It can be hard to quit smoking if your life is stressful, and not everyone you encounter is supportive. Fortunately, the following advice can help you resist these pressures and finally kick the smoking habit.
When you are close to giving in to your cravings for a cigarette, think of a delay before you are allowed to indulge. Bargain with yourself, telling yourself that you can smoke after taking a walk, or after having a big glass of water. Perhaps the extra few minutes spent occupying your mind with something else can prevent you from smoking. If you do end up giving in anyway, at least that was a little longer that you were able to be smoke-free.
If you suddenly get the urge to smoke, try to delay your smoking. With the delay tactic, you tell yourself that you will have a smoke in just ten minutes and go do something else. After those ten minutes are up, distract yourself with something else. Generally, a 10 minute delay will be all you need to get over the urge to smoke. If the 10 minutes wasn’t enough, then keep delaying yourself until it urge has passed.
If you find it difficult to stop smoking by yourself, speak with a medical professional. There are a number of prescription medicines that will make quitting easier, including, a few anti-depressant medications. Your doctor can also steer you to support groups, programs and other resources to help you.
Nicotine Replacement
A good way to quit smoking is nicotine replacement therapy. When you withdraw from nicotine, you may feel restless, depressed, irritable or frustrated. Cravings can sometimes seem overwhelming. You can help alleviate these feelings by using nicotine-replacement therapy. Studies have proven that those who use nicotine patches, gum or lozenges have double the chances of successfully quitting. It is very dangerous to smoke while using these products; therefore, to protect yourself avoid smoking if you are using nicotine replacement therapies.
If you’re thinking about quitting smoking, it’s important that you talk to your doctor beforehand. It is possible that your doctor has has resources that you don’t. If your doctor thinks that it is appropriate, they may prescribe you medication assist with the quit.
Don’t try doing it yourself. Tell your friends and relatives that you are quitting, and have them give you a hand. An outside support group of former smokers can also help. Meeting other people who want to quit will help you stay motivated and you will be able to share tips.
In your process to quit smoking, grant yourself rewards along the way to enjoy at the milestones towards your goal. For instance, go to a movie after one week that you don’t smoke. Another goal could be to go a whole month smoke-free. When you attain that goal, give yourself a nice dinner out at a special restaurant. After that, keep making the reward better until you’re at a point where smoking is no longer an issue.
Secondhand Smoke
Stop smoking to benefit your loved ones, and their health. Secondhand smoke is dangerous, and a known cause of many types of cancer, and other serious health conditions. Quitting reduces your family’s exposure to secondhand smoke, so they will be less likely to get seriously ill if you quit. Quitting smoking will not only reduce the risk to your own health, but also the risk to those around you.
Cut back before you quit. Smoking less can be a good place to begin your plan to quit smoking. You should at least wait an hour or two before you have a smoke after you wake up. Try smoking only half a cigarette to reduce your smoking.
As you learn to live without cigarettes, it is helpful to avoid trigger situations that would normally involve smoking for you. If you’ve always had cigarettes during your happy hour or with your coffee, try changing this type of routine. You could bring the coffee along for the ride to work and choose a different after-work activity until you get the cravings under control.
If you do not succeed in your first quit attempt, do not become disheartened. Plenty of people that did eventually quit smoking failed the first time they tried. Look at what triggered the failure and figure out how you’re going to avoid it this time around. Next time you face a similar situation, you may be ready to succeed.
Know that when you quit smoking you are improving your life, as opposed to making a noble sacrifice. Keeping a positive attitude about quitting can help you stay committed, allowing you to drop the habit faster. Keep in mind how beneficial it is going to be to your health and quality of life, and that there are far more reasons to quit than to keep smoking. This keeps you on track and makes quitting seem immediately important.
It can be helpful to get rid of reminders of your smoking life when you are trying to quit. So get rid of any lighters or ashtrays from your home. You should take time to wash all of your clothing and linens to remove the smell of smoke. You may also need to thoroughly clean your house from top to bottom. Doing this can ensure you aren’t reminded or triggered to smoke.
Relieve Stress
You might have used smoking when you are feeling stressed. If you have used smoking to relieve stress, it’s time to find alternative methods of relaxation and stress relief. Meditation, yoga and deep breathing techniques are all a great way to help relieve stress and stay smoke-free.
Try exercising to replace your smoking habit. When you exercise, your body releases a lot of endorphins, which in turn, make your mood go up. Also, when you exercise, your body is distracted from wanting a cigarette. Working out during your stop-smoking program can also help you avoid putting on extra weight, a phenomenon that can sometimes result from the physiological changes associated with quitting.
Now that you have absorbed all of this advice, your confidence of a successful quit should be much higher. Tell others about the steps you are taking to quit smoking, so that they can benefit from them as well.
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