Helpful Tips On Quitting Smoking

If you are reading this, then chances are that you'd like to stop smoking. 

Giving up the smoking habit can be difficult. There are so many ways to quit, and so many benefits if you do quit. We're all different, so it's sometimes hard to find the "right" way. Here are some tips on quitting smoking. Hopefully, you'll find one or more that will help you to succeed.

1. Few people succeed in quitting cold turkey. It's just too much of a change both physically and mentally. A better plan might be to slowly cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. One way to do this might be to smoke one less cigarette each day. Take it right out of the pack each morning so you don't have to keep track.

So for example, if you smoke a large pack a day, on day 1, you'll smoke the entire 25 cigarettes. On the second day you'll take one cigarette out of the pack, so you'll smoke 24. On the third day you'll remove an extra smoke, so you'll be left with 23 to smoke. This continues until you have completely eliminated all cigarettes, which should take about a month.

If this seems too much just stay on the cycle for an extra day or even a week. The point is that you are cutting back gradually with the goal of being smoke-free at the end.

2. Each week, work on breaking one habit that leads to smoking. For instance, if you smoke three cigarettes with your morning cup of coffee, make it a point of smoking only two, or maybe butting out the last one midway, rather than smoking the whole thing.

If you have a couple of cigarettes after eating, cut it down to only one. After you smoke the first one, get up and do something else to take your mind off smoking.

Do this each day until this becomes your new habit. This works because you are still smoking as usual but you're changing your "habit smoking" so that you smoke less cigarettes.

Choose a new habit to work on every week or so. The timelines don't matter. You are really just trying to turn the new reduced amount you smoke, into a habit and cut down gradually.

3. Don't smoke and do anything else at the same time. That means that you give 100% of your time and attention to each cigarette you smoke. Focus completely on the cigarette. Don't talk on the phone, cruise the internet, do paperwork or walk the dog while you smoke. Don't even have the radio on or talk to anyone.

The goal is to find yourself getting kind of bored and wanting to hurry up and finish the cigarette so you can get back to what you were doing before. After awhile, you'll probably get tired of wasting all that time and maybe decide that you really don't need that cigarette right now. When you experience this feeling even once, you'll find that you may be more willing to forego the smoking in favor of something more interesting.

4. Set a goal of cutting back. You can do this in a couple of easy ways. Try stubbing out each cigarette when you've smoked half instead of finishing the entire cigarette. Another way is to delay lighting up for five minutes whenever you get the urge to smoke. You are still satisfying your craving, but smoking less at the same time.

The goal should be something you can easily achieve. You'll want to be able to stick to your goal for a specific period of time, like a week or two. Now here's the good part. When you succeed, reward yourself. If you are working towards something special this will give you the motivation to stick with it. Then repeat with a new achievable goal.

5. There is no one right way to stop the smoking habit. So, if one method doesn't work for you, try something else. It's better to keep trying to quit then to not try at all. Think of trying to quit like practice for a sports team. Without practice, the chances of success are slim. Smoking is no different. So don't get down on yourself if you can't seem to stop smoking. Just keep practicing.

6. Don't rule out medical intervention. If you need to use the patch or chew Nicorette gum, or want to try a prescription medication like Chantex in order to quit, then maybe you should consider it.

There is controversy surrounding some of these "stop smoking" aids in terms of  how they work and the possible side-effects of using them. There is no controversy about the fact that smoking causes a multitude of serious health problems. You'll probably be healthier in the long run if you use medication in the short term, if it helps you to be smoke-free. Just be sure to consult your doctor first.

7. Scare yourself. Go on the internet and locate a video of an interview with a person who is dying of lung cancer, or needs to drag around an oxygen tank to breathe. Watch it everyday. Print out a color picture of a blackened, diseased lung. Look at it everyday. Putting a little bit of fear in your mind and reinforcing that fear on a daily basis may be just what you need to decide to quit.

8. Quit with a friend. Then you will have someone to spend time with who isn't smoking but understands just how hard it is not to smoke. If you can't persuade anyone to stop smoking with you, then call the local health unit for information about local support groups.

Or, check the internet for stop smoking groups or forums where you can get encouragement and suggestions from others. You don't have to do this alone. Probably your biggest support group will be your family, especially if they are non-smokers. Your children, if you have them, would love for you to quit. Just ask them!

9. Avoid places that you associate with smoking. If you take your break from work and spend it outside with the smokers, you will be putting temptation in front of yourself needlessly. Find a new favorite spot to spend breaks and lunch, in a non-smoking area. Spending time with non-smokers makes it easier not to smoke, than if you're surrounded by smokers.

There you have it. These nine tips on quitting smoking can help you. At the very least, you should be able to smoke less cigarettes. Best case scenario, you find a tip that works well enough that you are able to stop smoking. So why wait? The best time to quit smoking is now.