Many people really struggle to stop smoking. There is no one way that will work for everyone. You might have to research, and look for methods that will suit your needs. Begin with the following advice, and that should provide you with useful ways to make quitting easier for you.
Make your self a list of the reasons to and the reasons not to stop smoking. Writing things down can change your whole mindset. Your efforts will be easier this way because you will be focused on your goal.
In order to succeed with your goal of quitting smoking, you should do so in as easy of a method as you possibly can. Do not attempt quitting the cold turkey way. Statistically, people who try cold turkey fail 95% of the time. Nicotine is very, very addictive, try using some medication, therapy, or the nicotine patch. These aids will help you through the first stages of withdrawal and make your plan to quit smoking easier.
Don’t rush into quitting. Take it day-by-day. Take one day at a time when quitting smoking. Sometimes having a shorter timeline makes things easier on you mentally and physically. Long term goals will come when you’ve quit for a while and are better able to handle the daily grind.
Hypnosis has proven to be an effective stop smoking method for many people. This non-traditional method of quitting has shown great success with many smokers. During hypnosis, the hypnotist will give you positive affirmations while you are hypnotized. After the trance is broken, you may find that cigarettes hold little appeal, which puts you even closer to your goal of quitting.
If you are trying to stop smoking, get a lot of rest. Many people find that keeping late night hours leads to elevated cigarette cravings. Later at night always seems to be the time nobody else is around, so sneaking in a cigarette is easier. Optimize your health and reduce your cravings by sleeping for at least eight hours per night.
Make sure you take the process one day at the time. Quitting smoking is a task that needs to be dealt with methodically. You can’t worry about the future. Keep your focus on making it through one day at a time, with the idea that the habits you create or break today will follow you into the future.
Get your loved ones to support you in your decision of kicking your bad smoking habit. Be clear that you need their unwavering support and encouragement, and that anything less could negatively affect your efforts. You will also want to let them know you will most likely be in a lousy mood initially, and you may not exactly think clearly at that time. It is not simple to stop smoking, you should always develop a support system.
Join a gym or create an exercise routine, not only to get benefits related to your health, but to help you keep away from cigarettes as well. Exercising is a great stress reliever as well. If you haven’t been exercising regularly, then start slow by taking a walk outside once every day or two. Speak to a doctor before starting an exercise routine.
Consider nicotine replacement therapy. The effects of nicotine withdrawal may make you feel irritable, depressed or restless. Sometimes, the craving for nicotine can seem to be more than you can handle. You can help with the cravings by using nicotine replacement therapy. Studies have shown that people who use some sort of nicotine replacement product are twice as likely to successfully quit smoking. Don’t use these products if you are still smoking, though.
If you want to stay away from any weight gain that you will have that is involved with quitting smoking, try eating fruits and vegetables. This will help curb any weight gain that you might experience. Keep in mind that quitting will make you hungry, so you may as well feed yourself something healthy.
Smoking has very strong associations with some activities, and avoiding these situations can help you stop smoking. If you often smoked in your car, then create a new driving habit like listening to a book on tape or making a motivational driving playlist. This will help you to remove the associations these habits have with smoking. Get another distraction then.
If you are not able to quit cold turkey, look into products made specifically for aiding the process. These include gum and patches. These products give your body nicotine without the need to use cigarettes, helping you avoid withdrawal symptoms while breaking the actual habit of smoking.
Commitment is key to quitting smoking, so are you able to commit to never smoking again? You must answer yes to this question before you start quitting. A lot of people aren’t successful because they aren’t in the correct mindset or they easily give up. Motivate yourself by considering each of the powerful motivations that you have for quitting.
Fortify your resolve to not give in, by creating a solid backup plan for when the cravings kick in, or the pressure adds up. Get some exercise when cravings hit, engage in a hobby or teach your partner to give a great massage. Try to avoid idle time, and instead, find pleasant distractions. Reading, crafting or visiting friends all work well.
Stop smoking now, not only for yourself, but for any loved ones that you have. Consider the dangers of secondhand smoke and realize that you are putting your family at risk of falling victim to these dangers every day. This should certainly motivate you to stop. It will do well for the health of your entire household when you quit smoking. By stopping smoking, you will not only protect yourself, but you will also protect your loved ones.
When you stop smoking, start by changing brands. This can be especially effective if you buy a brand you know is unpleasant in taste or smell. Don’t smoke more than you typically would or inhale them differently. This can help you stop smoking.
Set up an incentive plan for yourself. When you reach one of your goals, reward yourself. Write down the rewards you will grant yourself upon reaching one day, one week, one month, and one year as a non-smoker. Post the list where you’ll see it on a regular basis. This will help give you strength during moments of weakness.
Some smokers find cutting back on smoking is a good start. This is the first step in your journey on the way to quitting, and even cutting back a little can give you a boost of confidence and motivation. Try waiting a minimum of one hour after you wake up before having your fist cigarette. One other strategy to reduce the amount you smoke is to smoke just half a cigarette each time you have one.
Use the Internet to find support. Participate in online support groups. A quick search will turn up an overwhelming number of websites for people who want to quit smoking. Learn what approaches have worked well for others; it may help to model your own after these methods. Furthermore, you can rest assured that the people you discuss your issues with will understand where you are coming from.
Find support through different online forums and communities. Many websites exist solely to help people quit their tobacco habit for good. You can find it useful to compare some techniques with others. Also, other quitters next to you can help you see everyone’s struggles through this journey.
When quitting smoking, keep in mind that the process will be most difficult during the first week. The first forty-eight hours of quitting are when your body sheds all the nasty nicotine you have been consuming. Once 48 hours have passed, your craving for nicotine will usually just be psychological. Understanding this can make resisting the cravings less traumatic.
Try to put quitting in a positive light, as it can serve to be very advantageous to your life. If you regard quitting optimistically, you have a better chance of remaining focused on your goal and achieving it more quickly. This will help you to understand the value of quitting for your life, from a short and long-term perspective. Repeating these ideas to yourself will help you maintain your motivation and dedication.
If you don’t quit once, you can always try again. Even the people who are most prepared to quit have a really difficult time succeeding at first. Identify where your moment of weakness went wrong, and learn from this incident before you try to quit again. You just might succeed the next time.
If your willpower tanks and you feel a strong urge to smoke, pick up the phone. You can call a friend or someone in your family and tell them about how tempted you feel. Not only does the phone act as a good diversion until your craving has ended, it is always good to know that you’re not alone when dealing with this type of issue.
Have a conversation with your doctor that includes a discussion of medications that can assist in quitting. There are more new products on the market than ever that are designed specifically to help people quit smoking. There are also multiple treatment options to help you along the way, including prescription medications, nicotine replacement therapy and homeopathic remedies. Ask a physician what they’d recommend so you can quit.
There isn’t a single cure which works for every smoker, which makes quitting a little more difficult than you’d like. However, this doesn’t mean it’s hopeless for you to quit. Success can be achieved by utilizing a variety of tips, such as the ones provided in the above article, along with support and motivation. Try a few and discover what works best for you.
Find someone that you can call on for support in case you feel tempted to smoke while you’re trying to quit. Whether you call a supportive friend or a relative, reach out to someone and share what you are feeling. Not only will the time spent on the phone be a good distraction until the craving has passed, it’s always nice to know that you are not alone in dealing with this issue.