Smoking kills 7 million people a year, including passive smokers. Although its harms and the health problems it causes are well known, the number of smokers in Turkey reaches 20 million. Experts emphasize that cutting down or smoking "light" cigarettes containing low nicotine are not effective methods to quit smoking, and say that the biggest criterion for quitting smoking is the motivation of the person, not the drugs. Experts add that quitting is easy, while maintaining it is difficult and requires effort.
Every year, February 9 is commemorated as World Quit Smoking Day in order to draw attention to the reduction of cigarette consumption, which negatively affects the health of young, old, children and especially infants and pregnant women, regardless of whether they are active or passive.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Specialist Clinical Psychologist Aslı Başabak Bhais stated that quitting smoking is directly related to motivation and shared important suggestions.
Permanent quitting depends on motivation
Stating that smoking is an addictive substance just like alcohol, drugs, gambling and technology, Bhais said, "It is possible to quit addictive substances. However, addiction is a chronic brain disease that can recur. For this reason, if necessary precautions are not taken, the disease may flare up again. The prerequisite for quitting is the person's will. We, as professionals working in the field, call the situation defined as "willpower" or "finishing in the head" among the people as determination or motivation. The higher the person's motivation to quit, the easier it is to quit. Another situation that affects the quitting process is the severity of the addiction. As the severity of addiction increases, the quitting process becomes more difficult. In such cases, the fact that people who have difficulty quitting smoking make this attempt with the support of an expert increases the chance of success."
New pursuits should be acquired
Noting that quitting smoking is an easy process but sustaining it is difficult and requires effort, Bhais said:
"The person who quits smoking may experience the desire to smoke again for a long time. This desire may be more severe at some times and milder at other times. Making some changes in one's life, especially in the first periods after quitting, will facilitate the quitting process. For example, staying away from situations and people that remind him/her of smoking, where the desire to smoke may be intense, or if he/she cannot avoid these situations, finding alternatives to distract him/her, finding new occupations to fill his/her free time will help him/her cope with the desire to smoke. This will reduce the risk of returning to smoking."
Risk of developing other addictions
Stating that smoking secretes the pleasure and pleasure hormone called dopamine in the individual, Bhais said, "There is an area in our brain that we call the reward center. Since dopamine is secreted less in people who quit smoking in the first periods, the brain directs the person to different areas to meet the need. Therefore, the person does activities such as eating and shopping more than usual for a while. If it does not leave permanent negative effects on the person, meeting this need by turning to other things can be seen as an acceptable first-term coping method. This is what we call cross-tolerance in addiction. If a person has developed an addiction to one object, they can easily develop an addiction to another object. This can be alcohol, drugs and stimulants, gambling, technology, etc. Research shows that cigarettes are the first substance used by people who abuse alcohol and drugs. It can be said that cigarette use, especially in children and adolescence, is also risky in terms of transition to other substances."
Single use is enough for addiction
Bhais said that just like other addictions, smoking addiction is a treatable disease, adding: "So a person can quit smoking. In the case of quitting, the smoking addiction disease is in a passive state. The cells in the brain that recognize cigarettes are asleep. Even if the person does not use, there may be a desire to smoke, but the person can pass these moments of desire without smoking. In case of relapse, the disease flares up again, the use gets out of control after a while and the person returns to the old pattern of use after a while. In other words, what is meant by treatment in smoking addiction improves but never completely disappears. Even if a person tries to quit 5 years after quitting, he/she may return to his/her old smoking pattern."
Do not give up quit attempts
Bhais said that cutting down or smoking "light" cigarettes with low nicotine content are not effective methods to quit smoking and continued his words as follows: "Even if a person manages to use less for a while when his motivation is high, he may return to his old habit after a while. For quitting, it is important that the person does not give up trying. Failing 2 times does not mean that we will fail the 3rd time. On the contrary, research shows that each quit attempt is important for the person to recognize their addiction and learn the appropriate strategy. If the person has difficulty quitting on his/her own, he/she can apply to smoking cessation outpatient clinics of hospitals. Here they can receive medication, nicotine replacement therapy or psychotherapy to help them quit. Clients who apply to the clinics are first examined by a physician and evaluated for smoking addiction. Depending on the needs of the person, medication or psychotherapy support is added to the treatment. Since the first 1 week, 1 month and 3 months are especially important in terms of the risk of relapse, these periods are overcome together."
