8 SURE TIPS TO QUIT SMOKING

8 Sure Tips to Quit Smoking

The numerous health dangers of smoking are seeing more and more people wanting to kick the habit every passing day. Have you considered quitting smoking? Do you keep procrastinating? Have you tried to quit then drifted back to smoking? If you’ve been smoking for a while; chances are you’re suffering from nicotine addiction, which takes time and effort to overcome. All is not lost though; here are some tips to help you relinquish the cigarette:

1. List down the benefits that will come from quitting smoking. You will save money, have fresh breath, taste food more vividly, have no smell and feel more in control of yourself. Quite a motivation right? Keep the list close by so you can refer to it whenever you feel vulnerable.
2. Sip water through a straw throughout the day. The sensation replaces that of sucking a cigarette and tricks the brain into a similar ecstatic feeling.
3. Avoid alcohol as well, since in most cases drinking and smoking go together. You may have resisted smoking all week but once you pick up the bottle, the craving comes flooding back. It is even worse when you’re in the bar and everyone around you seems to be smoking.
4. One of the immediate benefits of quitting smoking is having a clean mouth and fresh breath. Brush often to maintain them. Then every time you’re tempted to smoke you’ll remember you have a clean fresh mouth to maintain. Do you really want to jeopardize that?
5. Spend more time in no-smoking zones such a library, hotel, office, school and so on. You’re certain you can’t light a cigar no matter how bad the craving is and you have to find alternative coping mechanisms.
6. Put something in your mouth to replace that empty feeling. Chewing gum, candy or a snack will do. Keeping your mouth busy reduces the temptation to reach out for a cigarette.
7. Negative emotions – anger, frustration, stress, sadness, hopelessness – will make you more vulnerable to smoking. While you can’t avoid them entirely, you can minimize them by staying positive and exploring other ways of dealing with the emotions.
8. Engage in a hobby. Set new goals. Let it consume your time and emotions. You can engage in physical exercise, sports, reading, music and so on. Avoid idle time at all cost. Once you shift your focus into another activity, you’ll reduce the tendency to result to smoking.

Nicotine addiction need not ruin your life. Smoking exposes you to respiratory disorders and worse still; lung cancer. Those around you are not safe either; secondary smoke is not any less harmful. Let these tips lead the way for you to quit smoking once and for all.