Your family has begged you to give up cigarettes. Your physician probably urges you to also. Your insurance company dangles a discount in front of you to get you to quit. So, why have you not done it yet? Make this the time, and follow this article’s advice on quitting the habit and moving onward.
Try to make it as easy as possible on yourself to quit smoking. Quitting cold turkey may not be successful. Quitting cold turkey is only effective about 5% of the time. Nicotine is so addictive that a method like therapy, the patch or medication is recommended. These things will help you with any withdrawal symptoms you may experience, and make quitting successfully much more likely.
If you want to be successful at quitting smoking, try making a list of all the pros and cons quitting will bring you. Writing something on paper makes it more powerful, and more real to your mind. Use this as a source of motivation, and build your focus on your daily challenges.
Get lots of sleep every night if you’re quitting smoking. Late nights can provide more time to crave that next cigarette for some individuals. There are usually fewer people around late at night to help you stop yourself from taking just one more smoke for the day. If you get a full nights sleep, it helps to stay focused and avoid cravings.
Hypnosis might be something you should try if you desire to quit smoking. Many people have quit by going to a licensed hypnotist, and it could work for you, too. The hypnotist will supply you with positive reinforcement while you are in a deep trance. When you come out of the trance, cigarettes could be less appealing, which means you are that much closer to quitting for good.
If you suddenly get the urge to smoke, try to delay your smoking. With the delay tactic, you tell yourself that you will have a smoke in just ten minutes and go do something else. After those ten minutes are up, distract yourself with something else. Generally, a 10 minute delay will be all you need to get over the urge to smoke. If you still feel the urge, repeat the process! Tell yourself you’ll wait five to ten minutes before smoking.
Smoking cessation is one of the few times when it is best to procrastinate; delay tactics are often an effective strategy. Tell yourself to wait five or ten minutes when you feel the urge to smoke. It’s possible that when five to ten minutes rolls around, the urge will have passed. If the craving is still there, repeat the process as often as you need to.
Get the support of your loved ones, so you can quit smoking more easily. It’s key that you leverage their support, but tell them not to judge you. Initially, you may suffer from mood swings and cloudy judgement and the people around you should be aware of it. You’ll need the support of others during this process.
Nicotine Replacement Products
Avoid some of the places and behaviors that can lead to smoking cigarettes. For instance, if you always smoke when you are talking on the phone, than you need to find something else to do with your hands, or go to a different room to talk so that you do not think about lighting a cigarette. Find a distraction to keep you occupied.
Nicotine replacement therapy can be an effective weapon in breaking the smoking habit. Nicotine withdrawal causes several unpleasant mental symptoms, including restlessness, irritability, depression, and frustration. Cravings can often be overwhelming. Nicotine replacement products such as gum can be very effective in dealing with cravings. Research proves that nicotine replacement products such as gum, patches or lozenges can double the success rate for quitting. You don’t, however, want to use those products if you are still smoking.
When you are ready to quit smoking, do everything you can to make your commitment strong and sure. Many fail at quitting because they have the wrong mindset. You can strengthen your resolve by reminding yourself constantly of the many reasons that make it important for you to quit.
As you work on quitting, steer clear of the things that you mentally link with smoking. For instance, if your triggers include smoking while driving, the end of a meal or driving, try to find alternatives to the cigarette to replace them. You need to find a distraction, to think about something else.
When you first quit, plan out various time-based milestones for which you will reward yourself. You can take yourself out to a new movie release after the first week. Once you reach a month without smoking, go to a special restaurant. As you meet future milestones, you may wish to either increase your rewards or simply phase them out.
Make a commitment to quitting smoking before you begin figuring out how to do so. A lot of people aren’t successful because they aren’t in the correct mindset or they easily give up. Your commitment to quitting must be substantiated by all of those reasons you have for quitting to begin with.
There are many healthy ways of handling stress. You could try going to the gym during a craving or starting a new hobby. Whenever you find yourself with time on your hands, fill it with the things you love to do, like talking with friends, interesting games or books.
Now you have some good information to help you kick the habit, and get healthy. Quitting brings you good health, happiness, and a longer lifespan. Take the money you are saving and treat your family for supporting you; they deserve it!
Find a method to remind yourself of your motivation at all times. Some ways that you can do this include posting your reasons for quitting on the wall at work, or wearing a piece of jewelry that reminds you of why you want to quit. You can also purchase yourself a piece of jewelry to wear as a visual reminder of your dedication to stop smoking.