All smokers who want to quit, have good intentions for quitting; however, most never follow through with them. Use the tips you’ve read here to stop smoking today and never look back. Combine these tips with your common sense, in order to quit smoking for good.
Let the people around you know that you are quitting the nicotine habit. They can help support you in your choice. They may give you the extra nudge that you require to keep you focused on your goals.
Create a list of the reasons why you’re quitting. You will remember these reasons, and think about them every time you want to smoke. Use this as a source of motivation, and build your focus on your daily challenges.
Talk to your physician to see if he can help you quit. Your doctor may have resources for quitting that you may not have. In addition, your physician may feel that, in your situation, it would be best to prescribe a medication that can help you quit.
Hypnosis has proven to be an effective stop smoking method for many people. An experienced, licensed hypnotist could help you to quit smoking for life. Entering a deep trance while hearing positive affirmations may work for you. The effect is that smoking does not seem so powerful and appealing once you awake from the trance. This makes quitting for good much easier.
You don’t have to go through this alone. Ask for support and encouragement from your friends and family, letting them know you want to quit and letting them give you help. You might also want to consider joining a support group. Sometimes by talking to others who are dealing with the same withdrawals and issues that you are will help you be able to lean on each other and finally stop the habit.
Eliminate the triggers you associate with smoking cigarettes. If you always used to smoke while reading a book, you may have to temporarily put your book down until you have broken your smoking habit. Try to use other things to distract your thoughts, if you are thinking about smoking.
Find healthy stress relief methods to help deal with your nicotine cravings and withdrawal. You could exercise once a day, find new hobbies or perhaps get massages. When you have downtime, surround yourself with pleasant distractions, such as good books, scheduled chats with friends or new games.
Talk to your doctor about quitting smoking. A physician has access to resources that you do not. Additionally, your doctor may prescribe medications to make quitting easier for you, so long as he or she feels that such treatments are appropriate for your situation.
Motivation and a positive attitude are key points when you are trying to stop smoking. Try to highlight the advantages and the improvements to your overall health. Quitting smoking can improve the smell of your breath, and the overall health of your mouth. Seeing the negatives of smoking can frighten people into quitting, but imagining all the positives can be just as helpful.
Do not try to quit all alone. Get some support from your loved ones. Inform them of the reasons why you’re attempting to quit, and let them assist you. You may also be interested in joining a support group. Discussing how you feel with others who are experiencing the same difficulties can help you power through and beat smoking for good.
Some smokers find cutting back on smoking is a good start. Taking gradual steps is a great way to help achieve your long-term goals of quitting. Wait as long as possible to have your first cigarette in the morning. In addition, you can smoke less by only smoking a half cigarette each time you smoke.
Each time you reach a milestone in your journey to quit smoking, reward yourself. For instance, after your first smoke-free week you could go to a movie. After you make it a month, give yourself a nice dinner at a restaurant you don’t usually go to. Continue creating rewards to work towards until you forget about smoking and are ready to move past it completely.
If your goal is to finally stop smoking, you need to practice your skills at quitting. Many smokers had to try several times prior successfully quitting. Instead of expecting perfection from yourself, just quit for as long as possible. If you do succumb to smoking again, you must immediately set a new quit date. Just keep at it and try to extend the amount of time you quit, while you learn what triggered you into smoking again each time. Eventually, you will quit that final time and never go back.
Support System
Plan rewards for yourself and follow through with them when you meet an important milestone. Write down a list of rewards you will allow yourself when you have stopped smoking for a day, a week and a month. Put the list in your phone or on your fridge so that you are reminded of the rewards every day. This motivation will be helpful when you’re feeling temptation.
You should definitely tell your family and friends that you are going to quit smoking. They will keep you on track and encourage you when you are feeling weak. A good support system is an essential tool. A solid support system greatly improves your chances of quitting permanently.
Plan out your stress coping mechanisms as soon as you quit smoking. Many smokers are used to lighting up when something stressful happens. If you make a plan in place to keep you from giving in to these temptations, you will be more likely to not grab a quick smoke. Have a backup plan in case the first plan doesn’t work.
Motivation and a positive outlook are key to quitting. Imagine how your life will improve after you’ve stop smoking. Remind yourself of how much better your breath, clothes, and home will smell, and how much easier it will be to keep your teeth white. There are plenty of reasons to quit smoking – what are yours?
Do not make any exceptions to your new non-smoking rule. Though you may be tempted to smoke during times of stress, do not allow those urges to undo your hard work. Understand that even one cigarette can ruin your quitting plans.
Reduce smoking. This will put you in the right place to quit smoking. When you first wake up each morning, try to be up for at least one hour before you light up the first cigarette of the day. Another alternative is to smoke only part of a cigarette each smoking session.
Get a workout in. Exercising can increase your lung capacity and encourage healing, so start a regular exercise routine as soon as you stop smoking. Keeping active also helps you to avoid gaining weight. Exercise will also give you a subtle rush via natural endorphins.
Create a reward system for yourself ahead of time. Treat yourself to something nice every time you reach your preset goals. Keep a list of possible rewards you will give yourself when you make it a day without smoking, or a week, or a month, and so on. Take the time to put the list in a very visible spot and view it daily. This motivation will be helpful when you’re feeling temptation.
If you get a craving, and you feel like you do not have enough will power to abstain, call somebody to support you. 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.
As you learn to live without cigarettes, it is helpful to avoid trigger situations that would normally involve smoking for you. For example, it may be necessary to switch up your daily routine, especially if your routine includes dedicated smoking times. Drink coffee once you get into your office or stay away from the bar to minimize your cravings.
Talking to a counselor may help you quit. Sometimes, we smoke for emotional reasons. When this issue is dealt with, the urge to smoke also disappears. Talk to your doctor about counseling, and he or she should be able to send you to a good therapist.
Look for opportunities to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Since you will have a better lung capacity, you will find working out easier. Increased exercise will also ensure that you don’t gain any weight after quitting. Exercise produces endorphins, which do not replace nicotine highs, but do ease the withdrawal symptoms.
Write down a mantra for why you are quitting. You can use this as a guide for motivation when you feel that you are losing hope. This is a powerful way for you to take your mental and physical focus off of your nicotine withdrawal and to put it on other important wants and needs.
In the past, smoking may have been your coping mechanism during stressful periods. If this is true, you must find a suitable replacement, so that you can still relax when you feel stressed. Consider yoga or meditation because this will decrease your stress better than smoking does.
When you commit to stop smoking, get your loved ones to help. Inform everyone, including co-workers, of your intent to quit. They can cheer you on and give you support, and that can be a big help for you. You should also think about joining a smoking cessation group or trying cognitive behavioral therapy to aid your attempt to quit.
Ask your doctor about the medication you can use. Overall, there have been a ton of new and innovative ways to help people stop smoking. These options might be prescription or over-the-counter and many are quite new to the market, meaning you’re likely to find one that works for you. Consult your physician and see if they can point you in the direction of a product that can help you kick the habit forever.
Be mindful of what your habits are. Try to find out when you’re most vulnerable to smoke in order to create a plan on how to quit. If you know when cravings are most likely to strike, then you will be better prepared to stave them off.
If you find that your cravings are getting the best of you and are having trouble fighting the urge to smoke, contact someone for support. It could be a family member, friend or colleague, anyone that you can count on to listen to how you are feeling. Your conversation will distract you from your craving, and you will be reassured that there is always someone to support you get through this.
If you plan to kick your smoking habit, you should prepare yourself for the challenge by identifying potential obstacles. Many people who quit smoking and go back to it later, do so within the first few months. You may be tempted to have a smoke if you are tired or feeling undue stress. You need to know what your triggers are.
Withdrawal Symptoms
Nicotine replacement therapy can help keep you from feeling agitated as you quit smoking. Putting on a nicotine patch or nicotine gum can help you with withdrawals while you try to break your habit. Then, once you have kicked your cigarette habit, you can begin to wean yourself from the nicotine.
To cut down on withdrawal symptoms, give nicotine replacement therapy a try. Nicotine gum and patches can hold withdrawal symptoms at bay while you break your smoking habits. You’ll be able to kick the nicotine habit as soon as you’ve kicked the smoking habit.
It can be difficult to successfully quit smoking if another person is constantly nagging you. You’re not quitting for your critics – you’re quitting for yourself. Choose your new habit based on your own likes. If you enjoy keeping them in their place and your new vice, you might even find yourself forgetting that you’re quitting.
Quite a few people use the method of changing their perception to stop smoking, instead of typical quitting aids. Conceptualizing the quitting process as something you must do on a day-by-day basis is a great way to overcome the challenges posed. Utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy as well as changes in your daily routine will help break whatever psychological bonds you have with smoking.
It might surprise you, but writing in a journal can help you quit smoking. This is because when you write stuff down you relax your mind and body, as opposed to smoking, as this is a reason why a lot of people smoke. Recording one’s thoughts in a diary or journal offers an alternative way to work through depression, anxiety or stress. Not only that, but it’s free!
Now that you know this you should have a better outlook in life. This happens when you don’t feel like smoking anymore. This is the path to get healthier and to have a better lifestyle for the remainder of your life. Put the information into action and be satisfied with your decision.
The triggers in your life which cause you to smoke need to be known, so you can avoid them. Some triggers are work, family and stress, among others. Stay away from these situations as much as you are able to. For the ones that simply can’t be avoided, try different and less stressful strategies to handle them.