12 habits and tricks to prevent smoking

Tobacco is one of the most consumed psychoactive substances worldwide. Along with alcohol, it is a legal substance that has traditionally been well regarded at a social level and that today can be freely consumed on public roads.

But that it also generates addiction and that it has important effects at the level of health, including a decrease in the hope of life, a weakening of the cardiovascular system and an increased risk of respiratory diseases or even cancer of the lung.

That is why many smokers want to quit, and why there are large awareness and prevention campaigns. How to prevent smoking or, in the case of having been a smoker before, prevent relapse? Throughout this article we are going to mention 12 habits and tricks to prevent smoking.

• Related article: "The two faces of tobacco dependence (chemical and psychological)"

Useful habits and tricks in the prevention of tobacco dependence

Dependence on tobacco, or rather on the nicotine it contains, is one of the problems linked to addiction more frequent and that often is not seen as something serious or excessively harmful. But with the passage of time and as the level of information available regarding their effects, there is increasing concern and demand for preventive measures regarding the consumption tobacco.

There are many preventive measures that we can use, both institutionally and personally. Next we will see different measures that can be taken into account in order to Avoid getting hooked or re-hooked on tobacco and nicotine use, regardless of our age and condition.

1. find out

The first and most basic of the habits that we can recommend is to inform yourself. Although there are many prevention campaigns, the truth is that many of them are often ignored and rejected. However, seeking true and reliable information from oneself can help us take the data more seriously and the need to prevent consumption may arise. It is important that this information is true. and that it comes from someone with a critical vision of consumption.

2. Train the critical spirit

Many people start smoking mainly by imitation or by identifying the fact of doing so with maturity or being interesting, considering it a symbol of rebellion and virility. This vision of tobacco comes to a large extent from the advertising carried out on television, in the cinema or as a legacy of the traditional vision promoted by the industry.

In this sense, it may be useful to carry out training in regards to the critical spirit, in which the person must form his own point of view and not just believe what is said or what is said to him sample. It's about looking information that allows us to verify our beliefs.

3. Do not promote contact with a habitual consumer environment

We have already indicated that one of the reasons people start using is often to join a group, especially in the case of adolescents. In this sense, it can be useful to have some control of our environment and the places where we spend time.

Obviously we are not talking about relating to others based on whether or not they smoke, but rather on try to avoid elements of the environment that facilitate consumption: try not to frequent smoking areas or do it in areas where tobacco cannot be consumed (for example, in activities such as going to the movies) for example.

4. Look for models or references

One of the causes that people start smoking is the existence of relevant or admired people who are smokers. One way to prevent smoking is precisely to use the reverse case: be or look for a role model who does not consume and who is admired by the person in question.

5. Listen to examples from ex-smokers

They can also serve as such people who smoked in the past but have now quit successfully and talk openly about the problems that smoking has caused throughout their lives and what it has implied for them to achieve said recovery.

6. Evaluate the economic impact

One way to make us somewhat more reticent to consume tobacco has to do not so much with health but with money: smoking is not free and in fact is increasingly expensive, with What falling into its consumption or re-engaging in it has an economic implication that some may come to consider consumption as something little convenient.

7. Consider the advantages of not consuming

Smoking prevention can benefit from addressing not only the negative aspects and problems that smoking can cause, but also positively assess the situation and the advantages of not smoking or have stopped doing it.

8. set limits

Whether you are the person who is interested in smoking or someone you know, it can be helpful to set/be certain limits and clearly state them. This implies taking into account in which places one could or could not smoke (for example, not at home), something that nowadays day and according to current legislation it is only possible on public roads (and not in all) and in turn that idea can lead to hinder the desire to consume.

9. Appreciate the effect it has on those around you

Smoking not only has repercussions on the person who does it, but also affects their environment, by making them passive smokers if the consumption takes place near them. This can be especially harmful for children, the elderly and people with a depressed immune system.

Many people, in fact, find at this point one of the reasons to change their consumption habits and try to stop it.

10. train your assertiveness

Often many young people start smoking due to social pressure from peers or friends or as an activity linked to socialization, although some do not have a real desire to smoke per se. In this sense, it can be very useful to carry out training in an assertive behavior and response style: the person must learn to defend her position firmly but respecting the vision and feelings of the other. In this sense, there are different techniques that can be learned, such as the broken record or the fog bank.

11. Learn relaxation techniques

Many people turn to tobacco due to the belief that nicotine allows the user to relax in situations of anxiety. This belief is partly the product of a misinterpretation (since, in fact, nicotine is an exciting substance and not a relaxing one) derived from the tolerance that smokers end up acquiring the substance and that in them does generate a sensation of reassurance by providing the body with a substance without which it is not used to function.

It can be useful to avoid smoking and above all to prevent possible relapses to work on relaxation techniques. Techniques such as relaxation and Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation therapy They can be of great help when it comes to fighting moments of anxiety or resisting the temptation to consume.

• You may be interested in: "Jacobson's Progressive Relaxation: use, phases and effects"

12. Physical activity is your friend

Probably one of the habits that most help to avoid getting hooked on substances such as tobacco, one of the protective factors that are easier to carry out and that bring more benefits, is the regular practice of sport. Regular physical exercise provides a large number of benefits such as an improvement in mood, the release of endorphins and the reduction of anxiety states.

Bibliographic references:

• Berlin, I.; Singleton, E. G.; Pedarriose, A. M.; Lancrenon, S.; Rames, A.; Aubin, H. J.; Niura, R. (2003). "The Modified Reasons for Smoking Scale: factorial structure, gender effects and relationship with nicotine dependence and smoking cessation in French smokers". Addiction. 98 (11): 1575–1583.
• Urberg, K.; Shyu, S. J.; Liang, J. (1990). "Peer influence in adolescent cigarette smoking". Addictive Behaviors. 15 (3): 247–255.