While most smokers realize that smoking is a risky and unhealthy activity, many of them are unable to quit successfully. A part of the reason is that the addiction is very difficult to break. However, there are effective strategies that have been successful for others. This article provides several of these strategies. Follow the tips provided, and hopefully you will be able to quit successfully.
You will find it hard to do some of your normal routines while you are quitting smoking. For example, going to a bar with friends who smoke. When your friend goes outside for a cigarette, resist the urge to go with them to keep them company. Everything that you once did as a smoker, you will be able to do again.
If you’re doing well on your stop smoking journey, don’t forget to reward yourself. Treat yourself to a nice massage, a pedicure, or a special new outfit when you’ve cut back, and then something else when you’ve stopped entirely. You need to have rewards like this to look forward to, as they can help to keep you motivated.
You should treat quitting smoking day-by-day. Remember that quitting will always be a process, and it doesn’t usually happen over night. Do not think too far ahead in time. Take one day at a time. Focus on getting through each day without smoking so that you can build a future that is smoke-free.
When you decide to quit smoking once and for all, make a list filled with useful tips and quitting strategies. You can and should customize this list to your life and habits. Every single person will have their own individual triggers that need attention. Each person is unique as to how they get things done. You have to figure out what works best for yourself and your lifestyle. Create your own personalized plan for quitting.
Make sure you do not feel as if you have to give up any aspect of your life because you are quitting smoking. Anything that you do you can still do as an ex-smoker. Who knows, you may even be able to do your favorite things a little bit better.
When you first quit, plan out various time-based milestones for which you will reward yourself. For example, after a week without smoking, treat yourself to a movie. Once you’ve passed that month long milestone, enjoy a fancy night out at your favorite restaurant. Continue on like this to gradually increase the rewards to the point you don’t think of smoking any more.
Enlist your friends and family to support you with your decision to stop smoking. Those closest to you can be a real help in keeping you on track and smoke-free. Inform everyone of your intentions to quit smoking before your quit date, and let them know specifically how they can be of best help to you.
Choose the date that you will quit and write it on the calendar. After you’ve done this, tell your friends and family. Choosing your quit date makes your goal more specific and real so that you’re more likely to take action towards it. It’s harder to change your mind once you’ve made a commitment, and other people can help support you if they know about your quit date.
Learn and use positive mantras. Tell yourself that you’re strong and powerful and that you can quit. Let yourself know that you believe in yourself and that you know you will be successful. When you make positive mantras such as these, a part of your life, success will follow. This is as true for quitting smoking as it is for every other aspect of your life.
Avoid situations where you may be strongly tempted to smoke, especially places where alcohol is served. If you find yourself at a party, or bar, or similar place, it may be very tough to keep your determination not to smoke. If you drink alcohol, which lowers inhibitions, it will be much more difficult as well.
To optimize your chances of success, don’t try to quit smoking during a stressful time in your life. This is when your nicotine addiction is strongest, and trying to quit only sets you up for failure. Wait until you feel empowered by other successes – regardless of how large or small – and use that success as a springboard for quitting.
The majority of people who smoke do so with the knowledge that the activity that they are engaging in is unhealthy and dangerous. A lot of them also have difficulty quitting due to the addictive nature of smoking. However, there are strategies that have helped others quit that can help you quit successfully too. Use the tips that have been provided in this article, and hopefully smoking will be a thing of the past.
