Even people with very strong willpower sometimes have a difficult time quitting the smoking habit. Even those that truly want to quit still feel like quitting find it hard to give it up completely. If you want to emotionally detach yourself from your smoking habit and kick it for good, the advice that follows can give you the boost you need to get moving.
When you decide to quit smoking, tell your family and friends. Other people knowing about your goal will both hold you accountable and give you a support system. This support and responsibility can bolster your effort to quit smoking for good.
Make your attempts as easy on yourself as you can. Do not attempt quitting the cold turkey. There’s a huge chance doing this method. Because nicotine is very addictive, a patch, medication, or therapy may be helpful. This will ease you through the difficult early withdrawal stages and make quitting for good.
Make sure you take the process one step at a time. Quitting is a lengthy process. Take it one day at a time and as each day turns into another, which will help establish a habit that will help you over the long term.
Getting in shape will help you to kick the habi,t by distracting you from cravings and restoring your health. Exercise can go a long way to reducing the stress brought on by nicotine withdrawals. If you are out of shape, and have not exercised in a while, you can start slowly by simply going for a walk every morning, or every other day. Speak to your physician before beginning an exercise routine.
Let your family and friends in on the secret that you plan to quit smoking.When you entrust the people around you with this information, they can help you keep temptation away and stay motivated. This can be the little nudge you more of a push to keep on track with quitting smoking.
If you’re trying to quit smoking, stop thinking about forever. Focus on giving up cigarettes for the day without smoking.You can always have more goals that go well into the future as soon as you feel comfortable with your level of commitment to quitting.
Each time you reach a milestone in your journey to quit smoking, reward yourself. For instance, if you go a whole week with no smoking, go to a movie. Once a month has passed, go out to dinner at a new restaurant. Continue working towards these smaller goals until you find you can go without smoking indefinitely.
If you don’t think you can quit all at once, use nicotine patches or gum.
For example, once you accomplish your first smoke-free week, go out to the movies. Once a month has passed, enjoy a fancy night out at your favorite restaurant. Continue on like this to gradually increase the rewards to work towards until you don’t think of smoking any more.
Find a method to remind yourself of your motivation at all times. This may mean pinning motivational messages on your office wall, or wearing a bracelet that symbolizes your intentions. These reminders will give you the drive you need to fight temptations.
Motivation and positive attitude are key points when you quit smoking. Think positively about the improvement to your life you will have. Consider the fact that your breath will not smell as bad, your breath and clothes will smell better, and your home is going to be full of freshness and cleanliness. While knowing the dangers of smoking may scare some into putting the tobacco down, a positive outlook can also be very powerful.
Find support through online forums and communities. There are numerous sites that are devoted to help people in smoking cessation. It might help you to compare quitting frustrations and coping mechanisms with others.
Think about the effect our smoking has on your family. Remember that if you get seriously ill or die because of smoking, it will hurt your family. Thinking like this can help you stay motivated to quit. There are statistics which state that as many as one in five American deaths are related to smoking. Don’t let yourself become a statistic.
Plan ahead on how to manage any stressful times. Many smokers are used to smoking when stressed. Have more than one idea in case the first plan doesn’t work.
Stay away from the kind of situations where you normally associate with smoking.
Ask your doctor if they recommend subsidizing your quitting efforts with medication. There have been many advances in the area of smoking cessation. Nicotine replacement therapy and pharmaceutical medication can help ameliorate some of the troublesome effects of withdrawal. Listen to your doctor’s recommendations and find one that helps you to finally quit for good.
Now is the time as any to stop smoking. Don’t choose a date for the future, just make today your day to quit. Quitting today will stop you succumbing to a possibly fatal illness.This will save your family from the health perils of secondhand smoke, especially those closest to you.
Instead of thinking that you “must” quit, see it as a gift to yourself. Keep thinking about all the positive effects this will have on your life, and that there are far more reasons to quit than to keep smoking. This keeps you motivated and give you true reasons to quit now.
To avoid gaining weight while stopping smoking, ensure that you eat sensibly. Don’t start a diet when you are already trying to quit smoking. You want to keep your body at normal levels somewhere, so practice a normal balanced diet as you normally would. Studies have shown that fruits, veggies and low-fat dairy products will leave a bad taste in your mouth if you smoke. Rediscover the pleasures of these simple foods as your sense of taste improves.
Exercising releases endorphins, natural high that is very effective at fighting nicotine cravings.Exercise also helps to compensate for your metabolism slowing down as you quit, which can help keep the extra weight gain at bay that people who quit sometimes experience.
If your willpower tanks and you feel a strong urge to smoke, call a loved one for support. Not only will the time spent on the phone be a good distraction until the craving has passed, it is always comforting to know you are not fighting this battle alone.
Find something else to focus on and ignore those that nag you. You’re not quitting for your critics – you’re quitting for yourself. Don’t let uppity others make you resent the fact you’re quitting; take up something else that you enjoy. You can stop their nagging and even forget your nicotine cravings while you enjoy your new control over them!
By now you’ve learned that quitting smoking is not an impossible task. By using the advice from this article and staying focused, it is possible to effectively quit smoking. You might be surprised what you can do with determination!