“American astronaut method” that will help you quit smoking in 5 days. Doctor’s opinion

general practitioner, ex-director of the Hillel Foundation

How to quit smoking according to the five-day system of American astronauts?

In the early days of NASA, there was no one and nothing more famous in the organization than the astronauts themselves. Even the organization’s leadership was surprised by such a huge amount of attention to the pilots and their instant popularity in the community.

“The Original Seven” (a group of seven astronauts chosen to fly in a spacecraft) first appeared before the press on April 9, 1959 in Washington, DC. And the most interesting thing that caught the eye in the original newsreel footage was the smoke-filled room.

Astronauts Dick Slayton, Alan Shepard and Wally Schirra openly smoked in front of the cameras. This raised questions among journalists: can a bad habit interfere with the successful fulfillment of the mission?

Let’s not forget that NASA had to convince American taxpayers to spend almost 4% of the national budget to send 12 Americans to the surface of the Moon.

After the first press conference, the astronauts did not appear in front of the cameras smoking. This was no accident. Smoking on the station is strictly prohibited for safety reasons, and because it jeopardizes the health of the pilots themselves.

So how did the space expedition participants get rid of their cigarette addiction using the five-day system?

Day one

It is recommended to start the day half an hour or an hour earlier than usual. And the first thing to drink 500-700 ml of clean water, and then go to the standard hygienic procedures.

Breakfast ration – only fruits or fruit juices. Some time after breakfast, perform breathing exercises (deep inhalation and exhalation). When the desire to smoke appears, distract yourself from it with two or three glasses of water or juice and breathing exercises. If possible, avoid passive smoking, being in a smoky room.

Lunch diet – vegetable: salad, soup, stew, juice, dessert to your taste, for example, your favorite tea with jam. After lunch, be sure to go for a short walk.

Portālsdinner ration is light, just like lunch. The time after dinner, devote to hobbies, distract yourself and occupy yourself with something pleasant or useful.

Day Two

Get up in the morning, repeat the procedure with drinking two to three glasses of water on an empty stomach, do breathing exercises.

Choose fruit or juices for breakfast. If possible, get to work on foot or at least part of the way pass as a light warm-up. Otherwise, follow the regimen of the first day. If you feel the urge to smoke, do breathing exercises, drink water or juice.

Day Three

Maintain your customized daily and nutritional regimen. The goal of day three is not just to not smoke, but to strengthen your will in the decision to quit tobacco.

Day four

You get used to the new regimen and controlling the urge to smoke becomes easier.

Day Five

If you keep the recommendations for the previous days, you feel satisfied with the results achieved, the first psychologically important mark is passed. Maintain the result and strengthen your will.