Once you have decided to quit smoking, you have already won half the battle. Making the decision to quit means that you are ready to gain some will power and use the tools available to quit smoking. The American Lung Association provides you with various tools and methods that you can use to help you quick the nasty habit.
Once you enlist these tips, success is easier to reach, and you will be on your way to a smoke-free life free from tobacco addiction. They include:
- Finding out the reasons to quit such as your wallet, convenience, family and friends, and your health.
- Learning the health benefits you gain from quitting.
- Gaining valuable tips on how to quit.
- Learning what to expect once you quit and realizing that it is not a single event, but a journey with challenges along the way.
- Consulting your doctor on physical and psychological withdrawal effects to expect once you quit smoking; the doctor will inform you about medications to help you quit tobacco use and help you map out a quitting plan.
- Seeking groups that are in a similar predicament to help each other in quitting, or seeking help from a loved one, or community groups such as Quitting is Better Together who are out to help smokers quit the habit.
Here are some tips you can use to get started on your mission to quit smoking:
Writing it down on paper
Consider the reasons why you want to quit tobacco use and what you do not like about smoking. Consider factors such as your health, feeling better about yourself, being a role model to your children and ridding yourself of the smoke smell that lingers on after you smoke. Place all these reasons down on paper and carry the paper around with you. Every time the urge to smoke comes on, re-read the list to remind yourself the reasons you dislike smoking.
Welcome support
Inform you family, friends, and co-workers of your intentions to quit smoking. You can ask them to keep reminding you why it is important to stop smoking every time they see you light up a cigarette. In addition, try to be the voice against smoking by urging friends and family who smoke to quit the habit too. You can join a support group online or in person. Those in the groups who managed to quit smoking will give you their experiences, and you will find out that you are not alone.
Do it gradually
You do not have to go cold turkey on the smoking habit if you know it will bring much discomfort to your life. If you had set a date and tried to quit but failed, you can try using limitation method. This is where you reduce from one pack to half of a pack a day. You can then go down to 1-3 cigarettes a day before you decide to quit altogether. If there are specific breaks you take for smoking, replace these breaks with a different activity. You will find that you are limiting the number of cigarette sticks you take in a day.
Vaping
Although many do find success in certain methods as help such as nicotine patches, a popular alternative to help with the nicotine cravings is through the use of a vape pen. One benefit of choosing a vape pen is that they provide a physical replacement for the cigarette. Those who quit find they don’t just miss the contents of the cigarette, but the general act of smoking itself. Vaping provides a perfect alternative to this.
Use stop smoking phone applications
Technology has taken over many parts of our lives. These areas include health matters. There are some apps available today that will help you reduce the urge to smoke. These stop smoking apps include the following:
- Craving to Quit
- Butt out- Quit Smoking Forever
- Kwit
- Get Rich or Die Smoking
- Quit it Lite
- Livestrong MyQuit Coach
- Quit Smoking: Cessation Nation
- Quit Pro
- Smoke Free
- Quit Smoking- Quit Now
All these apps use different methods to help you quit the smoking habit.
Naturally, the issue of quitting cigarettes is a great burden to many. However, using the above methods, your mission towards quitting the habit will be a lot easier.
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