Generally, it takes nearly five to ten attempts to quit smoking. However, with good perseverance and strategies, giving up smoking is an achievable target for all. All of us are aware of the dangerous effect of smoking. But despite all these warnings, advice from family and friends, people continue to smoke. On average, a smoker will take five to ten attempts for quitting smoking before they stop smoking. But this depends on person to person- there are some who can quit in their first attempt, whereas others keep on trying. If you are also trying to stop smoking, here are some tips to quit smoking.
What is the big deal in this? Why is it so difficult? The fact is, when a person tries to quit smoking, he or she is not fighting one addiction, but fighting against three things. These are nicotine addiction, habitual addiction, and emotional addiction.
Smoking cigarettes is a method of delivering nicotine in our bloodstream. When you decide to stop smoking, you can stop yourself from nicotine addiction using various nicotine delivery systems or patches. However, emotional addiction is much difficult to break. It is the reason why people cannot quit. People smoke for many reasons like to reward themselves, to console themselves when things are bad, or to calm themselves when they are broken.
Lastly, the habitual addiction. is related to where and when one smokes- signposts of your habit. Probably, you always have a cigarette with you while drinking morning tea or coffee, during lunch, with your evening tea, etc. These habits are difficult to stop. Here are a few easy ways to quit smoking.
Important Tips to Quit Smoking
Set a date: One of the significant tips to quit smoking is to fix a date from when you are going to stop smoking. If you are serious about quitting smoking, fix a date, and throw all the temptations, to the online coaching and replacement therapies- there are so many methods to stop smoking. It is always worth seeking help from a professional. There are many personalized online coaching services that can bring back smokers on track by stopping their smoking habits.
Bring a change in your routine, change your habits. The more you understand your own smoking habits, the easier it will be for you to try new habits. For instance, if you have a habit of smoking while having your morning tea then, have your tea in such a place where smoking is prohibited. On the way back home, have an apple instead of smoking.
Change your emotional addiction: The first step to handle your emotional addiction is to be cautious about your emotional triggers and find out how you can deal with these moments. Few things to consider at this moment are:
- If smoking is a way for you to escape from the social moments, you need to find out some other way using which you can do the same?
- If you want to reward yourself for something good you have done, find what are the other options to do so?
Find the reason to quit: To get motivated, everyone needs a personal, powerful reason to quit. It can be anything like to protect your family from the smoke, lower the chances of getting lung cancer, or various other conditions., or to look younger. Choose a reason that is strong enough to outweigh the desire to light up.
Find a Nicotine Replacement Theory: – When you quit smoking, nicotine withdrawal may give you headaches, reduce your energy, or affect your mood. The craving for “just one more drag” is hard. Nicotine replacement therapy can reduce all these urges. Several studies show that lozenges, nicotine gum, and a smoke patch can enhance the chances of success when you follow a quit-smoking program.
Ask for help from your loved ones: – Tell your family members, friends, and other people whom you are close with about your decision to quit smoking. They can encourage and support you to keep going, mainly during those moments when you feel like having one cigarette. Also, you can join a group or discuss this with a counselor. Behavioral therapy is a kind of counseling that helps you to identify and follow quit-smoking strategies. A few sessions may prove to be helpful.
Give yourself a break: – One of the most common reasons why people smoke is it helps people relax. When you quit smoking, you must find new ways to unwind. There are several options. You can exercise to blow off steam, listen to your favorite music, connect with your family members and friends, treat yourself to a massage, and spare some time for your hobby. You must try to avoid stressful situations during the initial weeks after you quit smoking.
Remove all the smoking reminders: – Smoking is triggered by places, people, and things. For other addictions, the objects that triggers are generally drug paraphernalia. In this case, paraphernalia includes matches, cigarettes, ashtrays, and lighters. Getting rid of all of them is one of the important tips to quit smoking. Throw away all the cigarettes and other things that may trigger the urge to smoke. Freshen up your environment at work, home, and in your car. The smell of cigarettes is a trigger, mainly in the initial stage.
Keep alcohol and other triggers at bay: – When you drink, it becomes harder to follow your no-smoking goal. Restricting alcohol is one of the vital tips to quit smoking. Likewise, if you smoke while drinking coffee, switch to tea for a few weeks. If you generally smoke after meals, find some other alternative, like brushing your teeth, texting a friend, having chewing gum, or taking a walk in the garden.
Keep on trying: – There are many people who try many times before giving up smoking for good. If in case, you smoke, do not get disheartened. Instead, you must think what led to you to smoke again, like was it your emotion or the setting you were in. Use it as a chance to improve your commitment to quitting. Once you have made the decision to try again, fix a date within the next month.
Select a reward: – Along with all the health benefits, one of the major benefits of giving up cigarettes is the money you save. There are various online calculators to find out how richer you will become once you quit smoking. Reward yourself by spending that money on something you like.
Celebrate your victories, even if it is small: – Do not focus on your struggles and never ignore your success. You possibly tend to exclude the positives and focus on the negatives. But, do not underestimate how far you have reached in the journey for quitting smoking. Strengthen your strengths.
- Collect the money you have saved and treat yourself once a week. Or you can even save money for a trip.
- Rewards do not have to always financial. You could plan to get together with your family or friends and do something enjoyable.
Stress management: – It is natural to get stressed out during the initial days when you stop smoking. Here are some ways to manage your stress.
- Eat healthy food and take plenty of rest. Lack of sleep and intake of excess sugar can trigger the urge of smoking
- Relax by taking a few deep and slow breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
- When you have cravings, think about the reasons for quitting