AD | Featured / Affiliate Links
Smoking cigarettes is a physical habit and a mental addiction. Cigarettes have nicotine content that offers a short-term but addictive ‘feel good’ illusion. Due to nicotine’s ‘high’ impact on the brain, a person may become habituated to smoking as a means of dealing with depression, boredom, or even stress.
Doing away with the regular dose of nicotine can make your body experience physical withdrawal signs and yearnings. Therefore, whether you’re a life pack-a-time smoker or a teen smoker, quitting can be challenging. Nonetheless, the following 5 tactics can help to ease you away.
Contents
Create a Personal Plan to Quit Smoking
Though some smokers quit effectively by going cold turkey, most individuals do better with a plan that keeps them on track. Making a promise, setting a quit date, and sticking to it can really help. Anticipate for times when smoking urge is high, for instance, if you’re going to be meeting with friends who smoke, ask them not to do it around you. Apart from addressing the short-term challenge of quitting smoking, a good plan will also address the long-term challenge of avoiding relapse.
Keep Yourself Busy
Staying busy is an excellent way to stay smoke-free. Indulging yourself in other activities you like will distract you from cravings and keep your mind off smoking. Try and do some of these regularly:
- Go out for a walk
- Drink plenty of water
- Relax and take deep breaths
- Chew hard candy or gum
- Go to a movie
- Go to dinner at a smoke-free restaurant
Keeping your hands and mouth busy is also a big plus. If you love holding a cigarette, try holding your drink in that hand or drink through a straw to keep your mouth busy. Also, you’ll want to consider e-cigarettes because apart from keeping your mouth and hands busy, they dissuade you from the addiction without necessarily giving up the habit itself.
Take up an Alternative
As mentioned above, e-cigarettes can be a highly effective substitute from the traditional cigarette. There are many different e-cigarette brands to choose from which can make the switch easy. You can choose the level of nicotine you want in the device, meaning you can slowly ease yourself off it without having to go cold turkey.
Avoid Smoking Triggers
Triggers are places, people, things, and situations that set off your urge to smoke. Here are great suggestions to assist you to dodge several common smoking triggers:
- Avoid caffeine that can make you get fidgety
- Spend time with non-smoking friends and family
- Throw away your lighters, cigarettes, and ashtrays
- Get plenty of rest, since being tired can lead you to smoke
- Go to places where smoking is prohibited
- Change your routine to dodge the things you might associate with smoking
Stay Positive
Quitting smoking is challenging; you might have tried it before and failed, but don’t allow that to put you off. Meditate on your experiences and think of how you will do it this time. Focus on today and time will accumulate, allowing you to grow in confidence. Additionally, ask your loved ones to remind you of the challenges that you have successfully overcome; this gives you the self-confidence required to stick to your commitment.
Consider a Diet Change
If you’re an after-meal smoker, there is greater hope for you. Studies have shown that some foods such as meat, make smoking more gratifying. Other foods like vegetables, fruits, and cheese make cigars taste awful. Therefore, ditch some of your traditional choices and opt for food and drinks that can actually help you to quit.
You can also change your routine during or after meals, for instance, doing dishes immediately can keep you distracted.
Tip: Seek Help
To be smoke-free, you don’t need to depend solely on willpower. Tell your friends and family about your quitting plan and ask for their assistance. They can assist you to get through the tough moments. Ensure you say precisely how they can be of help to you–don’t presume they know.
Also, you can get support from stop smoking facilities. Studies have shown that a person has four times the chance to quit successfully with the help and advice of an expert.
In sum, no matter what type of smoker you are, quitting the addiction demands effort. However, with the above tips, you can significantly ease you away from smoking.
No Comments