Avoid situations where you have a strong urge to smoke
If you're trying to quit tobacco smoking, you should avoid situations that will trigger a craving. This includes places where you usually smoke, stressful situations, and places where you enjoy alcohol. Identify these situations and develop a plan to avoid them. To avoid these situations, keep a pen and paper nearby and plan activities that will keep your hands busy.
You can also distract yourself by chewing gum or popping a popsicle. Using alternatives to cigarettes can help you resist the urge to smoke. You can also chew on cinnamon sticks, celery, raw carrots, or sugarless gum instead of smoking. Also, try not to smoke in public places where you are surrounded by other people.
Holidays can be stressful for smokers, so it's helpful to plan some special activities that will keep you busy during these times. You can even try hosting a holiday dinner with friends and family to distract yourself from the temptation of smoking. Having someone else take care of the meal can keep you occupied and busy, and you can even bring a special dish.
Identify the triggers that cause you to crave tobacco cigarettes and prepare for them before they happen. Try taking three deep breaths, holding the last one for a few seconds, and exhaling slowly. Deep breathing can help to relax the muscles and calm your body. Eating something high in sugar or spice can also trigger cravings. You can try chewing celery or plain popcorn. You can also try stretching your body.
Discuss your plans with family and friends
Family and friends can help you quit tobacco smoking by offering support, advice, and encouragement. They can also be a great source of motivation. Tell them that you're planning to quit tobacco, and how much you appreciate their support. If they're not willing to quit with you, ask them to refrain from smoking around you or near you during your withdrawal period. This will make it easier for you to focus on quitting.
Before you start your plan to quit smoking, it's helpful to consider the various challenges that you're likely to face and how to deal with them. First, you'll want to determine your motivations. Write down the reasons you want to quit, including financial savings, health, and energy gains. You can add more reasons as you think of them.
Next, you'll want to change your routine. There are several personal change management models which can help you make the change one-step-at-a-time. One such helpful personal change agent is Kaizen. Personal Kaizen involves making small incremental changes daily, which over time become huge and fulfilling.
You'll find that some of the activities you use to smoke trigger cravings. If you're a morning person, for example, you might want to avoid drinking coffee if you don't want to wake up early. Or, if you're a night owl, you might need to put out cigarettes. You may also want to try a new breakfast instead.
If you live with a spouse or partner, discuss your plans with them and get their support. It's also helpful to tell them about your own tobacco use. If you live with someone who is a smoker, make a commitment to limit your use of tobacco in the presence of your spouse or partner. You can also make a plan with your family and friends to quit tobacco together. Once you quit, you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of a smoke-free life.
Use a quit date
One of the most effective ways to quit smoking is to set a quit date. Setting a quit date is a great way to keep yourself motivated while at the same time creating a deadline. It can help you to avoid temptation by picking a date that will be hard to miss. The earlier you start planning your quit date, the better. Pick a day in the next two weeks and make sure you give yourself enough time to prepare. It also helps to quit at a time of the day when you're not stressed or under pressure.
Before setting a quit date, decide if you need to use medications or behavior changes to help you stop. If you need to take medications, nicotine replacement therapy is an option. They ‘re available in user-friendly formats such as chewing gums, lozenges, tablets, patches etc. I’ve done extensive work on these formulations (product development, clinical testing thru commercialization). These medications reduce cravings. However, they must be combined with behavior changes, which you must do to quit smoking for good.
Tip: Smoking cessation medicines must be taken under advice and supervision of a registered medical practitioner only. Do not self-prescribe any medicine. Do not take medicines under advice from friends, family, colleagues, or anybody else, who is not a registered medical doctor.
Once you have decided to quit, you can write down your reasons for quitting tobacco. These reasons might include saving money or being healthier. Having a list of reasons will help you stay motivated to quit.
Reasons to Quit Tobacco Smoking
There are many health benefits of quitting smoking. Not only does it improve your overall health, but it can also increase your life expectancy by several years. Smoking increases the risk of developing lung cancer and COPD. Smoking is also harmful to your sense of smell and taste. People who quit smoking report that they can now smell better and enjoy their food without smoky aftertaste.
Other benefits of quitting smoking include an improved social life, improved appearance and odor, improved finances and increased confidence around others. If you have cancer, quitting will help you avoid social situations where others will be able to smell your cigarette. However, despite all of these benefits, quitting smoking is not easy.
Smokers usually are wary of nicotine withdrawal symptoms. That’s where nicotine replacement therapy helps. But nicotine withdrawal symptoms usually begin a few hours after your last cigarette. They are usually strongest in the first week. For most people, nicotine withdrawal fade and are gone after about 2 to 4 weeks.
Some people want to live longer and healthier lives. Others want to save money. Still others do not want to endanger their children's health. Research has shown that smoking reduces life expectancy by nearly 11 minutes each time it is smoked. Therefore, smoking ten cigarettes a day for ten years will cut off nine months from your life.
Another good reason to quit smoking is to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk of coronary heart disease and stroke decreases as you stop smoking. After three months of not smoking, your circulation and lung function improve. After one year, your risk of coronary heart disease will be half of what it was when you started. Lastly, quitting smoking will improve your health and the health of your family.
After deciding to quit smoking, set a quit date that is within a month. Don't pick a date too far in advance so that you'll have enough time to prepare. Some people use a special day to quit while others choose a random day. Either way, be sure to make your commitment and let others know about your decision.
Build a support system
Building a support system for yourself is essential if you want to successfully quit tobacco smoking. You should share your goal with friends and family members and ask for their support. Your support system is also essential if you experience a relapse. Smoking cessation is a difficult process, and the right support can be vital in helping you overcome the setbacks and relapses.
The first step in building a support system for yourself is to talk to others who have also tried to quit. A "coach" can be a friend or family member who can support your quit attempt. It is also helpful to spend time with others who have been successful in quitting. You can also suggest books and programs for support and read them. Another great idea is to join a quit smoking support group. These programs often offer group counseling and include lectures and group meetings. These sessions can provide valuable information about smoking cessation and also help smokers develop effective coping skills. The group sessions will also provide suggestions on how to prevent relapse.
Smokers who had used behavioral interventions were more likely to rely on social support than those who did not. The study also showed that smokers who had social support were more likely to quit. The results of this study suggest that social support is as important as behavioral interventions.
Avoid relapses
Recognizing triggers for relapses is an essential part of your cessation strategy. While you can't avoid every situation that could lead to a relapse, you can take steps to prevent them. One effective technique involves thinking about the situation and feelings that lead you to light up. This exercise helps you identify which triggers led you to smoke and helps you eliminate them in the future.
If you have a support system, try calling on them if you are feeling the urge to smoke. These people can encourage you to quit and give you support and encouragement. It's also helpful to find alternative means of coping with the cravings. In general, try not to smoke even one cigarette because if you do, you may be tempted to start again.
One important way to prevent relapses is to use a comprehensive relapse prevention program that includes both cognitive and behavioral components. The most important thing to remember is that a lapse doesn't mean you've failed. The information you gained from the lapse will help you anticipate future lapses and develop an action plan to deal with them.
Yet another option is meditation. Just fifteen minutes a day of peaceful meditation has been found to be helpful in a big way.
Fortunately, most relapses after quitting tobacco smoking are avoidable. A relapse is when you start smoking again - after several weeks, months, or even a year. These lapses usually start out as small slips, such as having a cigarette after a stressful day, or smoking with a friend. However, they eventually turn into a habit.
Disclaimer: Giving up smoking must be done under advice from a registered medical practitioner only. The views on this blog are for educational purpose only. The views on this blog are not substitute to a registered medical doctor’s advise.
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