Smoking can be one tough habit to break. Many people, citing health concerns, have considered quitting smoking only to fall back into the habit after some time. Nicotine addiction can be truly hooking. And the withdrawal syndrome for such can be quite a pain to deal with.
Smoking presents a great hazard to the collective health of most Americans. It has been linked to various ailments such as lung cancer, oral and throat cancer, emphysema, bronchitis and a variety of heart ailments. Aside from these major diseases, smokers generally experience shortness of breath, discoloration of teeth, discoloration of lips and other effects. Because of these reason it comes as no surprise that many people have decided to quit smoking altogether.
The problem is HOW. It is easy to say you would want to smoke. But the urge to light up another stick somehow always wins over the desire to quit. Many people who have decided to quit find themselves crawling back into the habit after sometime. Why? Cigarettes contain nicotine which is a very addictive drug, and once it gets a hold of a person, it never lets go.
The first thing to know when considering quitting smoking is that quitting is not an event, it is a process. Unfortunately, quitting is harder than acquiring the habit in the first place. It will take a lot of determination and willpower. You will have to treat quitting as a major life activity.
Habits
Smoking is a habit that you will have to unlearn. You will have to make a checklist of places and situations where you feel the greatest urge to smoke. After that, you will have to avoid these situations and create new reactions to these situations.
For example, if usually go to a certain place to smoke, you may want to avoid going to this area for a while. Or, you could spend less time there. You won’t be able to avoid all these places, but altering the situations that you are accustomed to smoking in would help a lot.
While you are at that, you should also learn new habits in those situations. For example, if you love smoking after meals, try going to a different area after eating and instead of lighting a cigarette, get some candy. Candy and other munchies have proven to be a good substitute to while away your desire for a smoke.
Keep Healthy
Drink lots of water and eat lots of vegetables. A healthy body is precursor to a healthy mind, which you will need to cope with the rigors of withdrawal. Starting healthy habits also gets the ball rolling towards not wanting to smoke anymore. You may also want to try exercise. Exercise and sports require much physical discipline and focus. Those who enjoy these activities are the least likely to smoke.
Get With a Program
There are many smoking cessation programs that could help, some are psychological in nature, some scientific, and some practical. Find one that suits you. There are nicotine patches that help ease the withdrawal from nicotine. There are also counseling groups that could give you support in your cessation endeavors.
Go Slow
Your craving for cigarette will not go away all of a sudden. In fact, you could end up wanting a smoke even after years of abstinence. That is why it is not advisable to go through the ‘quit cold turkey’ routine. Some people try steadily lessening the number of cigarettes they smoke per day. They then limit their intake per week, then per month, until they have kicked the smoking habit altogether.
If you quit cold turkey, you run the risk of being able to abstain for days or even weeks, but when you crack; you’re going to go on a smoking tear. As said earlier, smoking cessation is a process. Take it easy, but take it seriously. It took you a long time to learn this habit, it may take you a long time to unlearn it, but the health benefits and the freedom from the strangling wisps of cigarette smoke is well worth it.
Quitting your smoking problem is not easy. It is not impossible either. Get support from your friends and put your heart and mind into getting healthier today!
No comments:
Post a Comment