Useful Tools To Help You Stop Smoking
So many smokers are desperate to find a way to rid themselves of their addiction to cigarettes. Smoking isn’t good for anyone, and only harms your lungs for long periods of time. So if you truly desire an end to the smoking habit, read on.
To boost your odds of successfully quitting smoking, think about putting down on paper all the potential advantages and consequences of quitting. Just by creating the list, you’ll perk up your mood. It will help you stay motivated and focused on success, possibly making quitting a little easier.
When you decide to quit smoking, be sure to tell your family and friends. When you let people know your plans, they can help you keep temptation away and stay motivated. This could be what you need to keep going.
10 Minutes
When you have a smoking urge, try the delay tactic. Tell yourself that you will wait 10 minutes and then find a way to distract yourself for that time period. Usually, after the 10 minutes have passed, any craving will have gone away. If you still feel the urge, try to keep distracting yourself for 10 minute increments to put off smoking for as long as possible.
Your primary care physician can be a great resource if your are not able to quit smoking by yourself. A doctor may prescribe medication to ease your efforts. Your physician can also introduce you to a network of support, including hotlines and groups, that will make it more likely that you will quit.
When attempting to stop smoking, reward yourself for every milestone that you pass. As an example, go to a movie once you have stopped smoking for a week. Maybe after a month, you could go to a nice restaurant you have been wanting to go to. Continue creating rewards to work towards until you forget about smoking and are ready to move past it completely.
Practice becoming a good quitter until you can permanently quit smoking. Most ex-smokers you know probably didn’t find success their first time. Stop smoking, and just plan on going as long as you can without starting back up. If you do fail and have a cigarette, quickly set a new quit date. Each time you quit, learn from your previous mistakes, and make the quit last longer. Eventually, you will become good at quitting and one time you will quit and never go back.
The best place to start when quitting smoking, is to just stop. Stopping will start you on your new path. Don’t ever start back up. This strategy is going to be extremely difficult at first. However, people who use this method are less likely to return to smoking, over time, than people who use other methods.
Think about the likely consequences of a major decline in your health caused by smoking. How would your loved ones and friends be impacted? According to U.S. statistics, twenty percent of all deaths are directly related to smoking. Avoid becoming a statistic!
Remember the initial week will surely be the hardest when you stop smoking. The first two days without smoking is when the body rids itself completely of all the nicotine you’ve been consuming. Once the first couple of days have passed, cravings are generally psychological in nature. It will still be difficult, but the craving will get less as time passes.
When you make the decision to stop smoking, make sure that you ask your friends and family for help. Make sure all who are around you on a regular basis are aware that you are taking this very important step. They can encourage and support you, and that can make all the difference for you. Support groups might also be an option for you, check them out.
With any luck, you now feel more capable of following through with your goals. Remember you must stay strong, and while the choice is for you, quitting smoking helps you stay around longer for your loved ones too.