So you’ve decided it’s time to give up that nasty smoking habit. Good for you! Making the decision to quit smoking is one of the wisest you will make in your lifetime, and probably one of the hardest.
If you’re looking for some handy hints on where to go from here, read on.
If you are worried about gaining weight as you begin to quit, then you should try to incorporate a moderate exercise regimen into your daily routine to help curb any weight gain that you might experience. Exercise is the best way to prevent any weight gain from your quitting.
Try to get it through your mind that smoking is not the solution to any problem you may encounter, whether it is a flat tire or a family issue. Smoking has never solved a crisis, and it will certainly not begin to alleviate your woes. Remember this when you are on your way to quitting smoking.
Avoid triggering that make you want to smoke. Alcohol is a trigger for many, so when you are quitting, try to drink less. If coffee is your trigger, for a couple of weeks drink tea instead. If you like to smoke after eating a meal, do something else rather like taking a walk or brushing your teeth.
Receiving support from friends and family members can go a long way in helping you to quit smoking. It’s especially important to remind them that getting over an addiction can cause mood swings and irritability. If people close to you are understanding of the situation, it will make relapsing that much easier to avoid.
Clean your house. Get rid of all of you lighters and ashtrays once you have smoked the last cigarette. Wash all of your clothes that smell like smoke and clean your draperies, upholstery and carpet. Do all you can to get the smoke smell out of your house. You will not want to look at or smell the things that remind you of smoking.
Make sure you tell yourself that you are not going to smoke each and every day. As you get up in the morning, you should try telling yourself that you are not going to smoke a single cigarette. Reaffirming this goal in your mind each morning will keep you on track to successful smoking cessation.
Having a fixed date for when you want to be done with smoking can give you something to focus on. Deadlines often make it easier to achieve a task, and quitting smoking is no different. If you tell yourself that you must quit by a certain date, you will make a greater effort to do so.
You can replace your smoking habit with positive coping habits instead. This means really looking inside yourself and examining your habits. If you smoke when you are stressed out, consider how you can diffuse the negative energy instead. Some people find solace in meditative and deep breathing exercises, but you can experiment with a variety of techniques to find one that suits you.
Try gradually cutting back on the number of cigarettes that you smoke. However, you should have a day that you will quit set in stone. For example, you could plan out the number of cigarettes you plan on smoking until the day that you quit. Try making the number that you smoke each day smaller and smaller until this day arrives. This method has been proven to work for many people.
Consult your doctor about quitting. Your doctor can prescribe smoking cessation aids such as nicotine gum or nicotine patches. In addition, your doctor may know some strategies for controlling cravings that you don’t know. He can help you create a plan to stop smoking as well as monitoring your health while you work on quitting.
Don’t use weight gain as an excuse to continue smoking. While it is true that some individuals gain weight when they quit, it doesn’t mean that you will. Make healthy eating choices when you’re feeling hungry because you aren’t smoking and the weight won’t pile on. Even if you do gain a few pounds, remember that it is much healthier than continuing to smoke.
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.
As was previously said, quitting smoking is not an overnight process. There is not, unfortunately, an on/off switch when it comes to this habit. But it can achieved with some patience, perseverance, and a lot of faith. One day at a time and soon you will be proudly announcing to all that you are a non-smoker.
