Bad habits and their impact on human health

Poor nutrition

An unbalanced diet and lack of eating habits are a serious problem that can destroy your health in a short time.
The most common errors in nutrition and diet are:

• Eating food before bed. This significantly complicates the work of the gastrointestinal tract and leads to interruptions in the functioning of the digestive system.
• Excessive consumption of sweets. Sweets are fast carbohydrates that sharply increase blood sugar levels. After a sharp jump, an equally sharp decline occurs. Frequent surges can cause disruption in the body's endocrine system. In addition, people with a sweet tooth often overeat, because... A drop in sugar levels causes an acute feeling of hunger. In addition, excess sugar consumption causes oral diseases and disrupts digestion.
• A large amount of salt in the diet. Excess salt has a detrimental effect on the kidneys and urinary system as a whole. It can also cause musculoskeletal problems.

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia deserve special attention. Anorexia is a refusal to eat or a significant restriction of food, and bulimia is an uncontrolled overeating, after which a person feels shame and vomits. Eating disorders lead to vitamin deficiency, anemia, exhaustion, and disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. These are life-threatening conditions that require mandatory consultation with a nutritionist and psychiatrist.

“Drawing” a portrait of a dependent personality

The main feature of a dependent personality is infantilism, that is, a desperate reluctance to become an adult and take responsibility for one’s actions. Such a person can be recognized by his characteristic portrait:

• "Not we such, Life is such". He is convinced that the environment or the world is to blame for all his troubles, but not himself.
• "The center of the world". Believes in his uniqueness.
• In him, children's emotions prevail over adults, for example, resentment over the desire for a goal.
• Characterized by instability of self-esteem: from self-abasement to superiority over others. Often builds self-esteem depending on the opinions of others.
• His behavior is impulsive, his actions and desires are ill-conceived and inadequate.
• Strives to get everything at once, without making any effort.
• Can't plan.
• His spiritual qualities are poorly developed, and his values ​​are more suitable not for an adult, but for a child.
• Incapable of distinguishing between the ideal and the real.
• He does not know how to distance himself from emotions and find an adequate way out of a difficult situation.
• Prone to self-deception and deceiving other people.

The resulting portrait is a portrait of a person who failed to grow up, who is hiding from all life's problems in alcoholism, uncontrolled overeating and destructive relationships.

Smoking

One of the most harmful habits is smoking. Inhaling nicotine and other contaminants from tobacco smoke is a real drug that is addictive and slowly destroys the body. Most long-term smokers have chronic diseases of the respiratory system. Many people experience bronchitis.

Smokers also experience the following health problems:

• The risk of cancer increases;
• Colds occur frequently;
• There is a constant dry cough;
• The functioning of the heart and blood vessels deteriorates;
• The ability of blood vessels to respond to changes in the environment decreases (to narrow or expand);
• This results in the formation of blood clots.

Each cigarette is a whole cocktail of dangerous poisons. The sooner you give up a bad habit, the longer and better your life will be.

What to do next?

Avoid situations that provoke smoking. Don't go on smoke breaks with everyone else, it will be difficult for you to give up a cigarette, and you will automatically become a passive smoker.

Find a like-minded person, quit smoking together, support and morally help each other.

Practice self-hypnosis or autogenic training. Repeat to yourself more often: “Smoking disgusts me,” “It’s easier to breathe when you don’t smoke,” “I’m no longer drawn to a cigarette. My complexion has improved, my hair and clothes don’t smell of tobacco. The bad breath is gone." Say these phrases constantly when you wake up or fall asleep, when you really want to smoke.

Alcohol

Addiction to alcohol also does not leave its mark on the body. Every day there are more and more alcoholics. Previously, the majority were adult men. But today the situation has changed radically: women and even teenagers are increasingly becoming dependent on alcohol.

First of all, it should be noted the detrimental effect on the brain; with constant consumption of alcohol, it begins to gradually deteriorate - healthy brain cells die off.

Alcoholism is also fraught with consequences for the body such as:

• Serious liver problems that can even lead to death;
• Problems with the gastrointestinal tract, increased risk of developing peptic ulcers;
• Problems with memory and attention;
• Impaired coordination of movements and balance even when not intoxicated;
• Kidney diseases;
• Increased risk of developing cancer;
• Psychological instability.

You can often hear that drinking alcohol is a way to cheer up. But this is a trap: the slight euphoria from alcohol the next day turns into a sharply depressed mood with a feeling of hopelessness and melancholy. And the more often a person drinks, the more pronounced this condition becomes. Therefore, alcohol is more likely a cause of low mood, rather than a cure for it.

The concept of addiction in psychology

Psychological dependence (addiction) is a strong, irresistible attraction to a person, object, phenomenon or action. Both men and women can be addicted at any age. In fact, addictions are our habits, the need to repeat the same action. But in a mild form they do not cause us any inconvenience, they even bring us benefits - for example, playing sports or reading. Problems begin in people with a weak will, who find it difficult to control themselves. In the most advanced cases, addictive individuals lose touch with reality and become truly dangerous both for themselves and for society.

Narcotic drugs

Every year the variety of narcotic drugs grows, which increases the number of drug addicts. The reason for this is the apparent harmlessness of “soft” drugs. Once you start using illegal substances, changes may not always be noticeable. But all drugs cause harm to the body.

Taking drugs is a stressful state for the body. The heartbeat quickens, blood vessels dilate, the production of “joy hormones” - serotonin and dopamine - increases, the central nervous system becomes excited... All this is a stressful mode, for which the body is not designed to work, and therefore staying in this state wears out the body's systems - firstly turn nervous and cardiovascular. Excessive stress on the nervous system leads to the destruction of nerve fibers, which leads to changes in behavior and reactions.

A drug addict is irritable, often experiences unreasonable melancholy, it becomes more difficult for him to perceive new information and remember it, and sooner or later his circle of interests narrows to the search for drugs.

Some types of drugs contain substances that are similar to the body's own neurotransmitters - and therefore they first cause acute euphoria, and then - severe dependence, because. the body's delicate regulatory system cannot withstand the load and breaks down. The normal functioning of the body is disrupted and the drug addict experiences severe discomfort and excruciating pain, which only goes away when taking the drug.

When taking any drugs, the perception of reality changes, the reaction and sense of danger are dulled, and therefore a person in such a state can pose a threat to himself and to others. Quitting taking drugs will save the life and health of yourself and those around you.

Quitting bad habits and positive health consequences

All of the above bad habits negatively affect the body, worsen health and undermine the immune system. Giving up bad habits has the following positive consequences:

• The weight will return to normal. If you switch to proper nutrition, your metabolism will automatically improve. The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is also normalized.
• If you give up alcohol, your blood composition will improve, as the liver will be able to work at full capacity and fully filter the blood. Blood pressure levels are normalized.
• If you quit smoking, your lungs will gradually clear, your cough will go away, and the frequency of colds will decrease. The risk of developing a stroke or heart attack will be reduced to a minimum. You will feel great; in the morning you will wake up refreshed and full of energy.
• When you give up drugs, your life will change dramatically. Brain nutrition is normalized, headaches, aggression, muscle pain will go away, family relationships will improve, mood will normalize, life will again acquire bright colors.

Collective abandonment of a bad habit, for example, in a work group, can be effective. In our practice, there was a case when the company held a Health Day aimed at combating smoking. This led to a decrease in smoking rates by 11%. But the event also had a delayed effect - those who were able to give up smoking became an example for others. And those who had already quit smoking supported their quitting colleagues - and as a result, the percentage of those who were able to give up the bad habit was 85%. And the number of sick leaves received has decreased three times!

HOW TO QUIT SMOKING?

You can quit smoking at once, when a person quits smoking once and for all, and gradually, slowly, in stages.

The first method is suitable for people who have recently started smoking, and quitting smoking does not cause significant withdrawal symptoms (depression, loss of appetite, insomnia, nausea, etc.).

The second method is gradual withdrawal, in which the number of cigarettes smoked daily is reduced until the person completely quits smoking. Not every smoker manages to avoid withdrawal symptoms. During this period, the following come to the rescue: self-hypnosis, hypnosis, acupuncture, the use of medications (as prescribed by a doctor), as well as walks in the fresh air, physical exercise, and a balanced diet.

Where to begin?

• It is necessary to determine at what moments a strong desire to smoke arises and try to abstain from a cigarette. Try not smoking for a whole day or sharply reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke. If this works, you can confidently say: “I am able to quit smoking!”
• Change your surroundings, go on vacation and under no circumstances touch a cigarette.
• You need to prepare to quit smoking. To do this, set a specific date, mentally tune in to it and practice:
• Do not finish the cigarette until the very end, because the most harmful components of tobacco smoke are in the last third;
• Try not to drag on;
• Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke daily;
• Don't smoke on an empty stomach;
• Never smoke in company.

Considering that the first days without nicotine are the most difficult and to make this stage go faster and easier, use some tips:

• Drink more fluids - water, juices, fruit drinks, weak tea with lemon.
• Avoid drinking strong tea and coffee, spicy and spicy foods, and alcoholic beverages, all of which exacerbate the craving for a cigarette.
• Eat more vegetables and fruits, dairy products.
• Do physical exercise, it not only distracts you from smoking, but also clears your breath, improves your mood, and increases your vitality.
• Try to change your usual routine: get rid of the routine, for example, choose a different route to work, change the time and place of breakfast and lunch.
• Relax! To reduce stress, take a hot bath, do gymnastics, read a book.
• Count how much money you saved by giving up cigarettes. Buy yourself a gift with this money.

Three steps to giving up bad habits

Conventionally, the entire period of struggle can be divided into three stages:

• The first is a direct renunciation of a bad habit, making a decision.
• The second is the “breaking” stage. Unfortunately, this is an inevitable stage, no matter what kind of habit we are talking about. If you have a feeling that you are about to break down, it is better to turn to specialists.
• The third stage is restoration of health. It should be understood that when you give up cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, the positive effect will not be noticeable immediately, it takes time. It will take from 1 month to 1 year to remove all waste products from the body.

Experts say that the most difficult time is in the first three weeks after giving up a bad habit - but after this time, a new habit is formed: a healthy lifestyle.