Quitting smoking is usually about more than getting rid of your cigarettes and resisting the cravings. There are easier ways then brute force willpower alone. There are many different techniques which can help you to quit smoking for good.
Write down reasons why you should quit to increase the chances that you actually do quit. By writing these things down, you begin to control the direction of your outlook on quitting. It can strengthen your motivation to quit, and reduce the difficulty of quitting, by keeping your attention on your desire to quit.
Make your attempts as manageable as possible. Never try to go cold turkey. This method of quitting has a 95 percent failure rate. Nicotine is a drug, and like all drugs it can be physically addicting. Opt for nicotine replacements or prescription medications to help you kick the habit. You will have an easier time making it through early withdrawal, which will give you a better chance of quitting.
If you can’t do away with a craving altogether, try to at least hold out against it for as long as possible. Bargain with yourself, telling yourself that you can smoke after taking a walk, or after having a big glass of water. Sometimes, these delaying tactics provide enough time for the craving to pass before you ever light up. If you do end up smoking a cigarette, at least you will have smoked one less cigarette that day.
Try to delay your next cigarette. For example, require yourself to take a long stroll before you give in and have a smoke. If nothing else, pour yourself a big iced tea and promise yourself to finish drinking it first. By the time you get done, you may have the willpower to say no. Even if you eventually relent, this method can help you to cut back considerably.
Talk to a medical professional if you need assistance in your attempts to give up smoking. Different medications, including antidepressants, can make quitting easier. A doctor might also give you information about hotlines, support groups and other resources which can increase the likelihood of success with quitting.
In order for you to quit smoking successfully, you need to devise a list of your reasons for doing so. Taking the time to sit down and customize your own list to your own personality, is an excellent method of quitting. Everyone has their own ways of getting things done. You have to figure out what works best for yourself and your lifestyle. Making a list for yourself will accomplish this.
Ask your friends and loved ones to be supportive about your decision to quit smoking. Tell them that their support will be critical in helping you stick to your program. Ask them to not be judgmental. You should inform them that it’s likely you’ll be in a bad mood at first and that you probably won’t think clearly. It is difficult to stop smoking, so you need the support of loved ones.
When quitting smoking, take each day as it comes. Instead of thinking about stopping forever, think about taking it one day at a time. If you take things in a shorter time frame, it is often easier to cope with the stress. As you get further along, you can start to lengthen your goals.
Do not try to quit all alone. Seek encouragement from family and friends and make them aware that you’re trying to stop smoking and ask them to help you out. It’s also a great idea to join a support group. Simple discussions with other individuals who go through the things that you are going through will help you in stopping this unwanted habit.
Your doctor can help you to quit when all other strategies fail. There are medications available to help you stop smoking or to make the process easier. Your doctor can also point you toward other alternative therapies, as well as toward support groups and other sources of information.
Find healthy stress relief methods to help deal with your nicotine cravings and withdrawal. That could mean hitting the gym at the time of day when your cravings are worst, picking up a new hobby or getting a regular massage appointment. When you do have some free time, occupy yourself with lighthearted distractions such as reading, chatting with a friend, or playing a game that is new to you.
If you just cannot give up cigarettes without the cravings overwhelming you, try some of the nicotine replacement products like gums or patches. You can buy these products over the counter. They allow you to get your daily dose of nicotine and work toward getting rid of this habit without suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
The health of your loved ones depends on you to quit smoking. Far from being harmless, secondhand smoke is known to cause cancer, and can lead to other serious medical conditions. This will be devastating over the course of time, as you can expose toxic chemicals through secondhand smoke. That means that your whole family will benefit from you quitting.
If you wish to steer clear of strong cravings and feelings of withdrawal, see if you can come up with healthy methods for managing stress. You could exercise once a day, find new hobbies or perhaps get massages. You could put your focus on a game or enjoyable book instead of smoking. Even a visit with a good friend can keep your mind off smoking.
Staying positive will help you quit smoking for good. Make the effort to imagine all the ways that your life can be better after you’ve quit smoking. Quitting smoking can improve the smell of your breath, and the overall health of your mouth. Even though when people know the bad things about smoking they may get scared enough to quit, going over positive changes can help too.
When you quit smoking you’ll not only help your own health, but that of your loved ones as well. Secondhand smoke can be harmful to those in your household. Once you quit for your own health, your family also quits breathing the secondhand smoke that your smoking habit generates. Quitting will improve the health of yourself and your loved ones.
If you want to quit, you have to learn about quitting. Many former smokers were unsuccessful on their first attempt to quit. Instead of expecting perfection from yourself, just quit for as long as possible. If you do experience a setback, set a quit date and get back on track. Try to last longer each time, and try to learn from your mistakes each time one arises. You will find that you will become better at quitting, and eventually you will quit altogether.
Having a positive attitude and plenty of motivation can directly affect how easy it is for you to quit smoking. Make the effort to imagine all the ways that your life can be better after you’ve quit smoking. You’ll smell better, will save thousands of dollars, and won’t have to huddle outside in the rain and snow for a smoke anymore! While many people respond to negative reinforcement, a positive outlook can also be very powerful.
If your home smells of smoke, thoroughly clean it. Wash your walls, drapes and curtains and shampoo the carpet and upholstery. Your entire house will be refreshed, and the stale smoke odor will not linger around to remind you of smoking.
Cut back on how much you smoke. This is a good way to ease into the idea of quitting altogether. Upon waking, wait one hour before having your first daily smoke. One other strategy to reduce the amount you smoke is to smoke just half a cigarette each time you have one.
Quit smoking now. Decide to quit today instead of setting your quit date in the future. This will stop you from changing your mind later, and give you a head start on being a quitter. This will save your family from the health perils of secondhand smoke, as well.
Do not procrastinate your quitting date as this should happen immediately. You do not need to set a quit date for the future; simply choose today to quit smoking. If you commit to kicking your habit, as soon as possible, you can potentially extend your life by many years. You will also prevent your family or roommates from being exposed to secondhand smoke, which makes it even more crucial that you quit.
Just because you may have failed to quit before, there is no reason to be discouraged. There are times when the best plan will not work. Identify where you went wrong so you can learn from that moment for next time. You may find victory in a future effort down the road.
You should eliminate anything associated with smoking from your home, while quitting smoking. Scour your house to find all ashtrays, lighters and empty packs, and throw them away. Clean your home from top to bottom and launder all your clothing to eliminate the odor of smoke. This can help reduce your cravings, in an effort to eliminate smoking from your regimen.
If you feel your cravings are becoming too much, call a loved one for support. You can call a friend or someone in your family and tell them about how tempted you feel. The time you spend in conversation with them on the phone will provide a nice distraction so your craving has time to pass, and you will realize you aren’t alone in this whole process.
Instead of smoking, go for a run or bike ride. Not only does a work out release endorphins, which improves your mood, but it is also an excellent way to take your mind off your cravings. When you stop smoking, it changes your body metabolism, which can cause you to gain weight. However, exercising can help you avoid this problem.
Make up a mantra of your top reasons for quitting. Repeat them to yourself, whenever you feel the urge to smoke. This can take the focus away from your craving and place it back on what is important.
Ask for help if you feel like you can’t overcome the temptation to return to cigarettes. Whether it may be a family member or a friend, open up and share what you feel regarding the temptation you are experiencing. Reaching out for help makes you feel less isolated and alone. In addition, talking to someone can distract you from your feelings of temptation, so that you don’t give in to your cravings.
When you make the decision to quit smoking, write down all of your motivating factors. There are no positive reasons to continue to smoke, and you will find that the benefits of quitting far outweigh any pleasure that you derive from smoking.
Construct a mantra regarding the reasons you desire to quit smoking. Every time you feel your resolve wavering, repeat those reasons aloud to yourself over and over until the craving passes. This represents a terrific method of diverting your focus away from nicotine withdrawal symptoms and onto other critical things in your life.
Think about why you’ve decided to quit smoking. Reading your list will help to remind you of why you wanted to stop in the first place. Whenever you feel like having a cigarette, pull out your list of reasons and remind yourself of why you quit in the first place.
Now that you have read this article, you should know how to quit smoking. If you’ve decided to quit, you have to expect that you’ll experience some pangs and longings. However, you’ll be able to resist these feelings more easily if you carefully follow the advice provided here.
