While most smokers realize that smoking is a risky and unhealthy activity, many of them are unable to quit successfully. A part of the reason is that the addiction is very difficult to break. However, there are effective strategies that have been successful for others. This article provides several of these strategies. Follow the tips provided, and hopefully you will be able to quit successfully.
If you’re trying to quit smoking, try quitting cold turkey. This method is the easiest in the long run. While this may seem a lot more difficult when you are starting out, it is much easier than stringing your self along. Be honest with your self and commit to the quit and you will be off cigarettes fairly easily.
Write down the reasons why you want to quit smoking. Post the list someplace where you’ll see it every day, to help keep you motivated. Include not only the reasons that directly benefit you, but also the reasons that quitting will benefit your friends and family. Being able to read your list every day will remind you of why you stopped smoking in the first place.
Make a list of strategies to help you quit. Taking time to think and customize your list based on your personality is a good method of quitting. This can help to create a personalized formula to quit smoking. You have to figure out what works best for yourself and your lifestyle. That’s the purpose of making a personalized list.
If you want to quit smoking, you need to identify factors that will motivate you to stop. Preventing lung cancer, tooth decay, gum disease and emphysema, or protecting your family are strong motivators. Showing respect for your body and for the gift of life is also a powerful motivating force. Whatever reason you choose, it needs to be enough to prevent you from lighting up again in the future.
Try incorporating deep breathing exercises in your life when you begin to feel the urge to smoke. This will help you calm down when you feel like you need to take a puff. Deep breathing will help you control yourself and stop the urge before you begin to think about giving in.
If you have very strong associations between smoking and drinking coffee or smoking while you’re drinking, you may need to avoid these triggers for a while. Once you feel comfortable enough in your ability to stay away from cigarettes, you can slowly bring back that morning cup of joe or happy hour with your friends.
When you are fighting the urge to smoke, go and do some exercise. Not only will your body benefit while you are keeping fit, the physical activity can help to keep the urges at bay. Anything that can be used as a distraction while you are working through the crave is a great tool to use.
The majority of people who smoke do so with the knowledge that the activity that they are engaging in is unhealthy and dangerous. A lot of them also have difficulty quitting due to the addictive nature of smoking. However, there are strategies that have helped others quit that can help you quit successfully too. Use the tips that have been provided in this article, and hopefully smoking will be a thing of the past.
Carl Clay is a health blog author who has been writing about nutrition, fitness and healthy living for over 10 years. He also loves to run, hike and bike with her wife.
