What would happen if you could just quit smoking tomorrow, forever? You would save money on your life insurance, car insurance, and most importantly, extend your lifespan! Make sure you are around long enough to see your children grow up and spend time with grandchildren, even great-grandchildren! The tips below can help you make good progress towards kicking the smoking habit for good.
Developing an honest list of the pros of smoking and the cons of smoking can help you achieve your goal to stop smoking. Just by creating the list, you’ll perk up your mood. It can strengthen your motivation to quit, and reduce the difficulty of quitting, by keeping your attention on your desire to quit.
To aid in smoking cessation, remove yourself from your circle of friends who smoke. Don’t worry; this is just a temporary measure, but you really do need to do this. Constant exposure to cigarette smoke, plus the social aspect of smoking together, will automatically squash your hopes for success.
If you’re trying to quit smoking, stopping “cold turkey” is a bad idea. Quitting without a means of support for nicotine withdrawal is an uphill battle. Because nicotine is addictive, it’s very easy to relapse without some form of support when quitting. It’s best to use smoking cessation medicine, or some type of therapy when you’re ready to quit.
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.
When you are trying to quit smoking, write a list of all of the reasons why you want to stop. Carry that list with you at all times. One of the best place to carry this list is where you used to carry your cigarettes. Whenever you catch yourself reaching for your pack of smokes, pull out the list, instead, and read why you want to break the habit.
It does not matter how long it has been since you gave up smoking, you can never have “just one”. You are a nicotine addict. While just one does not mean you will be smoking a packet a day again by morning, it will mean that you have “just one more” a lot sooner than you would like.
When you are considering quitting smoking, make an appointment to see your physician. Your physician may have resources available to help you quit that you do not have access to. Also, if your doctor feels that your situation calls for it, he or she may think it is best for you to take a prescription medication for quitting.
To cut back on smoking cravings, change the habits that once surrounded smoking. For example, if you always smoked on your breaks then see if you can get your breaks at a different time to make it harder to succumb to those cravings. Likewise, if you always had a cigarette with coffee then switch to a new caffeine fix like tea.
When you are trying to quit smoking, be sure that you are drinking plenty of water. Not only is water good for you, but it also fulfills the need to have something in your mouth. Also, large amounts of water help to clear out nicotine and other chemicals in your body caused by cigarettes.
Make a list of healthy things you can do to relieve stress, anxiety or frustration. For many people, smoking is a way to relieve stress. Your list can help you find a better, healthier way of coping with negative feelings so that you won’t be as tempted to smoke when you’re having a bad day.
Once you get to the point that you should be done smoking altogether, throw away any extra tobacco products. This reduces the temptation to have “just one more cigarette.” You should also get rid of any cigarette paraphernalia that could trigger cravings, including everything from a favorite lighter to ashtrays to your old butts.
Quit smoking with a buddy. Having someone else with whom to commiserate and celebrate will make your success even sweeter. Choose a friend, relative, or co-worker who also wants to quit, or pair up with someone on an online support forum. Having someone by your side will make the process much easier to tolerate and will help you stay accountable.
There you have it – some great information that can help you win the war against tobacco. Quitting smoking is tough for almost every smoker, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t succeed at first. Follow the tips above, exercise some patience and perseverance, and you too will be able to call yourself a non-smoker one day soon.
