How to get rid of nicotine addiction: the stages and treatment

The problem of nicotine addiction is the most acuteToday. Smoking endangers the health of the smoker and his close circle. According to statistics, 18% of women and 40% of men aged 25-65 smoke. Men smoke 10 to 20 cigarettes a day, while women smoke about 10 cigarettes. The frequency of cigarettes smoked increases with age and length of service. This indicates a persistent nicotine addiction. Treatment and getting rid of tobacco addiction takes a lot of time and effort. According to doctors, smoking is a habit and, in order to cope with it more easily, a smoker needs to take nicotine for some time in any form other than a cigarette: a patch, chewing gum.

Three stages of development of this addiction

initial - smoking is systematic. At this stage there is psychological dependence;

chronic - physical dependence develops;

late - both psychological and physical dependence is observed.

At the first stage, the number of cigarettes smokedis constantly growing. The smoker's health improves, his/her ability to work increases, he/she feels comfortable. This stage lasts 3-5 years. At the next stage, the number of cigarettes smoked becomes stable. The desire to smoke appears with any change in the situation, psychological or physical stress. This stage of development lasts from 6 to 15 years. At the last stage, smoking becomes an automatic and causeless action. There is no feeling of comfort. A constant headache appears, memory deteriorates, appetite decreases. Pathology of the respiratory organs and cardiovascular system occurs. These stages develop individually for each smoker and depend on various reasons: the beginning of use, the quality of the tobacco itself, the person's health.

Treatment of nicotine addiction

I hope that many of you do not smoke orare going to start or have already quit. But if you are still addicted to nicotine, then you probably understand that the sooner you quit this habit, the better for your health and the health of your loved ones. Nicotine is one of the most dangerous plant poisons. It contains about 4,000 different toxic substances. 5% of them are dangerous for the body. These include ammonia, carbon monoxide, radioactive substances, lead, arsenic, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide and many other dangerous compounds. Smoking leads to such serious diseases as lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and cardiovascular diseases. For example, 90% of all deaths come from lung cancer, 75% from chronic bronchitis and 25% from heart disease. Nicotine affects the walls of blood vessels, which leads to the development of atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases.

Types of therapy

Treatment helps to get rid of addictiontherapy. The main reason why people continue to smoke is nicotine addiction. Addiction is expressed in the desire to smoke, even realizing all the consequences of this activity for health. Various types of therapy are used to treat addiction.

effective method of treating nicotine addiction— nicotine replacement therapy. The essence lies in facilitating the process of withdrawal from addiction and destroying in the smoker's mind the logical connection between a cigarette and the pleasure of smoking. It is the most progressive method in the treatment of tobacco addiction and is based on taking pure nicotine with a gradual reduction in the dose taken to 0. Nicotine is thus absorbed more slowly compared to a cigarette. The essence of this method is to help each smoker get rid of nicotine addiction, taking into account his characteristics and lifestyle.
aversion therapy - with its helpan aversion to tobacco is achieved. Solutions of silver nitrate, tannin for rinsing the mouth or anabasine for intramuscular injections are used for about 10-14 days.
symptomatic therapy - treatmentsymptoms of the disease without affecting the underlying cause and mechanisms of its development. The goal is to alleviate the patient's suffering. Sleeping pills, cardiac and painkillers are used.

It has been proven that the use of drugsdoubles the effectiveness and helps to get rid of addiction. These include Nicorette in the form of chewing gum, Nicoderm in the form of a patch and Nicotrol in the form of a spray. The patch is more convenient to use than a spray or chewing gum, and helps to get rid of smoking much better, but it takes more time for nicotine to enter the body. The duration of taking medications is on average from 2 to 3 months. Antidepressants can also be used in the treatment of nicotine addiction. One of these drugs is bupropion. It does not contain nicotine and is widely used in the treatment of nicotine addiction. Its action is associated with the influence on such brain structures on which the formation of nicotine addiction depends. This drug helps to overcome depression, decreased attention, irritability and nervousness. Side effects include headache and dry mouth. The effectiveness of this drug is much higher than that of the patch. Also prescribed are drugs that cause aversion to tobacco, to prevent a return to smoking and sedatives: valerian, motherwort or other calming herbs. Some drugs can cause lethargy, drowsiness, memory and attention disorders. To improve the condition, you can take drugs aimed at improving metabolism and other body functions. According to statistics, almost 70% of people say that they would like to quit smoking, but cannot do it on their own. Therefore, more and more hope is placed on drug therapy. The positive effect of therapy is based on the desire of the person to get rid of this habit, as well as the support of those around him. According to statistics, men respond to treatment better than women.