As science has shown, the nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive. This is why kicking the cigarette habit is probably the hardest thing a person can do. The more you know about quitting, the easier it will be for you to finally give up smoking.
Let your family and friends know if you plan to quit smoking. Entrusting familiar people with this information can let them motivate you, along with helping you beat temptations. This can be the little nudge you need to keep you on the straight and narrow.
Quitting can be easy if you know how to go about it correctly. You should never attempt to just quit cold turkey. Only 5% of people who try this method are successful. Because nicotine is so addicting, a patch, medication, or therapy may be helpful. This will ease you through the early withdrawal stages and make quitting less difficult.
Make a list of strategies to help you quit. Taking time to customize your personal list, is an excellent help in accomplishing your goal. Everyone does things their own way. It is important to understand what works for you and your needs. Making a list can help you accomplish this.
You may wish to join a support group when you decide to stop smoking. Talking to your peers will help you to find new techniques for fighting cravings, have emotional support and find new non-smoking friends. These people can support you through the hardest times with guidance, and coping tips. Contact local community organizations such as community colleges, recreational centers and religious organizations to ask about support groups for ex-smokers.
You can reward yourself in various ways by joining a gym. You can utilize time spent smoking for working out and get your health back in order. Exercising will make your stress disappear. You can ease into a healthier lifestyle by starting to take a daily walk and working your way up to strenuous activity. Always go to your physician before you start exercising.
When you feel an urge to smoke and can’t resist, at least put it off till later. Try telling yourself you can have a smoke after you take a walk, or after you drink a big glass of water. Sometimes, delaying smoking can help you resist smoking. Even if you do take that cigarette, you may still be reducing your total count for the day by one.
If you absolutely must have a cigarette now, try delaying it for a while. If you do something else and then re-evaluate your feelings after a few minutes, you’ll find that the worst of the cravings are gone. If you don’t, keep repeating this as you need to.
Quit smoking one step at a time. Remember that quitting will always be a process, and it doesn’t usually happen over night. Don’t worry about what will next year or next month. Approach quitting on a day-by-day basis. Give yourself credit for every day you succeed, and you might be surprised by how quickly those days turn into weeks.
To avoid experiencing weight gain after you quit smoking, eat a healthy diet filled with fruits and vegetables. This will help curb any weight gain that you might experience. Eating a healthy diet will keep your mind focused and reduce your unhealthy cravings as you readjust to your life without cigarettes.
If you want to stop smoking forever, stop thinking about forever. Make your goals very short and attainable – one day at a time. Reaching your goal one day at a time is easier to deal with mentally and physically. Long term goals will come when you’ve quit for a while and are better able to handle the daily grind.
If your cold turkey effort to quit smoking failed, then get some extra help via products like nicotine patches or gum. These nicotine replacements will help you quit by supplying your body with a small amount of the drug to help curb withdrawal.
If you are finding it difficult to stop smoking, speak to a doctor. There are medications, such as antidepressants, which will help to make quitting much easier. Your doctor may have other resources on hand as well, such as support groups and toll-free hotlines where you can discuss your struggle.
When you are considering quitting smoking, make an appointment to see your physician. Your doctor could have quitting resources you might not have in your possession. Additionally, your doctor might feel that you would benefit from using a prescription drug therapy method to help you quit.
To prevent yourself from gaining weight after quitting smoking, snack on fresh fruits and vegetables instead of sweets or carb-laden foods. Whatever weight you gain will likely be minimized as a result. Remember that your body is going to crave food when you quit and the best thing to do is give it healthy food to keep you in a healthy state of mind.
The health of your loved ones depends on you to quit smoking. Secondhand smoke can cause cancer and other major health complications. By reducing the smoke that you generate with your cigarettes, you are reducing the amount of secondhand smoke that you have exposed your loved ones to. By stopping smoking, you will not only protect yourself, but you will also protect your loved ones.
Think about using nicotine replacement alternatives when you quit smoking. The main stumbling block to quitting cigarettes is your body’s addiction to the drug nicotine. This is what causes most of the cravings. Cravings can often be overwhelming. Nicotine-replacement therapy will help diminish these feelings. Various research studies have shown that people who use nicotine gum, lozenges or patches double their odds of successfully kicking the habit of smoking. You don’t, however, want to use those products if you are still smoking.
You may want to smoke an alternative brand of cigarettes when you are considering quitting the habit. Switch to a lighter cigarette or a cigarette whose taste you don’t enjoy. Do not smoke a greater quantity if you have chosen to purchase light cigarettes. This will help you on the way to quitting smoking.
As you work on quitting, steer clear of the things that you mentally link with smoking. If you like to have a cigarette with coffee you can switch to tea, for example. Find something else that can take your mind off of things when this happens
If you can think positively and be motivated, then those will work in your favor to help you quit smoking. Make the effort to imagine all the ways that your life can be better after you’ve quit smoking. Know that your breath will be fresher, your teeth will appear cleaner and your home will smell better. Although knowing the negative aspects of smoking can scare some people into quitting, thinking about positive changes can be beneficial as well.
Do not attempt this by yourself. Inform your family and friends that you are attempting to quit and ask them to inspire you to drop this habit. You can also gain quite a bit from joining a support group. Speak about your predicament and talk about some of the things that you want to change.
Always keep in mind your motivation. Maybe you can wear a symbolic bracelet, or perhaps leave messages that motivate your on your refrigerator or office wall. Regardless, find a visual way to resist temptation so you don’t crave a cigarette.
Stop Smoking
To help with getting the determination to quit smoking, remember your loved ones and how your smoking impacts your health and theirs. Statistics show that one in five Americans die because of cigarettes. Avoid becoming a statistic!
Cigarettes are made with nicotine, a highly addictive substance that is hard to let go of. This makes it harder to stop smoking. Many people have both physical and psychological addiction to cigarettes, which can make it doubly hard to stop smoking. Make it easier by putting the advice in the above article to use in your daily life. With these useful tips, and your long term commitment and dedication, you can finally stop smoking, for good.
Remember the initial week will surely be the hardest when you stop smoking. During the first two days after you stop smoking, your body will be shedding all the nicotine you have consumed. After those physical cravings have passed, you will mostly be dealing with the psychological addiction. Although still difficult to endure, psychological cravings are much less traumatic, when compared to physical cravings.