Smoking is a dangerous and unhealthy habit, but due to its addictive nature, it can be very hard to quit smoking. Many people try again and again to kick the habit, but find themselves backsliding and picking up a pack of cigarettes again. The following tips should help you finally quit smoking for good.
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.
Don’t rush into quitting. Take it day-by-day. Instead of thinking about stopping forever, think about taking it one day at a time. You will often find it easier from a psychological standpoint to accomplish things on a shorter timeline. Once you are doing well with short-term goals, you can move on to long-term goals. This will happen easily as your commitment becomes stronger.
Try to drink a lot of fruit juice as you begin quitting. The fruit juice will help cleanse your body of all the nicotine that is stored in your system. This will help you better resist cravings that you are bound to get if you do not do this sort of cleanse.
If you want to quit smoking, you need to identify factors that will motivate you to stop. Preventing lung cancer, tooth decay, gum disease and emphysema, or protecting your family are strong motivators. Showing respect for your body and for the gift of life is also a powerful motivating force. Whatever reason you choose, it needs to be enough to prevent you from lighting up again in the future.
Set a day that you plan on quitting your smoking habit permanently. Write down this date on your calendar, and plan on this day. Your mind should be ready for a new change that will last for the remainder of your life. You could even have a small party on the morning of the day that you’re quitting.
If you are finding that you aren’t enjoying food and drinks as much as you used to, consider quitting smoking. Smoking can cause damage to the taste buds in your mouth, meaning that you don’t recognize tastes in the same way. If you quit, your taste buds will soon recuperate, meaning you will be able to enjoy your favorite meals once again.
When you are trying to quit smoking, be sure that you are drinking plenty of water. Not only is water good for you, but it also fulfills the need to have something in your mouth. Also, large amounts of water help to clear out nicotine and other chemicals in your body caused by cigarettes.
Do not give up. Relapsing is very common. Many smokers have to try several times before they are successful in putting down the cigarettes. Look at what circumstances and emotions lead to the relapse. Once you decide you are ready to try again, set a date to quit in the very near future.
Once you get to the point that you should be done smoking altogether, throw away any extra tobacco products. This reduces the temptation to have “just one more cigarette.” You should also get rid of any cigarette paraphernalia that could trigger cravings, including everything from a favorite lighter to ashtrays to your old butts.
As any smoker knows, trying to quit can be a very frustrating experience. The advice and information you have read in this article should have given you some tools you can use to reduce this frustration and make some real progress towards quitting smoking. Make use of these tips to give up this habit for good.
