Smoking is undeniably a great villain for good health. The habit is associated with the risk of developing various diseases, such as cancer, for example, and therefore, quitting smoking is one of the first resolutions to enter the New Year’s list.
According to psychiatrist Patrick Bigaouette, when you see how harmful smoking is, that’s when you’re ready to quit. However, he emphasizes that the decision must come from the smoker himself: it is a commitment to himself.
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To help with the challenge, the psychiatrist lists the following tips:
- Tell family, friends and close people who will be part of your support system about the decision;
- Choose a date to put the plan into practice;
- You might try finding someone to quit smoking with you, joining an online social network or support group, or seeking therapy to help you deal with all the cravings, withdrawal and emotional challenges. the change of habit;
- Know what makes you want to smoke: maybe it’s driving, doing some specific activity or stress. Think about how you will manage these situations or whether you will avoid them altogether;
- Think of all the possibilities for managing cravings and dealing with withdrawal symptoms;
- Have healthy snacks within reach, and meditate, go for a walk, or text someone in your support system when you’re craving a smoke.
- Consider resources such as nicotine replacement therapy, patches, gum, lozenges, an inhaler, or medications that contain bupropion and varenicline;
- Deal with lack of motivation.
In cases of relapse, Bigaouette says people tend to think the worst, that they screwed up and that they failed. But he warns of the anxiety that beating himself up causes, and advises the individual trying to quit smoking to be kind to himself.
The doctor claims that less than one in ten adults stop smoking each year. Many need to try several times before they can kick the habit for good, but 60% of people who try to quit are successful.
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Increasingly popular in Brazil, the vape, electronic cigarette or e-cigarette has become a true phenomenon among young people. The product generally looks similar to a common cigarette, but can also be found in pen drive or pen format.
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In colorful packaging, with different flavors, without the bad smell of traditional cigarettes and with a lot of smoke, the products are very common, especially among people aged 18 to 24, despite being banned in Brazil.
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Overall, the product is composed of battery, atomizer, microprocessor, LED lamp and liquid nicotine cartridge. These mechanisms are responsible for heating the liquid that produces the vapor inhaled by users.
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Despite being widely used around the world and initially introduced in the market as an alternative to regular cigarettes, vapes are dangerous to health, according to the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM)
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Doctors claim that electronic cigarettes are “a threat to public health” and pose even more risks than regular cigarettes, in addition to being a gateway for young people into the world of nicotine.
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These experts claim that the metal filament that heats the liquid is composed of heavy metals that end up being inhaled, such as nickel, a carcinogenic substance.
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Still according to experts, the liquid produced by electronic cigarettes has at least 80 chemical substances considered dangerous and responsible for reinforcing nicotine dependence.
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In addition, the daily use of electronic cigarettes causes an inflammatory state in various organs of the body, including the brain. New research indicates that use can also deregulate some genes and cause the user to develop a condition called EVALE, damage caused by the product in the lungs.
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Neurologist Wanderley Cerqueira, from Albert Einstein Hospital, explains that the effects on the user vary depending on the nicotine and liquid flavors, which influence how the body responds to infections. According to him, mint vapes, for example, make people more sensitive to the effects of bacterial pneumonia than other flavorings.
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The expert warns that immune cells appear to be deactivated as the lungs are continually doused with chemicals. This process weakens the body’s defenses against threats such as pneumonia or cancer.
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Still according to the doctor, even flavorless vapes are dangerous. This is because they have other chemical additives in their composition, such as propylene glycol, glycerin, formaldehyde and nicotine itself, which causes cancer.
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Research at Duke University in the United States found dangerous levels of toxins in products used to impart a minty sensation to electronic cigarettes. Problems were found in several brands of these substances, but mainly in Puffbar, one of the most popular in the world.
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The scientists found levels of WS-3 and WS-23 toxins above those considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the product’s fluid. Of the 25 liquids analyzed, 24 had WS-3, for example
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The substances are used in food additives to give the minty “cooler” without the mint flavor, but should not be inhaled. They are also found in products in mango or vanilla flavors.
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A survey by the biopharmaceutical AstraZeneca points out that the average of Brazilians who consume more than 11 cigarettes per day (more than half a pack) is 39%. Bigaouette explains that it is difficult to stop because nicotine simulates the idea of reward in the brain, a process that releases dopamine and causes a good feeling in the individual.
Therefore, explains the doctor, the body begins to desire the sensation caused by nicotine and begins to feel that it is normal. When the body does not have access to the substance, it goes into withdrawal.
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Bigaouette suggests that smokers thinking about quitting should, for example, calculate the costs of addiction. “A pack of cigarettes costs approximately five reais. One unit per day is equivalent to 150 reais per month”, he evaluates.
He also warns to:
- Risk of new diseases. Cancer, for example, is one of the conditions linked to smoking, as well as cardiovascular problems and chronic pulmonary complications. In addition to reducing life expectancy, smoking can harm the health of people who inhale smoke by chance;
- Lost time. The habit of smoking can keep you away from work, family and friends;
- Use of electronic cigarettes. With health risks still uncertain due to new technology, vapers have physical and financial costs similar to traditional cigarettes. They are not allowed by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
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The post New Year’s Challenge: Psychiatrist gives tips for quitting smoking in 2023 first appeared on Metropolis.