Finally quitting smoking: how to take the big step

You want to quit smoking, but need an extra dose of motivation? We’ll tell you why quitting is worth it and how you can do it.

· Five good reasons to quit smoking:
· Financial motivation?
· Tobacco withdrawal: a difficult time
· Stop smoking with apps
· Quitting smoking: getting the body back in shape
· Hookahs: Shisha smoking is really that harmful
· Quit smoking: The most popular smoking cessation tools
· Quit smoking: More information options

Every year at the beginning of the year, many people try to give up unwelcome vices and habits that sometimes endanger their health. Quitting smoking or vaporizing is at the top of the list for many people. For many, the start of the year is the right time to turn lifestyle around. To give up smoking is, right next to the desire to lose a few kilos, the "Dry January" To hold out and to do without alcohol or to hold out the Veganuary and to do without meat, for some smokers year after year a recurring challenge.

Watch the VIDEO: Did you know?? How smoking changes your body

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Five good reasons to quit smoking:

1. Smoking is bad for your health

Every year, an estimated 110 people die.000 people in Germany from the consequences of tobacco consumption. Smoking causes one third of all cancers (lung cancer, mouth cancer, lip cancer, throat cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer or uterine cancer).

The other harmful effects on health are no less dangerous: Smoking increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as the risk of developing arterial dilation (aneurysm) or arteritis (inflammation of the arteries) in the lower limbs.

2. Smoking is not particularly glamorous

Sallow complexion, wrinkles, bad breath, yellowing teeth and fingers, a nauseating smell and a scratchy voice. Smoking is really not very attractive.

3. Smoking is expensive

A pack now costs around 7 euros (as of 2020). 7 euros per day is equivalent to 2,500 euros per year.500 euros. For that, you could take a nice trip, dine out 50 times at a fine restaurant, purchase 1 or 2 classy It-bags, or fill up the car about 40 times.

4. Smoking is stressful

When you have to drive around town three times late on a Sunday night looking for a new pack because you’ve run out, you’re already starting to get nervous. Another stressor is the fear of getting through a long-haul flight without a cigarette. Not to mention that you stand shivering in front of the door in the freezing cold to have a quick smoke during the break. This is not life!

5. Smoking is dangerous for the baby

Smoking also endangers the development of the embryo. You are not pregnant? But you may want to have children one day. So it’s better if you quit smoking right away. By the way: passive smoking is also dangerous for babies and children!

Financial motivation?

If you need just a little push to give up cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and tobacco heaters for good, try Onmeda’s cigarette calculator.en: Here you can find out how many cigarettes you have smoked on average in your life as a smoker, but also how much money it has cost you. >> Go to the cigarette calculator<<

Here you can find more good Reasons to quit smoking!

Tobacco withdrawal: a difficult time

Only after several months does the desire to smoke stop. Even years later, a single cigarette is enough to reawaken the latent craving and revive the addiction.

There are three dimensions of addiction, all of which need to be considered if you definitely want to quit smoking:

1. Environmental or behavioral factors: The need to smoke can be triggered by certain situations, people and places.

2. Psychological factors: The cigarette is a way to give yourself a little pleasure, to cope with stress or anxiety, to concentrate or stimulate yourself. This effect is due to the nicotine contained in cigarettes: a substance that induces euphoria and relaxation, stimulates the intellect, has an anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effect and suppresses the feeling of hunger. Those who quit smoking also know that they may gain weight in the process, and that is a key inhibiting factor!

3. Physical factors: Again, nicotine is responsible for physiological dependence.

Stop smoking with apps

Most smokers find it difficult to finally stop reaching for the cigarette. You can get support with apps directly on your smartphone. Most providers not only collect statistics on smoking behavior, but also track, among other things, the financial effect that giving up cigarettes has on one’s wallet.

For a personalized stop smoking plan with a goal, the app ‘Smoke Free’ is a good choice. If you want a little more motivation and also collect points, like in a game, then the app ‘Kwit’ is probably the best choice. And if you are looking for motivated comrades-in-arms, you can join the ‘Quit Now’ community!’ share your experiences with other sufferers. These apps are available for Android and iOS, some with free beginner versions.

Stop smoking: The body becomes fit again

Even if it’s hard: it’s worth quitting smoking, because you’ll be quickly rewarded with an improvement in your overall physical condition:

After 20 minutes, blood pressure and heart rhythm normalize.
After 8 hours the amount of carbon monoxide in the blood has halved.
After 24 hours, the lungs begin to secrete the mucus and smoke deposits.
After 48 hours the sense of taste and bad breath improve.
Breathing becomes easier after 72 hours.
After a few weeks, coughing and feeling listless disappear. You get more air again.
After 1 year the risk of heart attack is only half as high.
After 5 years, the risk of lung cancer is almost halved.
After more than 10 years you reach the same life expectancy as a non-smoker again.

Water pipes: Shisha smoking is really that harmful

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Quitting smoking: The most popular smoking cessation aids

If you want to stop smoking, you need one thing above all: a strong will! Every second smoker gets rid of the cigarette completely without help. Nevertheless, nowadays there are numerous remedies to make the difficult step a little easier:

1. The nicotine replacement therapy or NRT (nicotine replacement therapy):
These medications are available over-the-counter at pharmacies and aim to alleviate physical withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine replacement products are available in various forms: patches, chewing gum, lozenges or nicotine sprays.

2. Antidepressants:
The doctor can prescribe psychotropic drugs to particularly dependent smokers if necessary.

3. Behavioral or cognitive therapy:
These forms of therapy help to change one’s own behavior and ingrained thought patterns. This is the ideal help to not fall off the wagon at the coffee break when someone smokes at the next table. You also learn to cope with stress without a cigarette.

So far, only these three methods have proven effective in quitting smoking. However, there are also other remedies whose effectiveness has not yet been established with certainty: Acupuncture, homeopathy, hypnosis, mesotherapy, auriculotherapy, phytotherapy or relaxation therapy.

On the Internet you can find a myriad of other offers in various classified ads. Beware, there are also many charlatans! To protect yourself from this, it is important to inform yourself. Many health insurance companies offer information on smoking cessation programs, and you can also ask your doctor or even pharmacist.

Quit smoking: More information options

The best way to stop smoking is to consult your family doctor or an association. Counseling centers are familiar with the problem and therefore have the expertise to guide a smoker in the right direction depending on their level of dependence, personality, motivation, age, health and financial situation.