8 Effective Ways to Stop Smoking for Good ...

One of the initial steps to quit smoking involves thinking about smoking and how it affects your life. What was your life like before you smoked-were you less winded, had a nicer voice for impromptu karaoke or had nicer smelling hair? What does it do for you-what benefit are you getting out of smoking what has that cigarette done for you? What are the pros and cons of continuing to smoke vs. quitting? Thinking about all of these things will help put things into perspective and give you an even bigger push to make the commitment to quit!

You might have days when you’re contemplating whether to stop smoking or not but that’s not enough; one of the most effective ways to stop smoking begins with deciding to stop smoking and when you will quit. It might not sound very effective but it’s just like starting or stopping anything, you have to make a conscious decision to do so and stick to it. Think about times when you’ve thought about doing something like eating out less often-there are many factors that can hinder you from following through but once you set a date, it’s much more real and you’re more likely to stick with it.

One of the top tips to quit smoking is to make yourself accountable for quitting and tell the people in your life about it and ask for support. You’re much less likely to slip up and cheat if your friends and family are aware of your endeavors plus, you can enlist their help when you get a bad craving. Lean on others for support and help dealing with withdrawals and it’ll make quitting much easier and less stressful.

Identifying what triggers you to light up is another way to stop smoking. Most people have certain times of the day or specific behaviors or emotions associated with smoking so to nip things in the bud it’s best to recognize the who, what, where, when and how of your habit and think of alternate ways to get by. If you love to smoke after a big meal, start eating lighter meals and replace the after dinner cig with something healthy like fruit, a walk or mints. If you always light up with co-workers on a break, you have to tell them you’re quitting and start doing alternate activities with them or other non-smokers.

Journaling is a fantastic way to cope with many things and it definitely tops this list of stop smoking tips! Whenever you feel like smoking or have really bad cravings, write it all down. Track the date, time of day, your location and your mood. Although it might not be helpful in the beginning, it’ll help you recognize patterns relating to cravings and the longer you go without a smoke and the more you get used to living without cigarettes, you’ll see how far you’ve come!

If you’re a long-time smoker, you probably have your routines down so an additional tip to quit smoking is to change your daily routine. If you always have your morning cigarette with coffee, start drinking tea or a nutritious smoothie or check emails while you have coffee. If you always smoke while you drive, catch up with your mom or friends on your hands-free phone on your commute, listen to an audiobook to keep your mind engaged or take a different route or use public transportation. Shake up your routine so that you get used to doing things without smoking.

Satisfying your oral fixation with something healthy like eating sunflower seeds, chewing gum and eating crunchy veggies are all good ways to stop smoking. Sometimes we just miss the action of smoking and want to keep our mouths busy so chewing or snacking is a good way to soothe ourselves. If you find that you want to keep your hands busy, try squeezing a stress ball or play a game on your phone. Make sure you up your intake of water during this time because it’ll help flush the toxins out of your body which will help minimize symptoms and help decrease cravings.

Quitting smoking cold turkey works well for some, for others not so much so talking to your doctor for helpful ways to quit smoking is essential. Talk to your doctor about smoking cessation programs, nicotine replacement therapy, medications and also explore alternative methods like hypnosis, acupuncture and therapy. There are lots of ways to approach quitting smoking and if one doesn’t work, don’t give up, you have lots of options!

Whether you’re a casual social smoker or a lifelong smoker, there are many ways to quit smoking that will work! Even if you’re tried to quit before and went back to smoking, you can still quit for good and live a healthier lifestyle. I’m sure you’ve faced a lot of challenges in your life that were difficult but you still got through it. Quitting smoking is another challenge but with the right attitude and support, you can quit!