Many people struggle with addiction to nicotine. If you are ready to quit the habit, this article has some great tips to help you get started. You can beat your addiction to cigarettes and learn to live a healthier lifestyle. Read on to learn what you can do to improve your chances of success.
Deal with nicotine withdrawal. Once you quit smoking, nicotine withdrawal can make you anxious, frustrated, or depressed. It’s all too easy to revert to your old habit. Nicotine replacement therapy can really help to relieve these symptoms. Whether it’s in the form of gum, a patch, or a lozenge, using one of these will probably double your chances of succeeding.
Sometimes when you’re trying to quit smoking, scare tactics can help. Scan a few pictures of cancer patients, individuals who have aged significantly due to cigarettes, or damaged lungs. Keep these in view at all times and they just might scare you into staying away from those dangerous cigarettes.
If you’re trying to quit smoking, stopping “cold turkey” is a bad idea. Quitting without a means of support for nicotine withdrawal is an uphill battle. Because nicotine is addictive, it’s very easy to relapse without some form of support when quitting. It’s best to use smoking cessation medicine, or some type of therapy when you’re ready to quit.
If you’re trying to quit smoking, take things one day at a time. Focus on getting through just one day without smoking. Sometimes having a shorter timeline makes things easier on you mentally and physically. As you get further along, you can start to lengthen your goals.
You must know why you want to stop smoking. Having shallow reasons, like it is bad for you are not good enough. To really get yourself motivated, you need a personal and powerful reason to quit. Maybe you are scared of lung cancer. Or maybe you would like to keep your family from second hand smoke. It might be because you want to both feel and look younger. Choose a strong reason that outweighs your urge to light up.
It is important to realize that although cold turkey may work for one person, it may not work for you. People think that they can quit smoking on their own and only end up going back because they tried too much, too fast. You may require an aid for quitting, such as a nicotine patch.
To effectively quit smoking, have a plan mapped out. Take some time to prepare yourself by writing down the steps you will take to quit, who you will call for support, and what you will do if you should slip up. Putting these things in writing makes them concrete, and it is much like making a contract with yourself. This can have a very powerful affect on your mindset, helping you to stay focused on your journey toward quitting.
To improve your odds of quitting smoking for good, don’t combine your effort to quit with another goal, particularly weight loss. You already have enough stress and cravings to deal with just trying to quit smoking. If you try to wean yourself from something else at the same time, you are likely to fail at both.
Perform deep breathing exercises for around three to five minutes every single day in order to help you relax when trying to quit smoking. Always breathe in through the nose, hold this for several seconds, and exhale slowly through the mouth. This method is extremely effective for eliminating smoking from your life.
Don’t give up if you slip up. Anytime someone tries to give something up that they have been doing for years, there will likely be a struggle. When that struggle exists, slip ups often happen. If you do slip up, get right back on track and try again. The worst thing you can do is turn a slip up into an excuse to keep smoking, so don’t do it.
When cravings strike, remember that they almost always pass within 10 minutes, so do something to distract yourself. Walk to the water cooler, have a healthy snack, meditate, or call a supportive friend to keep your mind off your craving. You’ll be surprised at how quickly it’s over, and your delaying tactics can keep you from giving in.
Do not try to start smoking without first developing a plan. Your life has probably been ruled by cigarettes for quite some time. A life without cigarettes will require adjustments in your life. Deciding what you are going to do about cravings, avoiding triggers, and setting your quit date are all essential components of a successful plan for quitting.
Avoid dieting when trying to quit smoking. A lot of aspiring quitters try to diet while quitting so they can avoid the supposedly inevitable weight gain. However, in doing so, they’re depriving their bodies of too much at once and they wind up relapsing. This just means gaining weight, while they’re still smoking.
Throw away your cigarettes and lighters. This will make it impossible to smoke unless you leave the house. It serves to remind you how much of a hassle it is to smoke and leaves you without any. When you do this, keep yourself busy with other activities so you don’t think about smoking.
An excellent method of stopping your smoking addiction is to change the brand of cigarettes that you purchase so that smoking won’t be so pleasant for you anymore. Some people get stuck on one brand that they love. When they switch this brand, they likely will not enjoy the new brand. This makes smoking not so appealing to them anymore. This makes it easier for them to quit their smoking.
Even though quitting tobacco can be a challenge, you can do it if you are willing to apply these tips to your situation. The suggestions you have read will give you a wonderful beginning to developing your personal plan. You deserve to be free from the devastating effects of nicotine dependency.