Support groups have been around for the past fifty years. But what are these support groups for? Support groups are groups of people who help a person with their problems.
Alcoholics, smokers these are just some types of persons that a support groups help. While you’re in a support group, helping yourself quit is a sign that you’re serious about quitting smoking.
Be patient. It is natural to expect that you could overcome smoking in a short period of time, but it is also natural to know that it is not possible. Identifying yourself as a former smoker doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to finally quit smoking. If you’ve been a smoker for a good number of years, it may take sometime for you to break the habit. Lapses could occur. So be patient. The process will help you.
Live by the day. Stop thinking about things in the long run, instead, put your focus on the present. At the start of the day, tell yourself you will not touch a cigarette for today. This may be hard at first but it could be a routine you could get used to in the days to come. Thinking of not touching a cigarette forever might be overwhelming for a smoker. Settle in for something that is more realistic, start with today.
Be positive. You don’t have to be hard on yourself if you want to stop smoking. If you have tried to quit smoking and have failed in doing so in the past, don’t think of it as a failure. It will only make you think that you can’t do it again. Instead, use this as a motivation in quitting. Tell yourself that you can conquer this weakness. Learn from your past experiences. Now you have an ace because you’ve been through that stage and know the things that you have to avoid.
You only plan on quitting smoking cigarettes, not quitting on your life. Overcome the feeling of withdrawal by taking care of your body’s needs. Be sure to eat a well-balanced diet. You also have to get enough rest. You might be feeling extra fatigued especially during the first week so be sure to take a good rest and give your body the nutrients it needs. Drink lots of water and exercise daily. Drinking water will help your body get rid of the toxins inside as well as to replace the liquids you lost while exercising. Give your body extra energy by taking vitamins daily. This will help you get back the vitamins you lost in years of smoking.
Avoid alcohol. If you’re a new quitter places where you have to drink alcohol are places where you could also smoke. Having a drink or two will most likely trigger your urge to have another light. And this is a very dangerous phase for a new graduate.
Avoid stress. Stress is a good trigger for you to smoke again. After all it is stress that drove you into your first cigarette pack right? Tension is experienced on the first phase of withdrawing. Relax. Take a deep breath and keep your mind focused on your goal. Take time everyday to cope up with stress. There’s only one thing that could solve this. That is to do things that will relieve it, like reading a good book or playing your favorite sports. A nice warm bath could also be a way of relieving stress.
Take time to enjoy the good things life has to offer. Don’t take on quitting to seriously for it may develop stress. This may even make your attendance to the support group meetings an extra load. Keep the bad thoughts away. There may be times that you would experience anxiety because of the bad turn of events. Take on it as any person would do. Accept it as a part of life. Instead of moping around, treat yourself!
Give up the idea that you could have just one cigarette a day. You started smoking with one stick a day, so this means you’re starting your way back to the old habit once again. That is the reason why you signed yourself in to a support group. It is because you wanted to stop smoking.
Quitting is a process. Getting yourself in a support group alone will not help. It needs determination and courage for you to stop that bad habit of smoking.
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