The 24 Ways to Quit Smoking
Tried so hard to quit
smoking but haven't succeeded? Why not give the ways discussed below a trial
and be on your way to living a healthy, smoke-free life.
1. Write down a list of everything you enjoy about smoking
Daniel Z. Lieberman, M.D., director of the Clinical
Psychiatric Research Center at George Washington University Medical Center in
Washington, D.C. suggests that on the center of a piece of paper, you should
draw a line down and on one side list out all the things you like about
smoking; on the other side of the line, write out everything you don’t like
about it, for instance, how dangerous it can be to your health, its
interference with work, family, etc. Dwell on this list for a while, and make
adjustments. If you've got the courage, ask your family and friends to give you
feedback regarding the things they dislike about your smoking. If the positives
are outweighed by the negatives, then it's definitely time to quit.
2. Create another list highlighting the reasons it won't be easy to quit
Regardless of how
lengthy or discouraging the list becomes, be detailed. Beside each entry, list
one or more reasons for defeating that challenge; this is extremely important.
For example, you could have “Nicotine is a very addictive drug” on one side and
the other side could be “attempt a nicotine substitute option.” Another 'like'
could be: “I manage stress better when I smoke” while the alternative could be:
“walk around for a few minutes.” You'll have a better chance of succeeding when
you foresee the challenges to quitting and have their solutions ready.
3. Choose a date to quit
Take a good look at your calendar and choose a date you'll
stop smoking. Write it down, sign it and if possible get someone to witness it.
4. Get some index cards and put down all your reasons for quitting
A super motivation
could be your family- wife, husband, daughter, granddaughter… write them down
and keep them close to you always.
5. Mentally begin to extricate yourself - stop buying cigarettes in cartons
Restrict yourself
to buying one pack at a time and have only two or three sticks on you each
time. This helps you gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke per
day because they won't be readily available whenever you wish to smoke.
6. A week before you quit, note down all the times you smoke
In addition to writing down the time, take note of what you are
doing at that time and how bad you really wanted it. This helps to narrow down
your triggers, to find out if there are specific times and activities that push
you to smoke, as suggested by Gaylene Mooney, head of the Subcommittee on Smoking
and Tobacco-Related Issues of American Association for Respiratory Care.
7. Write a list of things you'll substitute your cravings with
The idea is to prepare ahead for these cravings because
they'll surely come. Some of the things you can do include: drinking a glass of
water, drinking a cup of tea or coffee, taking a walk, giving your partner or
child a kiss, walking the dog, washing the car, playing a video game, cleaning
out a cupboard or closet, chewing a piece of gum, having sex, washing your
face, taking a nap, brushing your teeth, practice deep breathing, light a
candle, etc. Make several copies of the list and ensure you always have one on
you so whenever the craving hits, just glimpse at it and do something.
8. Quit when you’re in a good mood.
Research has shown
that you'll most likely not succeed in quitting if you're depressed or stressed
when you are trying to quit.
9. Get rid of everything that slightly reminds you of smoking
That comprises all paraphernalia for smoking — lighters,
matches, leftover cigarettes, cigarette holders, ashtrays, and also your car's
lighter.
10. Save all your cigarette money in a large glass jar
Seeing the amount
of money you spend buying cigarettes can motivate you to quit. Allocate that
money to something you’ve always dreamt of doing, but never thought you could
afford. It could be a first-class ticket to visit an old college friend or a
cruise to Alaska.
11. Remind yourself of the difficult challenges you've overcome in the past
Dr. Lieberman suggested that you should ask people who know
you very well to remind you of challenges you have successfully overcome in the
past. This will boost your self-confidence and encourage you to stick with your
quitting goal.
12. Take only decaf until you’ve abstained from cigarettes for about two months.
Taking too much
caffeine while you're trying to quit can cause jitters.
13. Carry a healthy food to snack on always
Instead of smoking
cigarettes, try sugar-free lollipops, or gum, or sunflower seeds, or carrot or
celery sticks if you're worried about gaining weight. You can also take nuts in
place of cigarettes; for every time you feel like smoking, eat four nuts that
are still in their shells. By so doing, you're engaging your hands and mouth,
replicating the same physical and oral sensations you get from smoking.
14. Replace your cigarette with a cup of herbal tea
Just brewing the
tea and sipping it slowly as it cools will help you relieve stress.
Alternatively, you could carry cinnamon-flavored toothpicks and suck on one
whenever you crave a cigarette.
15. Create a smoke-free zone.
Make actual “No
Smoking” signs and hang them around your house and in your car. Make it clear
to everyone that they are not permitted to use tobacco in your car, home, or
anywhere around you.
16. No more cigarette breaks at work, instead play a game on your computer
Playing a game is much more fun and takes about the same time
as the cigarette break. If you are not allowed to play games on your computer,
do something else like take a stroll, make some calls, or eat a piece of fruit
outdoors.
17. Picture yourself playing tennis.
Or better still go
play tennis. According to research done by some British scientists, people who
were trying to quit succeeded in ignoring their urge to smoke when they were
told to picture a tennis match.
18. Change your routine, it helps you minimize cravings
For instance, you
could take a different route to work or have breakfast while sitting on a
different table. If your routine is to smoke a cigarette or have a drink at the
close of work, take a walk instead. If you’d normally have a smoke with your
morning coffee, change that to tea, or get a cup of java at Starbucks.
19. Strategically post this list where you can see it in your house.
At any time you’re tempted to smoke, take a look at the
various ways smoking can harm your health:
• Increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high
blood pressure
• Increases the risk of bladder, lung, pancreatic,
oesophagal, mouth, and other cancers, including leukemia
• Reduces Folate levels, which can increase the risk of
heart disease, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease
• Risk of diabetes is increased
• Affects mental capacity and memory
• Contributes to thin bones
• Reduces fertility
• Increases likelihood of impotence
• Affects your sense of taste and smell
• Results in low-birth-weight, premature babies
• Increases risk of depression in adolescents
• If you smoked while pregnant, the possibility of your
child becoming obese and diabetic is increased
20. Let your partner, kids, friends, boss and colleagues know how you feel.
Bottling up emotions is not healthy. Learn to express your
anger if something annoys you; don’t smother it by smoking a cigarette instead.
When you're bored, admit it to yourself and go find something vigorous to do
rather than light a cigarette.
21. Stop by the health food store for some oat (Avena sativa) extract.
A study discovered
that taking one milliliter of oat extract 4 times per day helps tobacco addicts
significantly reduce the number of cigarettes they smoked.
22. Schedule an appointment with an acupuncturist
According to Ather
Ali, N.D., a naturopathic physician at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research
Center in Derby, Connecticut, there is evidence to show that auricular
acupuncture (that is, needles in the ears) helps to curb cigarette cravings
quite successfully. Actually, you can try this yourself by taping small beads
(seeds) onto the acupuncture points and squeeze them whenever the urge to smoke
arises.
23. Use
Harmless Cigarette, Natural Quit Smoking Aid... Etc
It doesn’t have
to be or feel so difficult to quit. Harmless Cigarette is a curative 'quit smoking aid'
which helps you in overcoming your smoke urges, reduces cravings and satisfies
hand-to-mouth gesticulations associated with smoking.
24. Try, Try and Try again
So what if you had a relapse? It doesn’t mean you have
failed. For some people, before they succeed, they have to quit up to eight
times.
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