It is true that quitting smoking is not an easy task whether you’re a teen smoker or a lifetime pack-a-day smoker but one needs to begin somewhere, if he really wants to quit smoking. Those who don’t smoke understand that smoking is so harmful for health as it is responsible for heart disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure but the fact is that, most smokers do understand the same. Then the question is- why do they still smoke? The answer is- the cigarettes contain nicotine which is highly addictive and for some smoking provides psychological comfort to some people and therefore, smoking becomes their psychological habit. That is why for them, quitting smoking is so hard!
But they don’t need to get worried anymore, we have come up with the 10 different ways that are easy and inexpensive and can help them to quit the smoking.
- Firstly, you need to make yourself determined that you really want to quit. Reflect on the reasons why you are going to do so and what will be its benefits.
- Then, make a list that contains the facts that make you to smoke and things you like about smoking.
- After that, make another list which contains those facts that makes quitting smoking difficult to you.
- Then set a quitting date and stick to it - on that particular date, you have to quit your smoking completely, once and for all. For this, make a “quit date contract” that includes your signature and that of a supportive witness. You can take your family support for this.
- Now, write down all the reasons on chart or on paper that make you to quit your smoking habit. Keep this chart near to you at all the times. So that, it will always motivate you towards quitting the smoking.
- Stop buying cartons of cigarettes, if you really want to quit smoking. Don’t buy a pack at a time just carry two or three with you at a time and try to keep them in an Altoids tin. If you feel that you want to smoke then make your mind set and think you won’t have any immediately available.
- Keep a list of what you’re doing at the time, when you smoke and how bad the craving is just for a week to see that what times, situations and activities, increase your carvings. And, then arrange unique and more interesting things to do to fill up that time.
- For this, you can prepare the list of interesting things which you want to do when a craving hits and make copies of the list and keep one of them with you always. You can do a lot of things like throwing the ball for the dog, walking, washing the car, cleaning out a cupboard or closet, having sex or kissing your partner or kids.
- Throw each and everything that makes you to think of smoking and do it when your quit date arrives.
- You can play a game of solitaire on your computer to take a break at work in order to avoid smoking at that time. If your company does not allow to play games like that then you can find another activities to make your mind diverted. You can do activities like attending a phone call, a stroll, or eating a piece of fruit outdoors.
- Switch yourself from smoking a cigarette to a cup of herbal tea which will provide the same stress relief as a hit of nicotine.
- Switch your cigarette habit for a nut habit. It will help you to use your hands and your mouth in order to get the same physical and oral sensations which you get from smoking
- Always carry some cinnamon-flavored toothpicks with you to suck on one whenever the craving hits.
- You can also make an appointment with an acupuncturist or do it yourself whenever cravings arise by taping “seeds” onto the acupuncture points and squeezing them whenever cravings arise. This process will really help you and curbs cigarette cravings quite successfully.
- To maintain your self-confidence always try to think the difficult things you have done in your past. Ask for support from your friends and family and include them in your plan to quit smoking and also tell them that you need their encouragement to remind you of challenges you have successfully overcome. This will really help you to keep your pledge- say no to smoking.
- You can make process easier by finding another relative or friend who also wishes to quit smoking and then start helping each other.
- Drink plenty of water. It will not only flush out the toxins in your body but reduce the cravings.
- Analyze what triggers your craving to smoke and then change your routine to reduce it.
- Try to swing by the health food store for some Avena sativa extract as it will gradually wean you down to fewer cigarettes.
- Instead of bottling up your emotions, just share them with your family and friends that how you feel about situations. Express your feelings even anger too, if you are angry and stop lighting up a cigarette. It will build up your morale.
- Never give up! If you think that you can’t continue your mission of quitting smoking then just always keep this in your mind that you NEVER get failed! If you relapse, just start again but don’t give up!
- Start saving your money which you used to spend in buying the cigarettes and put that money in glass jar. So that, you can see that how much money you have been spending. Now, use this money in a good way like in fulfilling your dreams.
- Until you have been cigarette-free for two months, try to switch yourself to Decaffeinated Coffee (or decaf) because during quitting process, too much caffeine is not good.
- Start working out daily because more you get fit, more your body will cope with damage due to smoking. Also, exercise helps in relieving the stress and always take deep breathe while doing exercise.
- Play tennis as many researchers said that playing or visualizing the tennis match will stop your urge to smoke.
- Don’t allow anyone to do smoking in your home, car, or even while sitting next to you in any public place. Always try to build up a smoke-free zone.
- `You can only quit smoking if you take this decision of your own and in a good mood. So, always take this decision in a good mood.
- Always do counseling using cognitive behavioral techniques.
- You can also adopt non-medication therapies like hypnosis which get you into a deeply relaxed state where you are open to share your thoughts that strengthen your decision to quit smoking and enhance your negative feelings toward cigarettes.
- Whenever you urge to smoke, just look up in the list which shows all the negative facts that can harm your body. The list should contains all the diseases which smoking can cause like
- Reduces fertility and contributes to thin bones.
- Affects mental capacity and memory.
- Reduces levels of folic acid in body which can increase the risk of heart disease, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease
- Increases likelihood of impotence and in women it increases child’s risk of obesity and diabetes later in life if you smoked while pregnant
- Affects ability to smell and taste
- Results in low-birth-weight, premature babies
- Increases risk of depression in adolescents
- Increases risk of lung, bladder, pancreatic, mouth, esophageal, and other cancers.
- Increases risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and increases risk of diabetes
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