How to Kick the Smoking Habit
The smoke from a burning cigarette contains some 4000 chemicals, 50 of which are highly poisonous. Smoking raises blood pressure, forces the heart to beat faster, raises the breathing rate and fowls the breath.
The simple act of quitting can produce immediate results, with better circulation and breathing. The ability to smell is improved as is the taste of food. After the first year of being smoke-free, your chances of getting heart disease is cut in half.
While there is no disagreement with such facts among smokers, they find it impossible to kick the habit. There are many reasons why quitting proves so difficult. Nicotine alone does not explain why some can quit easily while others must struggle with their habit. In order to quit the habit for good, you need to understand why you started and under what conditions. Once you know, you have a better chance to eliminate the habit for good. Here are a few ways to kick the habit:
- Remember that you are in control of your health. Cigarettes are inert objects and have no power to influence you.
- Analyze the psychological factors that determine why you smoke. You will need to get some help from a psychologist who can help you determine the reasons for your addiction. Many people use smoking as a way to relieve stress, feel good or enhance a feeling of self-worth.
- Get support from your family and friends. Or join a group dedicated to kicking the habit. You are never alone and neither should you feel embarrassed because you’ve tried and failed so often.
- Like Pavlov’s dog, you may have become responsive to triggers. For example, reading bad news in the paper or watching TV may trip your desire to reach for a cigarette. Rather than read about bad news, turning off the news and reading a self-help book will prevent you from reacting to the trigger. If you feel your hands must have something to do, reach for an apple or have some nuts instead of a cigarette. Smoking may be your way of replacing a food craving.
- Think like a non-smoker before you take the first step to quit. Instead of reaching for that first smoke of the day, delay it as long as you can. If you do smoke, take a few puffs and crush out the cigarette before smoking down to the filter.
- The smokers patch, chewing gum and inhalers can help you curb the habit. But you should consult a doctor before using them if you have heart disease, are pregnant or are taking any psychiatric medications.
- Set a goal for the day you want to quit and write it down where you can see it.
- Stay away from places where smoking is allowed and don’t go out for smoking breaks. If your friends are true, they’ll understand your efforts to quit and may even want to quit with you.
- Keep yourself occupied with something you love to do. A favorite hobby can wrestle your attention away from the need for a cigarette. Preferably it is something that you find enjoyment in doing but is also constructive.
- Expect the nervousness, constipation, sweats and trouble sleeping that comes from nicotine withdrawal. The symptoms generally last between 7 to 10 days, but won’t kill you.
- Stay upbeat. Quitting the habit is a major challenge and you won’t always accomplish your goal the first time you try. Don’t berate yourself because you gave in to temptation. Such an attitude will only reinforce the psychological need to continue smoking.
Quitting the habit is never easy if you’ve been smoking for years. It take a good deal of discipline to force yourself to throw out your smokes and say no for that next puff, but the good news is that you can recover health and extend your life once you quit for good.
Filed Under: Stop Smoking Tips
