Cigarettes… once you start smoking, you get addicted. When you think about quitting, not smoking makes you irritable and restless… in the end, you go back to smoking again. Are you experiencing this problem? “Want to quit smoking but can’t.” If yes, let’s understand the causes of the problem and the solutions that will help you break free from this health-damaging villain, which is a risk factor for many diseases.
Anyone who smokes daily… will definitely become addicted to cigarettes. Often, the question arises: why is quitting smoking so difficult? Because smokers receive nicotine, which stimulates the brain to release happiness hormones, making the body reduce stress, feel happy, good, alert, with a faster heartbeat and a sense of energy. When you stop smoking, you no longer receive nicotine, causing the happiness triggered by nicotine to disappear, resulting in restlessness, lack of concentration, and irritability.
The symptoms that occur when quitting smoking are a test of willpower to see if you can overcome the challenge of quitting. If you can endure these symptoms, quitting smoking is not difficult. But if you can’t, do you have to go back to smoking? Not always, because consulting a doctor is an important help that will guide you through this period effectively, especially if you cannot quit on your own.
Treatment Guidelines
Quitting smoking is primarily about the mind, but the process also plays a role in achieving the goal. Doctors will consider the appropriate quitting method for each individual, including:
- Behavioral modification The doctor will take a history and discuss in detail your lifestyle to identify causes and plan solutions to help quit smoking, including:
- Identifying the reasons for smoking such as stress, life pressures, or feeling happy.
- Planning ways to manage the root causes for example, smoking due to stress, so planning to avoid stress is necessary.
- Finding motivational encouragement to quit smoking such as for personal health, family, or to reduce expenses.
- Finding ways to avoid activities that trigger smoking for example, smoking more during busy work periods, so when starting to quit, plan not to take on too much work. Some people like to smoke when going out at night, so avoiding nightlife is recommended.
- Recommending ways to help divert attention such as exercising.
- Preparing to handle and prevent relapse after quitting
- Nicotine replacement therapy Doctors will consider providing Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), which currently comes in various forms such as nicotine gum and nicotine patches. The principle of NRT is to help suppress nicotine withdrawal symptoms so that those quitting smoking do not give up their intention to quit. The doctor will gradually reduce the dosage. The type of NRT each person receives will be individually considered based on lifestyle and nicotine addiction assessment results.
Frequently Asked Questions from Those Considering Quitting Smoking
Q: Will I gain weight after quitting smoking?
Dr. Winai Boveja: I would say this: smokers receive nicotine, and the brain releases happiness hormones, so they usually do not feel like eating much. Additionally, their bodies are constantly metabolizing, so smokers tend to be thin. Therefore, when quitting smoking, the metabolism does not work continuously as before, and the body stimulates appetite, so there is a tendency to gain weight initially only, until it reaches the body’s metabolic balance. Therefore, exercising is the best way to help avoid worrying about weight gain and is also a good activity to help quit smoking.
Q: I have smoked since my teenage years, now 50 years old, with no detected abnormalities. I want to quit smoking but also want to know if I still have a chance of getting diseases.
Dr. Winai Boveja: I must say that smoking for a long time carries more risk than the general population. However, I guarantee that if you stop smoking today, the chance of developing certain diseases such as esophageal cancer and oral cancer will decrease by 50% within the next 5 years.
Nevertheless, we all know that quitting smoking is the way to improve your health continuously. If you are currently smoking, please remember that cigarettes are a risk factor for many serious diseases that can take you away from your loved ones, especially the disease everyone fears: “cancer.” So why would you continue to introduce this dangerous risk factor into your body? For those who are not strong enough to quit smoking on their own, please seek medical consultation to help you achieve good health by not smoking sooner.
Internist, Pulmonary Medicine Clinic
Phyathai 3 Hospital
Tel. 0-2467-1111 ext. 3185-3186, 3133
