A lot of people have the desire to quit smoking. However, they often lose the will to do so without even trying. You can quit if you adopt a positive attitude, find your motivation, and use successful cessation methods. Follow the advice provided, and you will quickly realize that quitting is not as difficult as you imagined.
Getting in shape will help you to kick the habi,t by distracting you from cravings and restoring your health. Movement of any kind is also an effective tool for stress relief. Start slowly by taking walks around your neighborhood. Speak to a doctor before starting an exercise routine.
Stop smoking gradually. Don’t go the cold turkey route. There is a very high chance you will start smoking again if you do. Since nicotine is so addictive, it is best to wean yourself off. This will increase your likelihood of quitting for good.
When you have a smoking urge, try the delay tactic. By telling yourself you will check back in ten minutes to see if you still want a cigarette, you will usually avoid the craving. If it doesn’t work the first time, repeat this step until it does.
If you feel you have to smoke a cigarette, then try to put off your first one as long as possible. Take a long walk, do the dishes or put away the laundry before permitting yourself to smoke. Sometimes a simple distraction is all it takes to help you weather a strong craving. If, even after the delay, you still have a cigarette, you will at least have taken up some time, meaning you will smoke less that day.
There are wonderful supplements in the form of nicotine patches and even gum to help you stop smoking if you need some help. These over-the-counter medications supply your body with nicotine while you work to break the habit, which can help you stave off the worst of the physical withdrawal symptoms.
When you decide to quit smoking, be sure to tell your family and friends. Entrusting familiar people with this information can let them motivate you, along with helping you beat temptations. It will give you the ability to ask for help when you need it and aid others in understanding your situation.
Each time you reach a milestone in your journey to quit smoking, reward yourself. For instance, once a week has gone by without a cigarette, go to a movie. After you make it a month, give yourself a nice dinner at a restaurant you don’t usually go to. Build up the rewards until you are completely free of cigarettes.
You should worry about going through one day after another. Don’t think about quitting for the rest of your life — just think about today. If you take things in a shorter time frame, it is often easier to cope with the stress. You can always have more goals that go well into the future as soon as you get comfortable with the commitment to quit.
Many people have found that switching brands can help on your quitting journey. Switching to a poor brand can negatively alter your perception of smoking. Try to smoke them differently and be sure not to smoke too many of them. This will help you get started on the path to becoming a nonsmoker.
Ask your friends and loved ones to be supportive about your decision to quit smoking. Be clear that you need their unwavering support and encouragement, and that anything less could negatively affect your efforts. Warn them about the fact that you’ll likely be grumpier than usual as you begin the process. You could also be a bit fuzzy-brained. You’ll need the support of others during this process.
Taper down your smoking. That way, you can get off to a good start in your efforts to quit smoking. Do not smoke in the first hour when you wake up if you are planning on having a cigarette. Another method to use is to smoke only half of your cigarette to help you cut back gradually.
If you are considering quitting, have a frank discussion with a doctor. Your doctor may be able to suggest quitting resources of which you were previously unaware. Also, if you are a candidate, your doctor may be able to give you prescription medication that can help you stop smoking.
The most important thing to do when you want to stop smoking is to make that initial commitment to the change. You will begin your journey the day you say no to a cigarette. This is a simple solution to quitting, but it’s not always easy. It could seem pretty hard. It has, however, proven to be highly effective.
Secondhand Smoke
Consider rewarding yourself for important milestones and plan those rewards in advance. Make a list of the rewards you will offer yourself once you’ve stopped smoking for one day, a week, a month and so on. For motivational reasons, make sure you have your reward chart somewhere it is easily seen by you. That might be just the thing that keeps you motivated when you feel temptation.
Another motive for quitting is that it will benefit your family, as well as yourself. Secondhand smoke can affect the health of anyone around you who come into constant contact with it. Your family members will spend less time exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke when you stop smoking. Quitting smoking now will make you and everyone around you healthier.
Find a method to remind yourself of your motivation at all times. This could involve you gluing motivational posters and messages to the walls at your work office, or wearing an item of jewelry that symbolizes your intentions to quit. This can curb your temptations, which are the primary culprits for smoking cigarettes.
The best advice to begin quitting is to simply stop smoking. You will begin your journey the day you say no to a cigarette. By doing this, you are making a pact never to start smoking again. This technique may be tough, but the benefits are extraordinary. It has been shown that this method can be quite effective.
How will you deal with stressful times? Many smokers get used to smoking when stressed. Having an alternate activity planned to deal with stress can help you avoid smoking. Make sure the list has more than one option on it, in case you need access to more.
If you smoke at home, do a thorough cleaning of your living space, once you decide to quit. Clean your carpets and furnishings, launder all your curtains or drapes, and wash down all the walls in your home. By doing this, your house will have a fresh clean aroma instead of the stale stench of smoked tobacco. When you walk into your house, you will no longer be reminded of having a smoke.
If you are about to give up smoking, you need to be aware that the first seven days after you quit will be the toughest. In the first two days, your body will be releasing all the stored nicotine in your body. After that stage, the cravings you feel are mostly psychological. It will still be difficult, but the craving will get less as time passes.
A lot of people want to stop smoking, and yet so few of them actually try. Those who successfully stop smoking usually have a step by step plan, and some good motivation and support to keep them going. Use the tricks and tips in the article able to create a battle plan for yourself, and success could be yours.
If you aren’t successful on your first attempt, don’t be discouraged. Most people do fail on their first attempt but use it as a learning experience for your next time. Identify where you went wrong so you can learn from that moment for next time. You just might succeed the next time.