Lung cancer is caused up to 90% by smoking. Many smokers nevertheless do not get away from the cigarette. You so become and remain non-smokers

Stopping smoking, many smokers want this. But it often falls hardly in the long run to stand the smoke renunciation. Remaining non-smokers after a successful smoke stop also for duration, this is the real challenge. Several tries to stop are necessary for this mostly. But with a little help and a clear decision it is feasible to do without cigarettes durably. The right motivation and suitable means and methods are important during the withdrawal phase as well as strategies for the prevention of relapses.

Means and methods for the nicotine withdrawal

Once, most smokers try alone welfare to get away of the fag. "The answer-to-seize ratio lies with the first attempt without support at only 3-6%, though", professor Stephan Möhlig, psychologist, addiction researcher and head of the smoker outpatient department at technical university tells Chemnitz.

It helps some smokers to reduce tobacco consumption and to stop slowly. "This lures, however, into the self-deception and keeps the emotional dependence upright longer", says the addiction expert. Many persons affected therefore have more success with the conclusion method at which they have stopped from the one for the other day. "Smoking checked and reduced on the other hand does not work with most smokers for duration", explains Möhlig. There are numerous means and methods to make the tobacco withdrawal easier meanwhile.

Therapy in the group

Behavior therapeutic withdrawal programs reach a good answer-to-seize ratio in the group. These are offered in the university smoker outpatient departments on a scientific basis, for example. "The group offers support and causes a manner of a helpful social pressure really to hold out", explains Möhlig who leads such courses himself. Till now, the therapy must be partly paid itself, five to ten-hour courses are between 150 and 300 euros. Legal health insurance companies subsidize the measure per annum, some refund the total amount. If you are interested, you therefore inquire for your health insurance company whether she participates in the costs. One saves the money invested in the health of one's own by the cigarette renunciation fast again. After six to eight weeks as non-smokers the course for the average smoker has already been alone financially worthwhile.

Nicotine substitute and medicine from the pharmacy

Nicotine substitute preparations make the withdrawal easier for plasters or lozenges for example in the form of chewing gums by handing in nicotine and so that the withdrawal symptoms soothe strongly. "The preparations are not only available on prescription, though be not the costs of the health insurance companies replaced either", says Möhlig. In addition, there is further medicine available only on prescription in tablet form like Bupropion or Zyban which can soothe the withdrawal symptoms effectively and increase the abstinence success. Since these can cause however also serious side effects, they are only available on prescription and may be taken only under medical control. This medicine also is not refunded by the legal health insurance company.

The E-cigarette is used increasingly as an alternative to the tobacco cigarette. Möhlig: Although she is presumably less harmful to health but also not completely unproblematic. "Alone the complete smoke stop can physically be recommended ". As a weaning drug the E cigarette is controversial till now. Critics point out that there is no uniform control of the contents substances and the nicotine content of the poured liquids. Long-term studies are still missing to the harmfulness of some contents substances. In addition, the equipment releases more or less nicotine depending on construction out of the liquids. Therefore the user cannot notice which dose he actually inhales to nicotine. On the other hand some studies show that under circumstances steaming even can more nicotine-freely lead E cigarettes to a lower cigarette consumption.

Alternative methods for the nicotine withdrawal

The supply of alternative therapies is great. Addiction researcher Möhlig warns of expensive, partly slippery methods which advertise with half-truths and allegedly high answer-to-seize ratios. Acupuncture and hypnosis are particularly popular. "Your use is not covered, however, scientifically sufficiently", draws Möhlig your attention to the fact.

Physical results of smoking

Smoking is by far the most important risk factor for some grave illnesses and shortens the life by on an average ten years. Every year, the German cancer research center talks about 110,000 to 140,000 people who alone die of the results of smoking in Germany. Over 3,300 non-smokers who die of the results of the passive smoking join.

Smoking damages almost every organ, particularly the respiratory tract and the heart circulation system. Up to 90 per cent of all lung cancer cases are caused by nicotine consumption, moreover, smokers have an at least twice as high risk for heart circulation illnesses and strokes. A frequent smoker illness is the chronic, obstructive bronchitis. At first she often speaks by a continuous inflammation of the respiratory tract - this one can lead to the symptom described as "smoker's cough" playing down, and a grave hindrance has the consequence in some cases in the course of the years. The fug can damage even psyche and brain: "Studies have proved that smokers have a significantly higher risk for depressions, fear disturbances and dementia illnesses, even the suicide risk is increased repeatedly", warns Möhlig.

Smokes stop heart attack risk lowers

The half of the tobacco-related deaths enters according to the German cancer research center already at the middle age between 35 and 69 years. Only 58% of the smokers reach the 70th year of life, only 80 years become 26% or older. For comparison purposes: 81% of the non-smokers become 70 years and 59% experiences her 80th birthday.

How long and you have much smoked identical: Stopping is always worthwhile!

The right inner attitude

The health of one's own, the load of friends and family by passive smoking, the costs for the cigarettes and not least the unpleasant feeling drug to be albeit legal dependent of one: There are reasons to stop with smoking much. However, addiction behavior is not rational ". Around the risks, the costs, the knowledge does not count all this for smokers if they inwardly are not ready for stopping ", as said by addiction researcher Möhlig. All this brings little or leads under circumstances persuasion test, pressure of the outside, even for the stabilization of the addiction behavior.

Many smokers would like to stop, shun the putatively heavily tolerable time of the withdrawal, however. In reality the physical withdrawal stops only four to six weeks, however, the worst withdrawal symptoms fall off even already after few days. The intensity of the symptoms is also overestimated by smokers most strongly. As a rule, the fear of the withdrawal is worse than the withdrawal itself.

This inner inner turmoil is typical of addicted smokers. You always find new "reasons" why they can just stop now by no means. Several smoke stop tests are normal ". I myself have managed only at the sixth or seventh attempt to get away from the cigarettes durably ", Möhlig admits. His tip: Further simply try it consistently. No disgrace but the rule is get initially relapsed. And you make it for ever sometime. Everybody can get away from smoking if one really wants it and has understood how one overcomes the addiction.