Although it has been proven time and time again that nicotine is terrible for health, a lot of people have an incredibly difficult time quitting smoking. If you are one of them, this article has some tips to help you find freedom. Put them to work to help you kick the habit.
You should treat quitting smoking day-by-day. The road to stopping is just a process. You can’t worry about the future. Focus on the present moment and tackle each day as it comes. All of those smoke-free days will soon add up to a smoke-free future.
If you have a desire to stop smoking, you should consider trying hypnosis. Each year, thousands of people utilize the services of licensed hypnotic therapists for help with their smoking addiction. The hypnotist will supply you with positive reinforcement while you are in a deep trance. When you finally wake up, cigarettes may not have the same allure that they do now, which will allow you a greater chance of succeeding.
Reach out to your friends and family to get support, when you decide to quit smoking. It is important that you let them know you need their support and that you do not need them to be judgmental. Make sure you tell them that you might be a bit cranky, especially during the first few days after your last cigarette. Quitting is hard, but if you have the support of your friends and family you’ll be able to make it through a little easier.
If you want to stop smoking, make a list of methods that will work for you. Customizing and personalizing the list will make it more effective. This can help to create a personalized formula to quit smoking. Identify strategies that will work for you. Making a list helps with that process.
One of the keys to quitting for good is avoiding the things that make you want to smoke. For instance, if you tend to smoke while driving or while drinking, it is important to adjust the way you do such things, so that do not automatically prompt you to smoke. Try to use other things to distract your thoughts, if you are thinking about smoking.
Some great ways to get in shape, stay active and distract yourself from smoking include participating in an exercise program, and signing up for the local gym. Exercise is also a very effective stress reliever. If you have been leading a sedentary lifestyle, start slow, such as taking leisurely walks every couple of days and building up from there. Before you begin any type of exercise routine, talk with your doctor.
If you can think positively and be motivated, then those will work in your favor to help you quit smoking. Try to imagine how fulfilled your life will become when you finally quit. Turn your focus to your cleaner breath, cleaner teeth, and a fresher smelling home. Focusing on the positive changes which quitting will bring can keep you out of a negative mindset.
If you’re trying to stop smoking, be sure to get plenty of rest. Some find that they crave cigarettes more when they stay up late. Later at night always seems to be the time nobody else is around, so sneaking in a cigarette is easier. Get an optimal amount of sleep each night to help manage your cravings.
Reduce smoking. This can begin the process of quitting the habit altogether. Try waiting at least one hour after waking before having your first cigarette for the day. Try smoking only a half cigarette in order to help you cut back on how much you smoke.
When the temptation to smoke overwhelms you, using stalling tactics to make yourself wait. Try to distract your mind and your body for 10 minutes by going for a walk or calling a friend; in this time your urge will probably have passed. If this does not happen right away, keep repeating this technique.
If you want to quit, you have to learn about quitting. Most people do not successfully quit smoking the first time they try. Stop smoking, and make a strong effort to avoid starting again as long as possible. If you do succumb to smoking again, you must immediately set a new quit date. Every time you have to quit, allow yourself as long as possible. Let each mistake be a learning opportunity. Hopefully, you will eventually come to a place that you will quit and it will last forever.
Your doctor can help you to quit when all other strategies fail. Different medications, including antidepressants, can make quitting easier. Your doctor can also point you toward other alternative therapies, as well as toward support groups and other sources of information.
Remember, the first week without cigarettes will be the most difficult. For the first two days after quitting, your body rids itself of the highly addictive nicotine, leading to physical withdrawal. After the first two days, expect to experience mostly psychological cravings. These symptoms aren’t easy to deal with, but are nowhere near as bad as the initial nicotine withdrawal.
Loved Ones
Work out whenever possible. After you quit smoking, exercising is highly beneficial and helps your lung capacity to improve. Also, you can prevent weight gain by staying active. Furthermore, exercise causes your body to produce endorphins, which can give you a natural high. Although the high won’t be as good as a nicotine high, it will help you to cope with cigarette withdrawal.
If you want to kick your smoking habit, enlist the support of your friends and loved ones. It is vital you tell them you need and value their support, and you can do without them being judgmental. They should also know that nicotine withdrawal could affect your mood initially, causing you to seem uncharacteristically short-tempered or grumpy. Quitting smoking is not easy, so you should enlist the support of your loved ones to help you through the process.
Run your decision past your doctor in case there are some medications that you could take that might help you to quit. There are more new products on the market than ever that are designed specifically to help people quit smoking. There are a lot of options available to you when you decide to quit smoking, from gum to patches to doctor-prescribed medication to help with the withdrawals. Ask a physician what they’d recommend so you can quit.
Set a series of intermediate goals as part of your program to stop smoking. As you achieve each goal, reward yourself. If you can go for a full week without smoking a single cigarette, reward yourself with a new shirt or a movie ticket. After one tobacco-free month, reserve a spot at a restaurant that you rarely get to enjoy. Eventually, once smoking is eliminated from your mind, get a big treat.
You will need to learn other ways to engage your mouth if oral fixation is an integral part to your smoking habit. Many people find hard candy or gum to be useful when they quit smoking, and carry it with them all the time. For other people, electronic cigarettes fit the bill.
Stop smoking now, not only for yourself, but for any loved ones that you have. Secondhand smoke can be harmful to those in your household. This will be devastating over the course of time, as you can expose toxic chemicals through secondhand smoke. Quitting will not only improve your own health, but it can help your loved ones to become healthier, as well.
Set your mind to quitting. Be determined not to give up on your goal of being cigarette-free no matter what happens. Most people who successfully quit have tried to quit several times before actually quitting. If you have a setback, figure out why you relapsed, and then get up and get going again.
Remaining upbeat and staying motivated are two of the biggest parts of smoking cessation. Identify all the ways in which your life will benefit from being a non-smoker. Your breath will not smell like stale tobacco any longer, nor will your home. Your teeth may even be whiter! While the negative impact of smoking should never be ignored, the positive side to quitting is often an excellent bit of motivation.
To keep irritation and agitation to a minimum while you quit, use nicotine replacement products. Applying a nicotine patch or chewing special gums can prevent some of the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal while still allowing you to chisel away at your habit of smoking cigarettes. When you’ve broken the smoking habit, you can cut down on the nicotine as well.
The absolute best advice to help you quit smoking is to just do it. Stopping completely is the only way to really quit. Stop smoking, and do not ever pick up a cigarette again. This technique may be tough, but the benefits are extraordinary. It has been proven to be effective, as time goes by.
Take some time to honestly consider the top reasons why you would want to stop smoking. Write your major reasons for quitting on a slip of paper, and carry it with you at all times. When you are craving a cigarette, take out your paper and look over why you want to quit.
Get support through online forums and support communities. There are many websites that are devoted to supporting those that are looking to quit smoking. You can find it useful to compare some techniques with others. You will find comfort in talking to people who are going through the same kind of struggles.
When you are being hounded by others to quit smoking, try to use a substitute for it. Quit for yourself, not another person. If you quit smoking and find yourself frustrated by gloating comments, express these emotions in a gentle, yet assertive way. Getting involved in other activities will take your mind off of your difficult task, and the importance of the opinions of others will lessen.
Consider keeping a photograph of your family with you at all times while you stop smoking to remind you of your motivation. In America, about 20% of all deaths are from smoking-related illnesses. Do not become a statistic.
Have a plan to reward yourself when you are trying to quit smoking. Understand that you won’t be spending nearly as much money when you quit smoking. Use the money to reward yourself with a special gift from time to time. This is one of the best motivators for quitting.
Do not make any exceptions to your new non-smoking rule. You may be thinking that you can handle having just one cigarette, but in reality, that one cigarette will probably undo all of your quitting efforts. Keep in mind what a single puff can do.
It can be very emotionally challenging to quit smoking. You will experience cravings, and it might feel easy to just give in. Document your cravings, including times, strength, and triggers.
Don’t become discouraged if you fail quitting once. Even the people who are most prepared to quit have a really difficult time succeeding at first. Identify the factors leading up to your relapse, and learn from it. You may find that you conquer an almost identical situation with the right coping mechanisms in the future.
You should not try to quit smoking for the sake of others. The bottom line is you’ll only be successful if you really want to quit yourself. Quitting smoking can be a great gift to give to yourself and your family, and you can also show that you can be trusted at your word.
Smoking habits are hard ones to break, but with the help of the advice that you have read here, quitting might just become a little bit easier. You deserve a life that is free of the negative effects of smoking. Take any opportunity you find to be free of this powerful addition. You will be rewarded daily in increased health and well being when you stop smoking cigarettes.
Don’t be surprised if you get craving along the way, even if you haven’t smoked for years. Stay strong and never succumb to the temptation, even once. Remember how difficult quitting was the first time, and question whether you really want to go down that road again.