Many people know it is not a good idea to smoke, but they keep doing it. It is easier to say you will quit than to actually do it. This article can help you learn about quitting smoking for people who really want to quit.
If you want to stop smoking, make a list of methods that will work for you. Taking time to customize your personal list, is an excellent help in accomplishing your goal. There are typically many different ways for accomplishing any given goal, and the people vary in which of these ways will be most effective for them. It is so important you find ideas that are going to work the best for you, personally. Making your own list will accomplish this.
Putting things on paper can have a profound effect on your entire outlook. It will help you stay motivated and focused on success, which should make it easier to quit.
You should try to ease the pain of quitting as easy as you can. Do not ever try to quit cold turkey way. There’s a 95% chance you’ll fail if you use this will be unsuccessful for you. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, the patch or medication is recommended. This will ease you through the difficult early withdrawal stages and make quitting less difficult.
When you quit smoking, avoid any triggers that are linked to your habit. If you always used to smoke while reading a book, you may have to temporarily put your book down until you have broken your smoking habit. Come up with something that can distract you at those times.
Take a long walk, or finish a glass of water. If you do go ahead and smoke, you won’t be smoking as much because your time will be spent doing something different.
Make sure you take quitting one step at the time. Quitting is a task that needs to be dealt with methodically. 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.
To maintain your willpower, despite intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms, look for healthy outlets for your stress. You could exercise once a day, find new hobbies or perhaps get massages. When you are experiencing down time, make sure you are distracted by fun things. Develop a hobby. Start engaging in an old one you haven’t done for a while. Grab lunch with a friend. Read a book. Anything that keeps you occupied is a good thing.
Make sure that you get sufficient sleep as you attempt to stop smoking. For many, staying up for extended hours can lead to increased cravings. You may get tempted to sneak a cigarette while no one else is with you.If you get at least eight hours of sleep every night, it helps to stay focused and avoid cravings.
If your cold turkey effort to quit smoking failed, use nicotine patches or gum.
Set up a reward system for yourself whenever you reach a particular milestone. Write down a list of rewards you will allow yourself when you have stopped smoking for a day, a week and a month. Keep this list somewhere where you’ll notice it each day. That might be just the thing that keeps you motivated when you feel temptation.
Talk to your doctor to acquire a better idea of the options available for quitting smoking. Your doctor has access to quit-smoking resources of which you might not have in your possession.
Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke. This can be an effective way to begin the process of a smoke-free life. Try waiting at least one hour or so before having your first cigarette for the day. You can smoke just one half a cigarette at a time to cut down on smoking.
The first few days of any quit-smoking attempt will be the hardest. In fact, the first two days–approximately 48 hours–are the worst part of quitting, because you’re detoxifying from nicotine. Once 48 hours have passed, your craving for nicotine will usually just be psychological. Although still difficult to endure, psychological cravings are much less traumatic, when compared to physical cravings.
If smoking at home, inside your house, so it doesn’t smell of smoke. Wash and launder everything in your house, shampoo or replace your carpet, drapery and curtains, walls and any other type of surface coverings. Your entire house will be refreshed, and you won’t be reminded of the desire to smoke each time you walk through your door.
Plan in advance how you will handle stressful events that might arise. Many smokers are used to smoking when stressed. Keep a back-up plan handy in case one doesn’t work.
You need the help of family and friends when you have decided to quit smoking. Tell the people around you that you want to quit smoking. The will give encouragement and support which could make quite a difference for you. You may also think about joining a support group and even check into behavioral therapy to help you quit.
Stay away from trigger activities or symptoms in which you would be tempted to smoke.
Even the best efforts and planning may end up smoking in the future.You can use this to help you reach success at some point in the road.
When trying to quit smoking, ensure that you’re using common sense when it comes to eating. Do not quit smoking and start a diet in the same week. You want to keep your body at normal levels somewhere, so practice a normal balanced diet as you normally would. If you’re eating too many fruits, dairy products, or veggies, you could experience a bad taste in your mouth. By consuming these things, you’ll give yourself a health boost and you will tend to smoke less as well.
Get rid of any ashtrays and lighters in your home. Wash all your clothes and clean your house in order to remove the smoke’s smell. Doing these things will make it less likely that you will be reminded or triggered to smoke.
You might have previously used smoking as your crutch at times of stress. If that is the case, it’s time to find another way to de-stress!
Take several minutes to think of the primary reasons why you want to give up smoking. To motivate you, keep your most important reasons written on an index card or sheet of paper and make sure it’s with you at all times. When you are craving a cigarette, take out your paper and look over why you want to quit.
You should now understand that quitting smoking is possible if you put in the effort. The key is to stay determined and stick to any plans you set forth for yourself. If you apply what you read in this article, you will be able to quit smoking relatively easily.