In 2019, 1.1 billion people worldwide smoked. A sad highlight. In addition, a growing number of young smokers have become addicted: nearly 90 percent of young smokers are addicted to smoking by the age of 25, according to a recent study published in The Lancet.
Or are you one of the quarter of smokers who started smoking more during the corona crisis, but would you like to stop now smoking? Unfortunately, quitting smoking is anything but easy. Only 3 percent of smokers manage to quit smoking permanently without help. Research has shown that the chance of success increases if you also use personal support, possibly in combination with nicotine replacements.
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For this article we collaborated with Gezondheidsplein.nl on Dokterdokter.nl. There you will find many more articles about health, checked by doctors and medical specialists.
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Don’t let this put you off the field. If you really want it, it will work. Here are some tips to make quitting a little easier:
Share your New Year’s resolution
Do not keep your New Year’s resolution to yourself, but tell others. They can then support you and are also your big stick: if you don’t persevere, you have to confess it again.
Find motivation to really want to quit and write it down
Only try to quit if you are motivated to really quit. Don’t think: I’ve been smoking for so long, the damage has already been done anyway. It is never too late to quit smoking. You will also notice positive physical effects in the short term, such as lowering blood pressure and easier breathing. Write these reasons down so that you can refer to this list in difficult moments to give yourself new motivation.
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Reward yourself for the money saved
Put aside the money you normally spend on cigarettes and think about what you will do with all that saved money. A nice reward to look forward to.
pick a date
“I’m going to stop soon.” No, don’t be vague: set a date. For example, choose a date that is special to you. And preferably take a day off so that you can do something fun.
Remove nicotine deposits
If you no longer smoke, you will no longer get smoke deposits on your teeth. As soon as you stop, make an appointment with the dentist for about a month after you stop to have the deposits removed. Your efforts will be rewarded with beautiful, fresh teeth.
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Break the circle
Smoking a cigarette is often linked to certain moments, such as drinking coffee or drinking a glass of wine. It also makes you feel like a cigarette just by drinking coffee or alcohol. So try to take less of this as well: that breaks the circle.
Reduce the use of nicotine patches
Nicotine from a patch is better than a cigarette. When you smoke a cigarette, you get a dose of nicotine in one go. A nicotine patch, on the other hand, delivers a gradual, steady dose. Moreover, with nicotine patches you do not ingest other harmful substances such as tar and carbon monoxide, which you do ingest through cigarettes.
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