The journey to quit smoking
Quitting smoking is a continuous process that requires many skills for the person who wants to quit. Studies indicate that more than 70% of smokers want to quit smoking and are looking for ways to help in doing so.
Every smoker must take the initiative to make the decision to quit smoking because of its negative effects!
Smoking facts:
- Just one cigarette accelerates the heart rate, raises blood pressure, and causes disturbances in the flow of blood and air in the lungs, breathing problems, and an increase in coughing at a greater rate than in non-smokers.
- Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to miscarry and give birth prematurely, and thus the child is born underdeveloped compared to other children.
- Signs of a smoker include: a change in the color of teeth, the smell of the mouth and clothes, difficulty breathing with effort, a persistent cough, the smoker also loses his appetite and becomes tense and nervous, in addition to the fact that when the percentage of carbon monoxide is measured, it is high.
- A cigarette contains nicotine, which causes addiction, and its effect reaches the brain in no more than 7 seconds.
Negative effects of smoking:
Withdrawal symptoms:
After you decide to quit smoking, withdrawal symptoms may appear that require willpower, which are as follows:
How to deal with it
| Duration
| Symptoms
|
Try to bear it as much as possible and keep yourself busy by walking, for example.
| It is severe in the first week of quitting and can last for several months in a very mild form.
| Uncontrollable desire to smoke
|
Exercising, using a hot bath, avoiding caffeine, and using meditation exercises.
| From 2 to 4 weeks.
| Bad mood and nervousness.
|
Avoid caffeine after 6 pm and use meditation, exercise, and reading before bed.
| From 2 to 4 weeks.
| Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
|
Take a nap and don't stress yourself.
| Several weeks.
| Fatigue and tiredness.
|
Don't stress yourself with work and stay away from pressure.
| Several weeks.
| Lack of concentration and poor memory.
|
Drink water and eat low-calorie snacks.
| A few weeks or more.
| Hunger.
|
Drink plenty of fluids/use a cough antidote.
| Several weeks.
| Breathing problems/cough/dry mouth.
|
Drink plenty of fluids, add fiber to your meals, and exercise frequently.
| From 2 to 4 weeks.
| Indigestion/constipation/bloating.
|
Benefits of quitting smoking:
1- Protecting your family:
Second-hand tobacco smoke (passive smoking) causes serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in adults, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer.
2- More energy:
Smoking reduces physical endurance and hinders the improvement of physical performance in smokers compared to other non-smokers.
3- Improved taste and smell:
When you quit smoking, your natural sense of taste and smell increases.
4- Less stress:
If you suffer from depression, anxiety, or stress, quitting smoking will make you feel better.
5- Longer life:
After 10 years, the risk of death from lung cancer decreases and is half the rate of smokers.
6- Better breathing:
Carbon monoxide levels in the body return to normal after 12 hours, and coughing and shortness of breath decrease significantly after 1 to 9 months.
7- Whiter teeth:
The tar particles in cigarettes contain particles that turn into an adhesive that changes the color of the smoker's teeth.
8- Younger skin:
In a study of the effect of smoking on skin moisture in women, it was found that women who smoke more than 10 cigarettes a day have worse skin moisture compared to non-smokers. Recent studies have shown an important relationship between smoking and acne.
Smoking cessation clinics:
To request assistance in quitting smoking, you can make an appointment or contact us by phone via the following:
- (Mawid) application: It is an electronic service provided by the Saudi Ministry of Health, to enable the beneficiary to book his appointments in primary health care centers and manage these appointments by amending or canceling them.
- (Seha) application: which provides remote medical consultations through video calling, text messages, or voice messages.
- Service (937): which provides medical consultations via voice call.
