Tobacco companies shape their marketing campaigns to portray smokers as cool, sexy, independent, fun, attractive and living on the edge—images that appeal to many teens. Only 5 percent of high-school-age smokers believe they'll still be smoking five years after graduation, but they don't understand how difficult quitting can be. Research shows that after eight years, 75 percent of those smokers still will use some form of tobacco. Know a teen who is ready to quit smoking?
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Thank you! You will now receive email updates from the American Lung Association. Nicotine replacement therapy NRT , anti-depressants and other medication have all been shown to help smokers without mental health problems to stop smoking and they may also be helpful for people with depression or schizophrenia.
NRT appears to be more effective when combined with a talking therapy. You could also consider e-cigarettes. Talk to your doctor, a pharmacist or a health visitor about which treatments might be suitable for you. Individual, group or telephone counselling can help people to stop smoking. Talking therapies can help people change their behaviour by thinking and acting more positively. Many counselling programmes use the techniques of cognitive behavioural therapy CBT and social skills development.
Research has shown that CBT may be particularly effective in smokers with or without mental health problems. Removing all tobacco products from your home can help lessen some of the cravings of nicotine withdrawal. Learn to recognise your smoking triggers. Identify when you crave cigarettes, such as at a party or after a meal. Most cravings only last a few minutes.
You may experience headaches, nausea, irritability, anxiety, craving cigarettes, feeling miserable, difficulty in concentrating, increased appetite and drowsiness. Drinking more fresh fruit juice or water, eating more high fibre foods and reducing caffeine and refined sugar in your diet can all help you cope with withdrawal symptoms.
Many people who quit smoking will relapse at some point. Use it as an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong, learn about yourself and figure out what will help you be more successful in future. Home A-to-z S Smoking and mental health Smoking and mental health We all know the physical health risks of smoking tobacco, but did you know smoking also affects people's mental health?
Why is smoking so addictive? Smoking and depression Adults with depression are twice as likely to smoke as adults without depression. Smoking and schizophrenia People with schizophrenia are three times more likely to smoke than other people and tend to smoke more heavily. We went through all the bad and good times together. Smoking was always there for me for over 35 years. I now know that cigarettes are not my friend, but instead were slowly poisoning and killing me.
I unconsciously transferred the pleasurable feelings of peace and relaxation during those breaks to the act of smoking a cigarette. I now know that I can experience this feeling of inner peace by just taking a short break without smoking a cigarette.
I believed I could never be truly happy as an ex-smoker. I now know that this belief was conditioned in me from a young age through my early experiences with smoking and constant advertising attacks by cigarette companies. I now know I need to question everything I ever thought I understood about smoking. I can be truly happy and healthy as an ex-smoker. The smell of a good Cuban cigar or the smells as you open a humidor. I have to admit that I still like the smell of cigars.
However, I now know I can never smoke them again. I have relapsed twice because I thought I could have just one cigar. I now know I can never ever have another puff off a cigarette or cigar. A puff will lead me back to full-time smoking; there is no in-between. I was afraid of quitting and the terrible feelings of withdrawal from nicotine.
I feared I could not handle quitting and the triggers to smoke that I would face. I looked at the act of quitting as the most difficult, tedious and unpleasant thing I would ever do. While quitting may be difficult, I now know that I need to focus on the positive effects of being an ex-smoker. I know that quitting is a learning experience. I seek and embrace the triggers so that I can conquer them and establish new healthy habits in their place.
I was afraid to make the commitment to myself to never have another puff because I feared failure. I have now made a personal commitment to myself to quit smoking for good. It's important to have your "why" when you quit smoking. I have my myriad reasons why I quit, but here are some of the top ways smoking was affecting my life for the negative.
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