How to quit smoking
Want to stop smoking ? Here are some small changes you can make to adjust your lifestyle that will help you resist the temptation to light it up.
Remove cigarettes from your environnement
Yet the easiest step but we tend to forget. Throw away all of your cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, and matches. If the smell is a trigger then wash your clothes and freshen up anything that smells like smoke. Shampoo your car, clean your drapes and carpet, and steam your furniture.
Don’t hang out with smokers. No matter how friendly and supportive your smoking friends are, they are still a high risk environment for at least the first several months.
Make a list of reasons to quit & set a quit date
Keep reminding yourself why you made the decision to give up. Make a list of the reasons and read it when you need support. I personally kept a paper next to my bed so I could read it every night and first thing in the morning.
Tips: Choose a date within the next two weeks, so you have enough time to prepare without losing your motivation to quit. If you mainly smoke at work, quit on the weekend, so you have a few days to adjust to the change.
Identify your smoking triggers
One of the best things you can do to help yourself quit is to identify the things that make you want to smoke, including specific situations, activities, feelings, and people. Keeping a craving journal can help you zero in on your patterns and triggers. Note the moments in each day when you crave a cigarette within a week:
- What time was it?
- How intense was the craving (on a scale of 1–10)?
- What were you doing?
- Who were you with?
- How were you feeling?
- How did you feel after smoking?
Find remplacement, for example if you smoke when you are stressed out just do a 3minutes breathing exercice.
Here are some things you can do to cope with cigarette craving in the moment:
Most cravings only last 10–20 minutes so it’s all about getting busy.
Find an oral substitute — Keep other things around to pop in your mouth when cravings hit. Try mints, carrot or celery sticks, gum, or sunflower seeds. If you worry about gaining weight just suck on a drinking straw.
Keep your mind busy — Read a book, listen to some music you love, watch videos or play an online game. Call the people who have offered to help. Everyone understands how difficult this is. People will be happy that you’re doing it.
Keep your hands busy — Squeeze balls, pencils, or paper clips are good substitutes to satisfy that need for tactile stimulation.
Brush your teeth — The just-brushed, clean feeling can help banish cigarette cravings.
Try to relax — Do something that calms you down, such as taking a warm bath, meditating, or practicing deep breathing exercises.
Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit
Nicotine withdrawal involves physical, mental, and emotional symptoms Your doctor can prescribe medication to help with withdrawal symptoms. If you can’t see a doctor, you can get many products over the counter at your local pharmacy, including nicotine patches, lozenges , and gum.
