Never Smoke Again: How to Make it Work!

25 percent of smokers in Germany want to quit smoking, but often fail and reach for the “Glimmstängel” again. Yet smoking is the most important preventable cause of a wide range of diseases. Smoking and health are closely linked: Each cigarette shortens a smoker’s life expectancy by five and a half minutes. Heavy smokers lose up to 12 years of life. Regular smoking is both psychologically and physically addictive.

Good reasons to quit smoking

There are many reasons to quit smoking. Besides the financial aspects, health is usually at the heart of the decision:

  • Cigarette abstinence improves your quality of life and health well-being even after decades of steady tobacco use.
  • Damage to the vascular system normalizes even after long smoking.

What happens in the body after quitting smoking?

Here’s how your body reacts to quitting nicotine:

  • Already after 20 minutes, there is better blood circulation in the hands and feet.
  • After 8 hours, your blood can carry more oxygen again.
  • After about 48 hours, your sense of smell and taste improve.
  • Within a year, your circulation and breathing will stabilize again.
  • After about 5 years, the risk of suffering a heart attack is almost the same as a non-smoker.
  • After 10 years without cigarettes, the risk of lung cancer is just as high as for a non-smoker.

Nicotine cessation as a learning process

Abstinence from nicotine is a learning process that can be divided into three phases:

  1. Decision phase
  2. Stopping phase
  3. Stabilization phase

1. make a decision

Here, the following questions will help you:

  • Do you have a firm intention to quit smoking?
  • What reasons can you give why you want to stop smoking?

The more voluntary and convinced your decision, the more promising the further course. The will to cooperate and change behavior is the mandatory requirement for lasting success. It all starts in the head!

2. stop smoking

There are two methods to choose from:

  • The quit method involves not smoking at all after a certain cut-off date. This method is particularly successful if there is good motivation behind the smoking cessation.
  • In the reduction method, the number of cigarettes smoked daily is slowly reduced. In this way to stop smoking is more difficult than with the final method, because learning new behaviors is more difficult.

Whichever method you prefer, you need a strong will to persevere and you need to take action yourself.

Nicotine replacement products as supportive means.

For support, there are various medications in the form of nicotine patches, nicotine gum or tablets. These replace the nicotine that you would otherwise “smoke up.” The harmful substances that are hazardous to health, on the other hand, are eliminated. The withdrawal symptoms are significantly alleviated. The combination of self-control and medications has proven particularly promising in practice.

  • Nicotine patch: for smokers with regular daily consumption, a nicotine patch is suitable. Smoking cessation is achieved by continuous release of nicotine from the affixed patch. Withdrawal symptoms are thus alleviated. With the patches is changed after a period of 8-12 weeks to a lower dosage, thus gradually reducing the nicotine intake.
  • Nicotine gum: For “wavering” smokers or smokers who smoke in certain situations, the gum offers an alternative. A chewing gum is chewed every hour or as needed. After about 4 weeks, the number should be reduced daily until it can be dispensed with completely.
  • Tablets: Meanwhile, there are also tablets to take, which support the aspiring non-smoker in his efforts. The drug does not contain nicotine, unlike the patch and gum.

It is important to clarify with the doctor whether treatment with nicotine-containing drugs is an option. However, the following applies: with consistent use, the chances of being able to become a non-smoker double. Nicotine replacement products are available without a prescription in your pharmacy.

3rd stabilization phase

Often, exactly this phase is underestimated, because now it is about stabilizing the success and not falling off the wagon again. The new behaviors must be integrated into everyday life and lead to a “new” everyday life without cigarettes. This is how this hurdle can be overcome:

  • Address emerging problems that arise from the new non-smoking situation. For example, agree on smoking areas or smoking times at work.
  • Make known in your circle what has been achieved so far; this also helps to stabilize the new status.
  • Reward yourself for your success, because you have achieved something.

9 Tips on how you can “make it” better.

  1. Choose a date when you will not be stressed, for example, on vacation or on the weekend.
  2. Remove your ashtray in the car.
  3. Inform friends, acquaintances and relatives about your plan.
  4. Bet that you will successfully quit smoking.
  5. Choose more often types of cigarettes that you do not like.
  6. Remove “hidden reserves.”
  7. Clear away your smoking utensils.
  8. Impose a smoking ban in your home.
  9. In the office, leave the ashtray empty. The “beautiful” sight may spoil your appetite for cigarettes.

However, the lasting success of all measures is tied to one prerequisite: the firm will!