More than often than ever the one question every smoker has asked is “How to quit smoking?”. The problem isn’t with the lack of answers but is with the process of quitting. Tobacco smoking is not just a physical habit but also a psychological habit. The reason why cigarettes become addictive is due to the temporary high it gives from the nicotine. Additionally, cigarettes very easily become a part of the natural routine. You may have gotten into the habit of smoking a cigarette when after your lunch or when you’re returning home from work. Therefore, to successfully curb your smoking habit you need to able to tackle both the physical and psychological habit.
Find Your Reason
When it comes to quitting anything, especially a habit, you need to have a strong reason or motif. It has to be heavier than the reason you have to light a cigarette. It could be a professional, personal, or health reason but you need to be motivated enough to convince yourself to drop the habit and kick it to the curb.
Be Cautious With Going Cold Turkey
You cannot quit smoking cold turkey if you are not ready to deal with the withdrawal symptoms that come with it. Your brain will send out signals throughout the body for a dose of nicotine. You’ll need to either be prepared for counseling or join a support group.
Replace Cigarettes
Trying nicotine therapy is a good way of replacing the cigarettes. However, a lot of people have been unsuccessful in nicotine therapy. So, what you can do is replace your cigarettes with gum. Keeping your mouth busy for a while after you quit smoking is a good way to ensure you avoid lighting one. You could even keep some snacks around you, but keep them light calorie snacks to not add on any weight. Make sure you give yourself a break too. It’s not easy to quit a habit so get yourself a massage or go for a walk.
Avoid Any Triggers
Sometimes when you quit one habit, anything related to that habit can trigger you off. For example, drinking alcohol can trigger off smoking. Otherwise, if you always smoked when you had coffee, then the best idea is to switch to tea for a couple of weeks to avoid anything triggering you off. You need to avoid anything that makes your brain send trigger signals for nicotine. Additionally, you need to try and avoid being around friends and family when they are smoking to ensure you don’t relapse. Engage with non-smokers at the workplace and replace the post-meal cigarette with a post-meal fruit.
Get Rid Of Everything
Once you’ve had your last cigarette, get rid of everything that reminds you of the habit. Lighters, ashtrays, smell, packs, literally anything at all. If you have the smell lingering in your house or car, get rid of those too. You cannot address how to quit smoking question if elements around you remind you of it.
Finally, Don’t Give Up
You might fail at the first try, the second, and even the third. However, you need to keep trying until you succeed. When you try to quit smoking it’ll seem difficult and you will try to give into it however with a strong willpower and a few smart tips like these, I am sure you can overcome it.