Today I wanted to address the question: How to quit smoking! In the US 15% of all adults smoke, but worldwide this is a little higher; it’s about 20%! And as you probably all know, smoking is very unhealthy an can lead to several diseases, among others lung diseases (like COPD, lung cancer), obstruction of your blood vessels, and heart attacks. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as smoking is a major cause of death world wide!
Cigarettes are made to keep you addicted. They contain countless of substances, which make your body crave for more. The most known one is nicotine.
Nicotine stimulates our central nerve system, our brain, into releasing dopamine and adrenaline. These substances have several effects.
Dopamine stimulate our reward center, which lead to the smoker experiencing pleasure while smoking. Adrenaline causes the stimulating effect people experience while smoking.
It is our craving for these effects, which keeps us coming back!
When you stop smoking you will experience withdrawal symptoms: irritability, impatience, restlessness, craving for a cigarette, poor concentration, insomnia, headache and an increase in appetite and therefore weight gain.
These symptoms usually occur within 2–12 hours after smoking your last cigarette. They will peak after 1–3 days and usually last 2–4 weeks.
However, the psychological craving on nicotine lasts much longer. This is because off all the routines you developed surrounding smoking.
Therefore the key for succes is your motivation. Quitting is hard, and there are no short cuts, so you need to be motivated.
You can also use; Nicotine replacement therapy, Bupropion, nortriptyline or varenicline (chantix).
Find my video on nicotine replacement therapy right here:
Find my video on Bupropion right here:
Find my video on Varenicline, right here:
Additional tips: exercise, quit alcohol, don't smoke e-cigarettes, clean your house.
And than try, try and try. Quitting is very hard, and most people need several times before giving up cigarettes for good. So if you relapse, don’t get discouraged. Instead, think about why you wanted to quit in the first place. And try again.
Disclaimer:
This video is meant purely informational! This is not medical advice! If you are looking for medical advice always contact your own doctor.
Literature:
1: Robinson J. (2019). 13 best Quit-smoking Tips Ever.
2. Farmacotherapeutisch kompas. Stoppen met roken.
3. Robinson L. Smith M. (2019). How to quit smoking.
4. Mooney ME. Johnson EO. Breslau N. Bierut LJ. Hatsukami DK. (2011). Cigarette smoking reduction and changes in nicotine dependence. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 13 (6): 426–30.
5. Rigotti NA. (2012). Strategies to help a smoker who is struggling to quit. JAMA. 308 (15): 1573–80.
Used Video Footage:
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* The images and videos in this video are used for educational purposes only.
Music:
Huma-Huma, Crimson Fly
Coyote Hearing, Nobody Calls It San Fran
Silent Partner, How it began
Audio Hertz, My achy Heart
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Books I used In Medical School:
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry,
Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology,
Human Anatomy & Physiology,
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties,
Oxford Handbook of Emergency Medicine,
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine,
Janeway's Immunobiology,
Atlas of Human Anatomy,
Netter's Anatomy Flash Cards,
The House of God, S. Shem,
Gear I use:
Camera: Canon EOS M50:
Microphone: Boya Lavalier Microphone:
Microphone: Rode VideoMicPro:
Computer: Apple Macbook Pro:
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