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1. What should drive you to quit smoking?
So you have decided to quit-smoking but do you have sufficient reason to stop? You need to be motivated and have will-power otherwise the chances of ending your habit will be reduced. Write down the reasons on a piece of paper and keep it close to hand.
2. Set a Date.
Prepare in advance and decide the day you are going to give up. Let your friends and family know that you are going to quit. Your colleagues at work could also make the difference between success and failure, you are going to need all the support you can get.
3. Take advantage of Nicotine Replacement Therapy or NRT
Now that you have declared you are quitting smoking it might be tempting to go cold turkey. However this could be disastrous as almost everyone relapses without a little medical help. Nicotine is highly addictive and your brain has become totally reliant on it. Without it your body will go into withdrawal. NRT can help you cope with these feelings of frustration, depression and restlessness. Using nicotine patches, gum or lozenges could improve you chances of quitting as much as two-fold.
4. Deal with the stress
Quitting is stressful. One reason people smoke is to release tension so trying to quit really heightens stress levels. Make an attempt to avoid stressful situations as much as possible. Take up relaxing leisure activities and take up exercise such as yoga.
5. Keep triggers at bay
Certain situations may increase your urge to want to start smoking again. For instance alcohol can be one of the most common triggers. Avoid going to the pub in the first few weeks of quitting smoking. Having a cigarette during your coffee break at work can also be a tempting situation. Drink plenty of water and switch to another caffeine-free beverage instead.
6. Give Yourself a Gift
There are a number of health benefits to quitting smoking. There is also the financial advantage of all the money that you save instead of spending on cigarettes. Put all this money together and count it. Keep putting it away in a jar and let it keep reminding you what the habit was costing you. Then take it and buy yourself a gift for resolving to quit and for sticking with the decision.
7. Manage your weight
Apart from the difficulty of quitting, smokers are wary of it because they are afraid of gaining weight. When one quits, appetite also increases. You can beat this by making a conscious effort to eat healthy food and avoiding high sugar and high fat food. Add more vegetables to your diet and instead of snacks like chocolates and cookies choose fruits for snacks.
8. If you fail the first time
Relapsing after trying to quit the first time is fairly common. It may even happen a number of times. Do not give up or despair but go back and think about what keeps you from succeeding. You will be stronger next time when you are facing the hurdles. Set a new date and recommit to quitting.
9. Join the gang
You may need that you need to get help further to succeed at quitting. Engage your doctor, your pharmacist or another healthcare provider about helping you to join a self help group for quitters. They are effective in helping people to stop smoking. There are also online forums you can join and you also speak to others who are trying to quit and you can help each other along.
10. Lastly, keep the faith
If you believe that you can do it, then you can succeed at quitting and you can stay smoke free forever. Having doubts will bring your resolve down. There are times when the going will be really rough but you need to keep telling yourself you can do it. Fight the temptation and stay positive. Just keep thinking that you really can do it and you will.
So you have decided to quit-smoking but do you have sufficient reason to stop? You need to be motivated and have will-power otherwise the chances of ending your habit will be reduced. Write down the reasons on a piece of paper and keep it close to hand.
2. Set a Date.
Prepare in advance and decide the day you are going to give up. Let your friends and family know that you are going to quit. Your colleagues at work could also make the difference between success and failure, you are going to need all the support you can get.
3. Take advantage of Nicotine Replacement Therapy or NRT
Now that you have declared you are quitting smoking it might be tempting to go cold turkey. However this could be disastrous as almost everyone relapses without a little medical help. Nicotine is highly addictive and your brain has become totally reliant on it. Without it your body will go into withdrawal. NRT can help you cope with these feelings of frustration, depression and restlessness. Using nicotine patches, gum or lozenges could improve you chances of quitting as much as two-fold.
4. Deal with the stress
Quitting is stressful. One reason people smoke is to release tension so trying to quit really heightens stress levels. Make an attempt to avoid stressful situations as much as possible. Take up relaxing leisure activities and take up exercise such as yoga.
5. Keep triggers at bay
Certain situations may increase your urge to want to start smoking again. For instance alcohol can be one of the most common triggers. Avoid going to the pub in the first few weeks of quitting smoking. Having a cigarette during your coffee break at work can also be a tempting situation. Drink plenty of water and switch to another caffeine-free beverage instead.
6. Give Yourself a Gift
There are a number of health benefits to quitting smoking. There is also the financial advantage of all the money that you save instead of spending on cigarettes. Put all this money together and count it. Keep putting it away in a jar and let it keep reminding you what the habit was costing you. Then take it and buy yourself a gift for resolving to quit and for sticking with the decision.
7. Manage your weight
Apart from the difficulty of quitting, smokers are wary of it because they are afraid of gaining weight. When one quits, appetite also increases. You can beat this by making a conscious effort to eat healthy food and avoiding high sugar and high fat food. Add more vegetables to your diet and instead of snacks like chocolates and cookies choose fruits for snacks.
8. If you fail the first time
Relapsing after trying to quit the first time is fairly common. It may even happen a number of times. Do not give up or despair but go back and think about what keeps you from succeeding. You will be stronger next time when you are facing the hurdles. Set a new date and recommit to quitting.
9. Join the gang
You may need that you need to get help further to succeed at quitting. Engage your doctor, your pharmacist or another healthcare provider about helping you to join a self help group for quitters. They are effective in helping people to stop smoking. There are also online forums you can join and you also speak to others who are trying to quit and you can help each other along.
10. Lastly, keep the faith
If you believe that you can do it, then you can succeed at quitting and you can stay smoke free forever. Having doubts will bring your resolve down. There are times when the going will be really rough but you need to keep telling yourself you can do it. Fight the temptation and stay positive. Just keep thinking that you really can do it and you will.
About the Author:
For more information on how to quit smoking with the smokefree cigarette then visit my website. For the best deals on nicotine replacement therapy then go to Chemist Direct.. Free reprint available from: 10 Ways That You Can Stay Smoke Free.
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