
Author: Brian
Cant Quit Smoking? Here are Some Tips On How To Stop Smoking
So you want to quit smoking, we can help with these tips on how to stop smoking. This is because quitting is quite often complicated and a very frustrating endeavor, but with some sound advice and these helpful tips it can be simplified and much more possible. Here are some useful universal tips and how you can use these tips on how you can quit this unhealthy habit!
Quit Smoking Tips How To Stop Smoking
1. Set A Goal For Yourself
It's very important to specifically identify what you want to accomplish with quitting, is it primarily because of someone else who thinks that you should or is it for financial reasons? Or maybe you are getting concerned for your own physical health or the health of your family members. Whatever your reason for stopping this bad habit is, identify it and own it from the start. Remembering why you are quitting can help you when you come to difficult points in this sometimes difficult process of how to stop smoking.
2. Proceed Slowly
It is very rare that anyone can just quit smoking cold turkey for a long duration and stay that way. Quitting all at once increases your chances for a quick relapse, and can also make both your life and those around you miserable! The problem with quitting cold turkey is that the nicotine addiction is very difficult to overcome, and going for long periods without it can lead to increased tension and anxiety, and can lead to outbursts of anger and sometimes rage. So it is best to use some sort of substitutes to begin with to ease yourself of this addictive drug and is a very good tip on how to stop smoking.
3. Patches or Gum
There's no shame or harm in using substitutes for nicotine like patches or gum to quit smoking, but beware not to smoke and use these substitutes at the same time. You can actually overdose from too much nicotine and die from it, so use extreme caution when using patches and gum! Please be sure to read the labels thoroughly and know how much nicotine you use per day so you can buy a patch that is in the same range. Don't use a high nicotine patch if you don't smoke a lot, as it will make it much harder to quit, and make the process worse, and may actually lead you to smoke more! Some people find the gum especially helpful as it gives their mouths something to do and is particularly helpful after meals. Patches and, or gum are particularly useful when it comes to helping ease the physical addiction, which can be severe, depending on how long and how much you have smoked. These substitutes will help to ease the pain and suffering due to withdrawal from nicotine, which can be severe if you smoked for a long time or smoked a lot of cigarettes during a typical day.
4. Electric Cigarettes
Consider electronic cigarettes as part of your quitting regimen. Many people find these provide the oral satisfaction of having a smoke and the visual effect of the smoke itself, but it is harmless water vapor that is produced. Again, use these with caution and beware when buying them. Read into the fine print when signing up for offers, as we have found some shady companies marketing these, and you may end up signing up for a lifetime supply and get billed monthly, and never get any product, or they may not work after the first 'trial' offer, as friends of mine did. So, ultimately, I would not recommend this option, but the choice is yours. Just do some research before jumping into any electronic cigarette offers for your own good!
5. Support Networks
Get some much needed support from your family and close friends to quit smoking. There is nothing better than a close friend or family member giving you a pat on the back and helping you get over the occasional rough spots and is very useful in how to stop smoking. Make sure that you have at least one close friend or relative who will hold you responsible and accountable for your actions, someone you can call when you have a craving who will come over and go for a walk or exercise with you, or even talk to get you through. Those rough spots don't usually last too long, but the cravings can easily become overwhelming for those going it alone. You can also include your own Doctor in your support network, in fact, it is a very good idea. If you are having a particularly hard time with how to stop smoking, your doctor can prescribe some sort of medication to help you out to make it easier for you as there are prescribed drugs available to help people to quit smoking. He or she can also encourage your efforts with regular check-ups that will show you your improved heart and lungs functionality.
7. Physical Exercise
You can utilize physical exercise to help ward off cravings. Remember the friend or family member who is going to take you for a walk when you get a craving? This is a good idea. Get a bike, join a gym, learn a martial art, get a treadmill - whatever it takes so that when you have a craving you can jump into the exercise. This will also help offset any weight gain you might experience as you try to quit. Another good aspect of exercising for how to stop smoking is that it will help your heart and lungs to recover faster as you will begin rebuilding tissues with exercise, thus making the transformation process to a healthier you go faster!
8. Avoid Smoking Environments
Avoid environments where there are other smokers, and those places where you used to smoke. If you used to hang out and smoke at the corner pub or bar, it will be wise to avoid that place anymore. This doesn't mean that you can't go out anymore, it just means that you will need to find a new place that your brain does not associate with having a cigarette. You should find new places that don't allow people to smoke as this will help you to overcome your unhealthy addiction. Seeing other people smoke can be a real problem for those trying to quit, especially if you have been smoke free for a short period of time. It can spell real disaster for anyone trying to seriously quit smoking, so avoid those places where people can freely smoke anywhere they want at all costs! This shouldn't be as hard as it was in the past, as many places now don't allow people to smoke at all in the first place, so you won't feel as your being left out!
9. Food & Nutrition
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. This is not only good for you, but it is said that the fruits and veggies will actually make the cigarettes taste worse, which is a good thing! With your new found drive for improved health, it is also in your best interest to add vitamins and minerals to your diet, as people who smoke tend to experience lower levels of them. To help your body to recover faster, it is good practice to supplement with a daily multi-vitamin/mineral combination to give your body what it needs to rebuild and restore those damaged cells and rid the toxins from your body. Green tea is also a good supplement as it has anti-oxidants which are thought to be beneficial to smokers.
We hope that with these quit smoking tips on how to stop smoking make it easier for you to overcome this deadly bad habit!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/addictions-articles/cant-quit-smoking-tips-on-how-to-stop-smoking-4191516.html
About the Author
Brian is a writer, environmentalist, entrepreneur, activist, web developer and consultant. Current projects are related to global ethical issues and the human involvement and interactions with the environment and creating a better understanding of it's importance to all of us and to spread the word that it is in all of our best interests not to ignore what we are doing to our home, or think it is okay to dump toxic waste into our drinking water, or poison the air we breath, or the food we eat. There are many issues at stake here, and we must address these now, before we run out of options. There is still time to limit the amount of damage that will occur because of our negligent actions, but that time frame is diminishing with each and every day. My website Green Planet Ethics is devoted to healthy alternatives to our current choices, as well as news, weather, and other topics related to ethics and the environment, and offers ideas on how they can be combined. This site is also devoted to natural and alternative health concepts and ideas, and promotes wellness techniques and habits, supplements, diets, nutritional guides, and overall health topics for yourself and your loved ones. Discussions and comments on the current issues are more than welcome too! Peace my friends on earth and good will to man!