To be motivated, you need a powerful, personal reason to quit. This may be to protect your family from secondhand smoke. or reduce your chances of developing lung cancer, heart disease, or other conditions. Or look and feel younger. Choose a reason that is strong enough to outweigh the desire to shine. In places where you often smoke or chew, such as at parties or bars, or sometimes when you’re feeling stressed or sipping coffee, the urge to smoke is likely to be stronger. Find your triggers and make a plan to avoid them or move past them without using tobacco. If you usually smoke while talking on the phone, for example, keep a pen and paper handy to keep busy doodling instead of smoking. We all know the health risks of smoking, but that doesn’t make it easy to quit the habit. Whether you’re an occasional teen smoker or a lifelong pack-a-day smoker, quitting can be really hard. Quitting Smoking
Why is quitting so hard?
Nicotine from cigarettes provides a temporary and addictive substance. Ending this regular fix of nicotine causes your body to experience physical withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Because of nicotine’s “feel good” effect on the brain, you can turn to cigarettes as a quick and reliable way to improve your outlook, relieve stress, and relax. Letting go means finding different, healthier ways to deal with those feelings. Quitting Smoking
Smoking is also ingrained as a daily ritual. It may be an automatic reaction for you to smoke with your morning coffee while taking a break at work or school, or on your way home at the end of a busy day. Or maybe your friends, family, or colleagues smoke, and it has become part of the way you relate to them.
To successfully quit smoking, you’ll need to address both the addiction and the habits and routines that go along with it. But it can be done. With the right support and a plan to quit, any smoker can kick the addiction—even if you’ve tried and failed many times before. Quitting Smoking
Symptoms of Quitting Smoking
Common symptoms you may experience during your recovery include:
Cravings – These may be strong at first, but they usually only last a few minutes. If you resist each one, they will become less powerful over time.
Restlessness and trouble concentrating or sleeping – these will go away as your body adjusts to not smoking. Relaxation and deep breathing can help.
Irritability, anger, anxiety, depressed mood – it’s all normal: don’t panic. Just accept that you will be emotional for a while and it will pass.
Planning ahead can help. The Better Health Channel has tips for controlling your weight gain
Less common symptoms you may experience – which will pass – include:
Cold symptoms such as coughing and sneezing
Constipation
Dizziness or light-headedness
Mouth ulcers.
As time goes by, you will find that these symptoms will weaken, and you will think about smoking less. If you have severe or persistent symptoms, it may help to discuss them with a health professional or a Quitline counselor. It may also help to use nicotine replacement therapy or prescribed smoking cessation pills. For more tips visit Craving a Cigarette Now? Quitting Smoking
It is recommended to cut down on caffeinated drinks or foods when you quit smoking. This is imp
Routines to help you manage cravings
One of the biggest challenges many people face in the early days of quitting is regular cravings. Some cravings are your body’s physical craving for nicotine, but some have to do with your daily routine.
Changing your routine can help avoid the triggers that tell your brain it’s time to smoke.
Here are some ideas for activities to do instead of smoking during the times you would normally smoke:
- First thing in the morning – take a bath
- With coffee or tea – change to a different drink, a different cup, or where you drink it.
- At morning tea – sit in a different place or with different people, read a magazine or scroll through your social media.
- On the computer at home – move your desk or redecorate to change the look.
- After dinner – go for a walk.
- After work – exercise or meditate
- Before Dinner – Schedule your meal earlier
- With alcohol – switch to a different type of drink or hold your drink in your smoking hand.
- As you plan your next task – take a deep breath.
- As a reward – listen to music or have a piece of fruit.
- When you are with someone who smokes – bring chewing gum or a bottle of water.
- In front of the television – move the furniture around, grab a stress ball, do some simple stretches.
- Remember, every time you resist the urge and do something else instead, it’s a victory in your quest to quit: you’re helping your brain break the association between activity and cigarettes. are
- Sip a glass of water slowly.
- Play with a pet.
- Call a friend.
- Play games on your phone.
- Ask your partner or friend for a shoulder massage.
- Try doing some gardening.
- Apply some hand cream.
- Create a jigsaw puzzle or crossword.
- An orange peel.
- Think about the reasons you are giving up and envision a positive future.
Benefits Of Quitting Smoking
The health and lifestyle benefits of quitting smoking include:
- Your sense of taste and smell may improve, so you can enjoy your food more.
- Exercising to increase your fitness will become easier.
- You’ll be free from the hassles of smoking, like smelling smoke, or always making sure you have enough cigarettes.
- Your fertility levels (in both men and women) will improve, and if you’re a woman, your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and baby will also increase.
- You’ll save thousands of dollars a year that you can save or spend on other things.
- You will no longer be putting their health at risk from secondhand smoke.
- Your children will be less prone to bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, meningitis and ear infections.