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CONTENT
Now it’s down to the reserves: What can concretely be done against smoking?
It depends on what you want. Those who prefer the period-method should go to the article “End”. There the “without fuss or quibble “variant is presented. Those who can’t imagine quitting smoking ad hoc and first want to try to at least smoke less are also supported. There is no shame in thinking one’s lifestyle is ok, as long as you’re in control. But when you’re talking about smoking it’s more complicated because here nicotine is involved, which has the unpleasant characteristic of being highly addictive.
Without a strategy you won’t be able to name names. Luckily there are experts who take on this topic.
“10 cigarettes a day are without a doubt not really healthy and the safest health effect will kick in, when you stop smoking altogether. One can although justifiably expect a decrease in tobacco consumption to result in better health. As it can generally be said, that health damage rises with the amount of smoking (the so called dose-effect-relation), logically it has to mean that smoking less reduces the risks of diseases. This was written by the GK Quest-Academy with their approach for the self determined and controlled smoking and the concrete help to reduce cigarette consumption.
Generally speaking: Most smokers quit smoking without support and aid. The way people stop is individual and many need more than one attempts to stop, often trying out different variants: with Medication, counseling, alternative methods, the period-method or with slowly increasing reduction etc.
The last method works best for those not ready or willing to quit smoking completely. The methods goal is in the end also to quit smoking. But instead of quitting from one day to the next the number of cigarettes is gradually reduced.
There are however dangers: The short duration of the nicotine’s effect causes the smoker to undergo withdrawal effects after 30-40 minutes.
So when you’re planning on taking long brakes between cigarettes it can be very exhausting. In this case taking short lasting nicotine substitution supplements (for example gum, a micro tab, a lozenge or an inhaler) in between cigarettes in order to bypass the time until the next cigarette without torturing withdrawal symptoms.
But that is not a long term solution. The time period up to the final quitting should not exceed 6 months.
The method:
• Analyzing the smoking behavior
• Leaving out unnecessary cigarettes
• Substituting left out cigarettes with nicotine substitution supplements during brakes lasting 1-2 hours
• No less than 5 cigarettes per day, because the danger persists, that the next cigarette becomes too meaningful
• Completely quitting within 6 weeks to 6 months, taking substitution supplements whenever the need for smoking arises.
The goal:
Being completely smoke free within 6 months (in case of a good development even earlier).
The advantages
This method allows you to proceed with small steps. You can test how it feels to get by without a cigarette in certain situations. It can take away the fear of the “never smoking again” thought. After a couple of months the decision to quit smoking won’t seem as scary anymore. Studies have shown that this method doesn’t undermine the motivation to quit smoking and raises the feeling of self-efficiency. Smokers willing to reduce their consumption with the help of nicotine substitute supplements probably quit smoking later than those not using substitutes.
The disadvantages
Single cigarettes can become very important and raise the enjoyment. If the periods between cigarettes are too long or too many substitutes are used withdrawal effects can kick in: Nervousness, unrest, a feeling of stress. So this method can be very exhausting. The thought of the next cigarette becomes dominant. The danger of losing control of the reduced smoking persists. Most strong smokers hope to be able to keep on smoking reduced like many occasional smokers. The nature of the nicotine addiction makes the controlled smoking difficult in the long run. Within a year you will probably be back to your old smoking behavior. Quitting smoking has to stay the goal.