stop reaching for the glow stick. You can get support directly on your smartphone with apps. Most providers not only collect statistics on smoking behavior, but also track, among other things, the financial effect that refraining from using cigarettes has for the wallet.
The ‘Smoke Free’ app is ideal for a personalized plan to stop smoking. If you want a little more motivation and also want to collect points, like in a game, then the ‘Kwit’ app is probably best suited. And if you are looking for motivated colleagues, you can use the community of ‘Quit Now!’ exchange with other fellow sufferers. These apps are available for Android and iOS, some with free entry-level versions.
Your body gets fit again
Even if it is difficult: it is worth quitting smoking because you will quickly be rewarded with an improvement in your overall physical condition:
- After 20 minutes, blood pressure and heart rhythm normalize.
- After 8 hours, the amount of carbon monoxide in the blood has halved.
- After 24 hours, the lungs start to secrete the mucus and smoke deposits.
- After 48 hours, the sense of taste and bad breath improve.
- After 72 hours, breathing becomes easier.
- After a few weeks, the cough and feeling tired disappear. You get more air again.
- After 1 year, the risk of heart attack is only half as great.
- After 5 years, the risk of developing lung cancer has decreased by almost half.
- After more than 10 years, you can achieve the same life expectancy as a non-smoker.
Tools to help you stop smoking
If you want to quit smoking, you need one thing above all: a strong will! Every second smoker gets off the cigarette without any help. Nevertheless, there are numerous means today to make the difficult step a little easier:
1. Nicotine replacement products or NRT (nicotine replacement therapy):
These drugs are available without a prescription in the pharmacy and aim to alleviate the physical withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine replacement products are available in various forms: as plasters, chewing gums, lozenges or nicotine sprays.
2. Antidepressants:
The doctor can prescribe psychopharmaceuticals to particularly addicted smokers.
3. The behavior therapy or cognitive therapy:
These forms of therapy help to change one’s own behavior and the imprinted thinking patterns. This is the ideal help to avoid relapsing during the coffee break if someone smokes at the next table … You also learn to cope with the stress without a cigarette.
So far, only these three methods have been used in smoking cessation. However, there are other aids, the effectiveness of which is not yet certain: acupuncture, homeopathy, hypnosis, mesotherapy, auriculotherapy, phytotherapy or relaxation therapy.
On the Internet you can find a multitude of other offers in various classified ads. Be careful, there are also many charlatans! To protect yourself from this, it is important to inform yourself. Many health insurance companies offer information on smoking cessation programs, you can also ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Quit smoking: More information
The best way to quit smoking is to ask your family doctor or an association. The advice centers are familiar with the problem and therefore have the necessary expertise to guide a smoker in the right ways depending on the level of dependency, personality, motivation, age, health status and financial situation in the right way.
Important note: The information in this article is for information only and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. If you are unsure, or have urgent questions or complaints, you should contact your doctor.
