If you smoke, it’s likely that you don’t really want to. You don’t have to be told how much it costs, how badly it smells and what it’s doing to your health. You know all that already. What you don’t know is how to get through the wall you have likely run into in trying to give it up. Read on for ideas on breaking through.
Before you begin the process of quitting your nicotine habit for good, take the time to make a specific plan of action. Merely thinking that you can muster up the willpower when needed is a poor way to approach this very addictive habit. Write down a list of things that you will do instead of reaching for that cigarette. This can include going for a walk, calling a friend, making a fresh fruit smoothie, or any number of diversions.
Remember that smoking cessation is really all about replacing one behavior with another. For most people, it is primarily the physical act of smoking that is the major draw. It signifies “me time” and a break from a hectic schedule or a boring job. Choose ahead of time exactly what behavior you will replace those smoking minutes with, and then do it!
Write down the reasons why you want to quit smoking. Post the list someplace where you’ll see it every day, to help keep you motivated. Include not only the reasons that directly benefit you, but also the reasons that quitting will benefit your friends and family. Being able to read your list every day will remind you of why you stopped smoking in the first place.
If you find it difficult to stop smoking by yourself, speak with a medical professional. Prescription medication may make quitting smoking easier to handle. They are not for everybody, so this discussion should also include your detailed medical history. Your doctor can also steer you to support groups, programs and other resources to help you.
To quit smoking for good, you’ll get better results by gradually weaning yourself than you would if you tried to quit cold turkey. Nearly all people that try to quit cold turkey fail as a result of nicotine withdrawal. Cut back slowly and steadily, and if the cravings are still too powerful then subsidize your efforts with medication or other tools.
Take the money that you would usually throw away on your cigarettes and spend it on yourself on something that you really want. This is sort of like a reward for your hard work. Treat yourself to an expensive coat, a nice jacket or even that pair of shoes that you have been eying.
Always keep in mind that there is only one outcome from taking another puff of a cigarette. That outcome is smoking again at the level that you were at, until the habit cripples you and you are in the hospital dying. This is a scary truth that will help you stay on track.
If smoking is your reaction to stress, replace it with a positive one. Consider getting a massage when you are stressed or participating in an exercise class. Even doing something simple like taking a bath or enjoying a light snack is a better reaction to stress than smoking is. Doing these things will help you to quit, while still keeping your stress level in check.
You should pick your method, or methods of quitting. Some people may only be able to use the “cold turkey” method, meaning cutting their nicotine use entirely without tapering. However, this can make some people exceptionally cranky and exacerbate withdrawal. Gums, lozenges and other quitting cessation products exist to make the first week easier to handle.
If you are pregnant, or plan or becoming that way, then use this as a serious motivation to stop smoking. Statistics say that women who smoke while carrying a child, especially in the first trimester, will cause the infant to have a decreased body weight. This will in turn affect their health, potentially throughout childhood.
Consider joining a support group when you decide to stop smoking. If your schedule does not allow for regular meetings, then look for telephone help lines or ones where people can log in online. These groups will give you instant access to support, regardless of what time you need them.
Remember when you begin quitting that the law of addiction is absolutely a part of the equation. This “law” basically emphasizes that giving a drug of choice to an addicted person within the detoxification period will immediately reinstate an addiction. This can be be a worse addiction than it was originally, making smoking within the first 72 hours not worth it!
Whether you want to call it quitting smoking or gaining freedom from tobacco, the road from smoker to ex-smoker seems impassible to many. However, in this article you read ideas, advice and insights from those that are now on the other side of that wall. Put these points into play and you can bat for the other team yourself.
