On May 31, at the initiative of the World Health Organization, Russia and the rest of the world celebrate No Tobacco Day. On the eve of this event, the Ogonyok correspondent decided to experiment on himself

Vladimir Tikhomirov

These statistics are encouraging: according to a study by British American Tobacco, in the first quarter of 2010, sales on the Russian tobacco market fell by 5 percent. This indicates not so much a rise in prices, but also the effectiveness of the anti-nicotine campaign launched in Russia in recent years. Our editorial staff also makes a small contribution to reducing cigarette consumption in Russia, as evidenced by this diary of an Ogonyok reporter who conducted an experiment on himself: is it easy to quit smoking today?

The first day

20 years - this is my experience as a smoker. For the last 5 years I have smoked two packs of Marlboros a day. Agree, this is a lot. But now I’ve decided to quit - that’s enough. However, I had been coming to this thought for a long time, every time when, after the third cigarette I smoked in a row, coughing spasms literally turned me inside out. In addition, it was quite unpleasant for me to listen to the hysterical hissing of my own lungs in the evenings. But it’s one thing to decide to quit smoking, but it’s another thing entirely to actually quit. Dozens of times I became cowardly and put off solving this issue until later. And today I decided to cheat. Well, yes, I got a sore throat, and even an ordinary breath of air seemed like real torture to my cold throat. And I didn’t smoke a cigarette in 24 hours. Then everything passed, and I finally decided: why not? Of course, it’s a little unfortunate that my parting with cigarettes was not formalized in any way. I didn’t have time to taste my last cigarette, I didn’t perform the ritual trampling of the pack, I didn’t say the vows required for this occasion. After all, I thought, we lived together for so many years, and it was cigarettes that helped me overcome all the sorrows and sorrows. And - I confess - I lost heart once again. I decided not just to quit smoking, but to quit smoking for exactly one year, and if after a year I want to go back to smoking, well, so be it. We're not breaking up forever, we're just taking a vacation.

Second day

Well, quitting smoking turned out to be much easier than I expected. And at the same time much harder than one might think. I spent the whole day reading advice from seasoned smokers from a variety of Internet sites created specifically to support people who quit smoking. The advice, it must be said, is very contradictory. For example, on the forum of the site sigarets.ru everyone complains about headaches and increased salivation, and on the site nosmoking.ru some doctor gave advice to keep your hands in water all the time (well, for example, keep yourself busy washing dishes or washing socks), to calm down and stop hand tremors. So, I had no tremors, no increased salivation, no headache. Quitting nicotine made me very nervous and irritable, and I had an overwhelming desire for physical activity. As experts say, the adrenal glands, which produce the hormones adrenaline and norepinephrine, are to blame. Nicotine in large doses suppresses the production of adrenaline, which is why the cigarette is considered to “calm down”. Gradually, the smoker's adrenal glands begin to produce a double dose of adrenaline to overcome the effects of nicotine. When a person quits smoking, there is simply nothing to stop the increased dose of adrenaline.

Day four

Words cannot describe how much I want to smoke. It's just un-believable!!! I think about cigarettes constantly, and every minute I imagine how I pick up this wonderful cigarette, knead it with my fingers, take the first puff... Hallucinations begin in reality: an “inner voice” has awakened, which constantly repeats: “And now is the time.” smoke a cigarette and relax!" It is almost impossible to work without cigarettes. I can't help my head, I'm just dumbfounded. I want to quit my job. Moreover, I managed to quarrel with all my colleagues in the editorial office. My apologies do not touch anyone - cruel, heartless people!

Day five

I would never have thought that I could taste and smell cigarettes in my sleep. Not to see, but to feel. All night I dreamed that I was sitting in some bar and smoking, smoking, smoking...

On the advice of friends and colleagues, I’m reading Alan Carr’s famous book “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.” The author tells the common truths with the fervor of the first preachers. In addition, the obsessive self-promotion of this book is alarming: they say that this is not just an easy way, but the only possible way. It is also confusing that Carr, an accountant by profession, in the wake of the success of his first book, released a dozen more manuals on getting rid of a variety of addictions.

Also, on the advice of colleagues, I tried so-called electronic cigarettes. This is an electric inhaler in the form of a cigarette; a cartridge with concentrated and “purified” nicotine and an aromatic mixture is inserted inside. The impressions are twofold. On the one hand, you feel like an idiot, a baby with a plastic pacifier. On the other hand, the taste in the mouth is terrible, although the withdrawal symptoms become easier. True, as doctors say on Internet sites, “purified” nicotine is much more dangerous than regular nicotine and causes lung cancer much faster. Perhaps, according to the manufacturers' plans, a person should wean off nicotine faster than this nicotine causes its harm. After some thought, I decided to refuse.

Day six

Want some good advice? If you ever decide to quit smoking, be sure to buy a band-aid. Firstly, you can cover your mouth with a plaster and tie your hands tightly so that you don’t reach for cigarettes... Just kidding. I actually meant the nicotine patch. Previously, I treated these Velcro with a feeling of deep skepticism and distrust, but now I have to admit - yes, this thing really works! By the way, you can congratulate me - today I wrote a long magazine article for the first time in my life without cigarettes. Just a week ago I was sure that this was absolutely impossible.

Day ten

I still want to smoke. Sometimes I want to tremble and take a cigarette and take at least one puff. On the other hand, the urge to smoke is less frequent and it is becoming easier to cope with these attacks. But I began to feel the first positive aspects of quitting smoking: I began to feel comfortable breathing. I think this condition is equally difficult to understand for both smokers and non-smokers, but if you knew what a pleasure it is to simply breathe. My sense of smell has also developed in an absolutely incredible way: I sense all smells very keenly, as if I was discovering the whole world anew.

Of the minuses: I have to give up the anti-nicotine patch, which, as it turned out, causes terrible skin irritation. Chewing nicotine gum is also not an option. It tastes absolutely nauseating, and after just three minutes it starts to hurt your throat. It's better to be patient.

Day fourteen

I haven't smoked for two weeks now. There are 50 weeks left until the end of the experiment. Oh, I wish I could hurry up... I felt a sense of my own restlessness. Do you know what the beauty of a cigarette is? The fact that you are always on the job. That is, you don’t go out for a smoke break, you do something. And now the work schedule has become completely disrupted. We need to develop new habits.

Now about the positives: I used to think that I couldn’t drink coffee or alcohol without a cigarette. It was, I admit, a little sad to part with these wonderful drinks that brightened up my life so much. But, as it turned out, nothing like that: a couple of days ago I drank whiskey - it was fine, I didn’t even feel like smoking cigarettes. Yesterday I drank a cup of coffee, everything is fine too - you can drink coffee without a cigarette. In general, weaning off cigarettes goes much faster than I thought. And, as it turned out, you can work without cigarettes - their fame as a thought stimulant turned out to be somewhat exaggerated. And I say this, a smoker with 20 years of experience!

Day fifteen

My optimism turned out to be somewhat premature. Yesterday, due to withdrawal symptoms, I caused several scandals, quarreling at work with my superiors, and at home with my wife and relatives. But suddenly, completely unexpectedly, I understood what exactly one psychologist wanted to tell me, with whom I argued a few days ago on the forum of one of the anti-nicotine sites. He said you shouldn't start your quit attempts by apologizing to friends and family and asking them to put up with your irritable behavior. This surprised me: why not really ask your loved ones in advance for understanding and support? Well, now I understand why. And why you really shouldn't do this. So, by warning relatives and friends about the need to be patient, you, of course, get consent - well, who would dare refuse you in such a situation? For you, their consent is a kind of indulgence that you begin to seriously count on. But the trick is that your loved ones and friends treat your request completely differently, and none of them agreed to endure literally all your antics and outbursts of anger for more than 10 minutes. This is reality, whether you like it or not. In a word, sooner or later, conflicts will begin between you, and it will seem to you that these people are not fulfilling the terms of your agreement. The consequence of this will be the temptation to smoke - to spite these soulless people who do not value you! But, stop. Did you promise them to quit smoking? No, you promised yourself that. Therefore - no contracts! There is nothing that can help you shift the moral responsibility for your smoking onto other people.

Day twentieth

I still want to smoke, especially after lunch and after my morning cup of coffee. However, it is becoming easier and easier to cope with these urges. But now I get genuine pleasure when I say to one of my smoker acquaintances: “Didn’t you know - I quit smoking! But you, if you want, smoke, smoke doesn’t bother me...” In the eyes of the interlocutor there is a mixture of confusion and genuine envy. Some, however, also expect pitiful stories about poor health and look so sympathetically - well, yes, he’s probably sick. Others gloatingly light a cigarette and expect me to push the smoke away with my hands, and then ask them for a cigarette... or at least one puff... Ha! You won't wait. I just smile: not smoking is very nice! By the way, tobacco smoke really became unpleasant to me.

Day twenty three

Yesterday I discovered another advantage of living without nicotine: it turns out that in cafes and restaurants there are almost always empty seats in non-smoking rooms. Before that, I didn’t even notice how many people smoke here. However, to be honest, I paid just as little attention to the fact that the number of non-smokers has increased recently. First of all, due to young people and yesterday’s schoolchildren. “You know, they really are some other generation,” said doctor friend Petya Kapelnik, known for having saved more than one famous person from binge drinking and overdose. “They don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t do drugs, they’re so purposeful and so busy, involved in sports, education. You know, I think they looked at us, the older generation, and decided that they would not live like that. For them, a cigarette is a sign of a loser.” It is interesting from this perspective to evaluate the stands of social anti-nicotine advertising with terrible pictures of lungs soaked in tar and nicotine, which recently appeared in the Moscow metro. They don’t bother young people - their aversion to cigarettes is at the sociocultural level, and these brown masses don’t scare older people either. It would be better to depict, say, Vera Brezhnev or Angelina Jolie, holding her nose in disgust. The sickening stench of tobacco is an argument that every smoker fears deep down, because the memory still retains early memories of how tobacco really stinks. And only after you quit smoking do you begin to understand how you stank all this time. Oh, my patient friends! Holy my wife!

Day thirty

I almost don’t feel like smoking anymore, although... I admit honestly, what I miss most is not the tobacco smoke itself, but only the first puff, this ritual itself, when you slowly knead the cigarette in your fingers, then flick the lighter, take a drag, listening to the rustle of smoldering tobacco. I try to drive away such visions, thinking about the benefits of living without smoking. For example, at work you no longer have to run out into the cold to smoke a cigarette. No need to worry anymore: how many cigarettes are there left for the evening? Will it be enough until the morning? Or is it better to go and buy in reserve? And how did I not notice before that my life was a slavish service to this habit of mine?

Day of the fortieth

The sensations are normal, the adrenaline seems to have gradually subsided, at least I have become noticeably less irritated. I almost no longer throw myself at friends and colleagues, but only as a last resort. A new problem has appeared. I began to noticeably gain weight - I think it was all because of these nuts, seeds, popcorn, candies and chocolates, which I began to consume in huge quantities to break the habit of smoking. And in general, giving up nicotine leads to minor metabolic disturbances, which can be detrimental to your wardrobe. Now I think that I need to invent a way to force myself to go on a diet and do exercises.

Now about the pleasant things. The most important advantage of giving up cigarettes: the attitude of relatives and friends has completely changed, who feel that what stands before them is not a weak-willed slave of his habit, but a person with a will, capable of achieving everything he needs. Believe me, if you manage to curb yourself, others will immediately feel this inner strength in you.

Day sixtieth

After two months of torment, my body decided to take revenge: first I developed a fever, then a wild cough began, and symptoms of flu and sore throat appeared. “Well, what do you want?” the doctor asked me rhetorically at the clinic. “You have been diligently killing your body for 20 years and you want all this to pass without consequences? So be patient! The body is being rebuilt, it will soon be easier...” Complete It takes at least two years for the body to get rid of the effects of smoking, and during this period many diseases may worsen. This is the price we have to pay for chemical and biological stress.

Day seventy-five

The throat is gone. While I was sick, I published several blog entries about the progress of my experiment. Got a lot of feedback. And today I learned that my example of quitting smoking helped two people also decide to quit smoking. Now they also say that quitting smoking turned out to be much easier than they could have imagined.

Day one hundredth

So, it looks like I succeeded, and all the stories about the inability to give up cigarettes are, to put it mildly, exaggerated. I don’t think I’ll want to go back to smoking in a few months, when my experiment expires - otherwise it will turn out that I suffered in vain all this time.

It is interesting that during the experiment, new bad habits were formed. For example, an addiction to chewing gum. By the way, can you tell me the website address for those who want to wean themselves from chewing?

They won't let you light a cigarette

Initiatives

While State Duma deputies are preparing a new draft law “On limiting tobacco consumption,” in a number of Russian regions, authorities and public organizations are coming up with their own programs to eradicate smoking. Foreign experience is also interesting

Moscow

The public organization "League of National Health" together with the Ministry of Defense has developed a target program "Tobacco-Free Army". Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has already issued an order to stop the free distribution of tobacco products in the army.

Saint Petersburg

A draft law on administrative liability for smoking in the entrances of houses has been submitted to the Legislative Assembly of the region. Developers are planned to be required to include special “ventilated smoking booths” in their entrance plans.

Cherepovets

At the initiative of the city authorities, the city operates the “Quit Smoking and Win!” program. All participants who quit smoking and pass the medical test become participants in a lottery with cash prizes.

Khabarovsk

A program to prevent the sale of cigarettes to minors has been launched: citizens can, for a monetary reward, report by telephone about negligent sellers selling cigarettes to teenagers.

Ryazan

An exchange point for packs of cigarettes for candy and fruit has been opened at the Ryazan State Medical University.

Ivanovo

Smoking is prohibited in all premises of the city administration and budgetary organizations.

Belarus

The chief narcologist of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, Alexei Alexandrov, announced plans to raise prices for tobacco products by at least 70 percent - according to doctors, this is the most effective method of combating smoking.

Tunisia

The country has launched the first anti-smoking campaign in the country's history. Restrictions on smoking in public places have been introduced, and heavy smokers will be forcibly hospitalized.

China

Since 2011, China, the most smoking country in the world, has implemented a complete ban on smoking in public places. Smoking will not be allowed in hotels, offices, restaurants, or other enclosed spaces, including even taxis.

USA

Starting this year, a complete smoking ban will be introduced on all US Navy submarines. Until then, the submarine fleet remained the only place in the army free from the merciless war on smoking.

I stopped

I stopped