Despite the fact that everyone knows how deadly cigarettes are, giving them up is still quite the challenge. If you really want to stop smoking, perhaps a push in the right course is all you need. This article includes several helpful hints for quitting smoking.
When you’ve made the decision that smoking is no longer for you, seek out a support group for help. It can be helpful to discuss your problems with ex-smokers who have had the same challenges as you. They will offer invaluable support and guidance, as well as insider tips that can help you quit. Support groups can be found in many places, even on the Internet, so take some time to research what’s available to you.
If you want to be successful at quitting smoking, try making a list of all the pros and cons quitting will bring you. When you put something in writing, it often has an affect on your entire mental outlook. Your efforts will be easier this way because you will be focused on your goal.
To quit smoking, try creating a list of ways you can quit. Make sure to match your list to your unique personality. Each person does things their own way. It is important that you find a formula that is manageable and comfortable. This is easy to determine by writing your own list.
When you are trying to quit smoking, consider trying hypnosis. 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. This helps to reduce the appeal of cigarettes.
Make sure that you get an ample amount of rest when you are working to quit smoking. For a lot of people, if you are up late, it will make you want to smoke. Additionally, you will be alone late at night, increasing your temptation to smoke. Optimize your health and reduce your cravings by sleeping for at least eight hours per night.
Many people find that taking up a new fitness program, exercise class or physical acivity can make it easier to avoid smoking. Exercise will also help you relieve stress. If you do not currently exercise regularly, you can start slowly by walking regularly. Speak to a doctor before starting an exercise routine.
Avoid some of the places and behaviors that can lead to smoking cigarettes. If you like to have a cigarette with coffee you can switch to tea, for example. Look for a positive alternative to fill the time and distract your mind.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Talk to your doctor about quitting smoking. Your doctor may be able to suggest quitting resources of which you were previously unaware. A physician may also choose to prescribe medication, if they feel it is necessary.
One of the best methods to stop smoking is to use a nicotine replacement therapy to aid in your quitting. Withdrawals from nicotine can cause feelings of frustration, irritability, depression and restlessness. Cravings can be very hard to deal with. You can help with the cravings by using nicotine replacement therapy. People who use these products have twice as much likelihood of quitting for good as those who go cold turkey. Do not use the nicotine-replacement products if you are still smoking cigarettes.
Each time you reach a milestone in your journey to quit smoking, reward yourself. For instance, you might decide to see a movie as a treat to mark one week without a cigarette. After you make it a month, give yourself a nice dinner at a restaurant you don’t usually go to. After that, keep making the reward better until you’re at a point where smoking is no longer an issue.
In your process to quit smoking, grant yourself rewards along the way to enjoy at the milestones towards your goal. For instance, enjoy a movie with a special friend after the first week has gone by. After one tobacco-free month, reserve a spot at a restaurant that you rarely get to enjoy. As you meet future milestones, you may wish to either increase your rewards or simply phase them out.
Stop smoking now, not only for yourself, but for any loved ones that you have. Secondhand smoke can affect the health of anyone around you who come into constant contact with it. 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.
One strategy to help you stop smoking is to make a brand switch. Switch to a brand that you don’t like or a cigarette that you don’t like the taste of. Cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke in a day or inhale them differently. This is one method that will ease you into quitting smoking.
To quit smoking for good, quit as many times as it takes. Many ex-smokers took several tries before they were successful. Stop smoking, and plan on avoiding cigarettes for as long as possible before lighting back up. If you backslide and give in to a cigarette, set another date to quit. Each time, make sure to extend the period between cigarettes an additional week. At some point, you will be so skilled at quitting that it will become permanent.
Make sure you tell your friends and family that you are quitting smoking. They can provide a valuable resource and help you through tough times. The best method of quitting is having an excellent support system in place. Setting up your support system helps you be much more likely to achieve goals related to quitting.
Try to plan out how you will cope with the stressful times. Many smokers respond to stress by lighting up another cigarette. When you have a concrete plan, it is much easier to avoid smoking. Make sure you also have a backup plan, on the chance that the first one does not help.
You’ll get better at quitting each time you do it. Most former smokers had to try more than once before succeeding at kicking their nicotine habits. When you quit, try to remain smoke-free for the longest period of time that you possibly can. If you do experience a setback, set a quit date and get back on track. Each time you quit, learn from your previous mistakes, and make the quit last longer. Hopefully, you will eventually come to a place that you will quit and it will last forever.
When you’re trying to break your smoking habit, be sure to avoid any situations that can potentially make you smoke. Try to alter your activities during the day to avoid situations that you associate with smoking. Drink coffee once you get into your office or stay away from the bar to minimize your cravings.
When you stop smoking, clean your home thoroughly, if you smoked indoors. Wash your walls, drapes and curtains and shampoo the carpet and upholstery. Your entire house will be refreshed, and the stale smoke odor will not linger around to remind you of smoking.
The first 7 days of quitting are the absolute hardest. The initial 48 hours is when the body tries to get rid of all the nicotine it has held onto. Once the first couple of days have passed, cravings are generally psychological in nature. It’s just as hard to fight, but there are many techniques which will help you to achieve success.
For anyone that tries to stop smoking, the first week is always the most difficult. In the first two days you’ll be expelling the toxins that smoking put into your body. After that, your cravings will be mostly psychological. Understanding this can make resisting the cravings less traumatic.
Taking away the reminders and triggers that make you want to smoke can also help you to stop smoking. Toss your lighters, cigarette case and ashtrays. Put your clothing in the washer and thoroughly clean your home to get rid of the smell. This helps prevent you being reminded of smoking, triggering a craving.
As a smoker, smoking was probably your primary coping mechanism during periods of high stress. If this situation sounds familiar, you will be wise to actively seek another outlet. Try yoga or meditating and it can aid you in relieving your stress levels and it is a healthier alternative to smoking.
Identify challenges you’ll face when you’ll quit. Many people relapse just a few weeks or months after quitting. When you are stressed out or tired, it can sometimes be mighty tempting to smoke a cigarette. When you are trying not to smoke, it is important to know the situations that are most likely to make you want a cigarette.
When you are feeling a moment of weakness, call someone in your support network. You can call a friend or someone in your family and tell them about how tempted you feel. Your conversation will distract you from your craving, and you will be reassured that there is always someone to support you get through this.
Many people who stop smoking without cessation aids accomplish this by changing their attitude. To be successful, you must understand that in order to quit smoking you must take it one day at a time. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective means of implementing major changes in your lifestyle, as well as for severing your emotional ties with tobacco products.
Eliminating a smoking habit entirely can often be a difficult task but with a little advice, that task might become a bit easier. Learn from the tips that have been presented here and you will be one step closer to your goal of quitting. Apply what you learned in this article to maintain your health.
Advise friends, family and co-workers that you are going to stop smoking. These people will make you accountable for your goals, and thus, increase the chance that you are successful. You will not want to disappoint your loved ones or become embarrassed that you keep smoking and fall short of what they expect from you. Use this as a motivator to keep away from those cigarettes, even when you get stressed out.