More than 750 million people. There are many people in the world who would like to give up cigarettes. But many are unable to achieve this basic result for health, and not only because of bad will. If it is true that the choice of leave the smoke is the basis of any attempt, it is undeniable that political strategies must increasingly aim to offer all these supports that can help the smoker to become ex.
This is the direction taken by the World Health Organization to propose a complete series of interventions for stop smoking collected in special guidelines. The strategies are different and must be integrated: for example, they appear basic cognitive behavioral supporti pharmacological treatmentsthe digital therapies that continue to grow. Ultimately, however, it is important to ensure that access to the various integrated tools for cessation is available throughout the world, regardless of economic and social reality.
Again according to WHO data, more than 6 out of 10 smokers (about 1.25 billion people in the world) would like to quit smoking. But in seven out of ten cases, they do not have the availability of services capable of supporting the choice of cessation. For this reason, in terms of health systems and social choices, it seems essential to structure responses capable of supporting the choice of the individual.
But what do the WHO guidelines say? They recall how combining drugs with behavioral interventions success rate in quitting smoking can be improved. WHO recommends vareniclinenicotine replacement therapy, bupropion and cytisine as effective treatments for smoking cessation. The importance of behavioral and digital interventions is also highlighted, through messages, web-based tools and apps for smartphones and the like.
What can be used?
It’s bad for you, everyone knows that. But saying goodbye to cigarettes, even when you may not have created a real addiction because you only smoke a few times a day, is terribly difficult. So even though about six out of ten people would like to give up tobacco forever and with it coughs, various ailments, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, only a few actually succeed.
And yet… and yet the statistics say that on 1,000 kids start smoking, 250 will be killed prematurely by smoking. That the life expectancy of a young man who smokes two packs of cigarettes a day at twenty-five is eight years shorter than that of a non-smoker. In short, it is necessary to consider giving up smoking as the objective. And try to exploit the different means, integrated with each other, to the best. It is therefore essential that giving up smoking is addressed with the different tools available, through the integration of approaches that can ensure the best results. The important thing, according to the experts, is to rely exclusively on methods that have proven effectiveness.
Nicotine replacement therapy, or patches, chewing gum and inhalers which release the substance in controlled doses is one of these.
Among the drugs, the bupropion It acts as an antidepressant, should be used with caution in the presence of psychiatric disorders and is not indicated if there is a history of anorexia and bulimia, or for those who suffer from epilepsy or have suffered head trauma.
There varenicline works by “occupying” nicotine receptors. It should not be used in people with severe renal insufficiency or in cases of recent serious cardiovascular events. let’s be clear: each smoker needs a personalized approach, based on the amount of cigarettes smoked each day, the actual presence of addiction (in many cases, especially in young people, this is not present) and the presence of depressive states or other situations that make quitting more difficult.
The strategies of weaning
Advice for those who intend to quit, willpower is always the basis of choices, it is of rely on the local health authority’s anti-smoking centres or in any case on the support of expert operatorsalso to obtain the best results in terms of integration of approaches.
If it is true that, as reported by the WHO, there are approaches that have given proven results, it is equally undeniable that other weaning strategies in some cases they can be helpful. Some examples? Think to acupuncture. The technique comes from the dictates of Chinese medicine and has proven to be extremely useful in the treatment of numerous pathologies. It is sometimes also applied for smoking cessation. It aims to act directly on the nerve centers that promote addiction, particularly nicotine, and therefore should implement a sort of “conditioning” that would lead to quitting smoking.
Also auriculotherapy uses the basic principles of acupuncture, but involves acting directly in the ear area. The goal is to interfere, precisely by developing the treatment on five specific points that seem to have a targeted action on the anxiety that is linked to the need to light a cigarette, with the feeling of abstinence that develops in those who give up the habit.
Even with the laser therapy. The aim is the same as acupuncture, only that instead of needles, special cold lasers are used that aim to act on the key points that represent the organs. The objective is to combat anxiety in those who would like to light up a cigarette, thanks to the release of particular substances called endorphins and neurotransmitters, with a relaxing and calming action.
With hypnosis it aims to attenuate nicotine withdrawal as well as to influence the habits of the most inveterate smoker. In practice, during the treatment, the smoker’s desire to quit is exploited, which is however normally counteracted by experiences that make it unachievable. In this way, the unconscious could act on the will.
Nicotine addiction?
Sometimes it happens that a person stops smoking, but also that his choice is not maintained over time. The simple “addiction” to nicotinea substance contained in varying quantities in all cigarettes, is not enough to explain this long-term “collapse”. After a few days of hard work, in fact, the symptoms related to the “deficiency” of nicotine in the body generally become more bearable.
But What does nicotine do in the body?? It performs various actions, but often in a “biphasic” manner. Each of its activities can in fact be stimulating or depressive. The final response of the organism to nicotine is therefore the sum of the different effects, often opposite to each other, of the substance. Nicotine can, for example, increase heart rate and blood pressure by acting on the local control centers of the “sympathetic” nervous system, on the adrenal medulla (a portion of the small gland that sits above the kidneys and produces catecholamines such as adrenaline and noradrenaline), and by activating specific chemical receptors near the aorta and carotid artery. All of these induce the response that after a few minutes, the timing depends on the amount of nicotine, is however overwhelmed by the control mechanisms that induce a reaction that is exactly the opposite.
On the nervous system, nicotine has an initial stimulating action, especially on breathing. But even in this case, after a short time, the depression of these responses is greater.
Nicotine finally increases bowel movements because it acts positively on the nerves that control the intestinal muscles. When the substance is present, therefore, there may be a slight tendency to diarrhea followed by periods of constipation when you stop smoking.
In short: in addition to the chemistry of nicotine, it is always necessary to consider How difficult weaning can be. Generally speaking, according to experts, it should be said that the higher the number of cigarettes, the greater the difficulty in weaning. And then, it can happen especially in the first few weeks after the last cigarette of mincreased irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and headache, increased appetite, intestinal disturbances and mild insomnia may appear.
But the advantage, in terms of health, is priceless. And it allows you to lay the foundations for future health. The important thing, on the psychological front, is “enjoy” the results of one’s effortsThe “fresh” ex-smoker must know that he has won a battle and “like” himself for this effort of will.
It is very important to try not to do things that have in any way been linked to smoking. Quitting smoking, however, also means abandoning old habits. that with the cigarette had become a rule. For this reason it can be useful, for example, to go to work by a different route than the one you used to take, avoiding intersections where, almost by an unconscious mechanism, the hand would reach down towards the pack and the lighter. The economic value of one’s choice should also be reevaluated. The ex-smoker he needs to think about the money he saved and think about the holidays he will be able to take.
When you stop smoking, you need to make sure your body is in perfect shape. This is important for two reasons: on the one hand, a little attention to physical activity allows the respiratory system, which has been “tired” by years of smoking, to recover in the best possible way; on the other, it avoids that slight weight gain that can follow quitting cigarettes. This is why it is important to focus on regular physical activity. During exercise, you will notice that your performance improves compared to before and this offers you extra motivation to continue. Also simple breathing exercises they can still be useful, especially when you feel the need to light up a cigarette. Drinking water and unsweetened juices, however, is advisable in the first days of weaning because it helps eliminate the toxic “waste” products that smoking has accumulated.
From a nutritional point of view, then, we must first of all pay attention to don’t “gorge” yourself on foodavoiding heavy and indigestible foods. Chapter sleep: It may be helpful to go to bed early, especially for people who are used to smoking after dinner.
