Once you have decided it is time to quit smoking, you should have
a set Quit Date in mind for yourself. Many times, people will throw
their cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, and any other smoking
paraphernalia away a night or two before the actual Quit Date. In
addition, it may be a great idea to stock up on any helpful nicotine
replacement-type of items you may want to try during your quitting
endeavors, like nicotine gum, lozenges, or nasal sprays.
The best
way to quit, is to realize that you truly need to change your behavior
in the things you do. Make a list of all of the reasons you smoke,
whether it be boredom, when you are tired and on the computer a lot,
when you go out with friends, or even after you eat or drink something.
If you can, try to avoid these things for the first couple of weeks of
quitting.
On your Quit Day, do not smoke! These means not even a
bummed puff off the cigarette your co-worker is smoking! Try to do
something active to keep your mind off smoking. This will also help you
set a new behavior for your old one - where you used to sit around and
smoke, you can now get into the habit of walking and getting fit! Just
think, you could actually go DOWN a few pants sizes - just because you
quit smoking! If you are not ready for an extra-curricular activity,
then try your hand at crafts of some kind. Make your son a bunk bed with
a matching computer table out in the garage, or teach yourself to knit
or crochet . . . anything you can do to keep your restless
-want-to-hold-a-cigarette hands from spoiling your Quit Day!
Drink
lots of fluids, since they help you feel full, give you something to
fixate upon orally, and flush any impurities from your system quicker.
Try one of the nicotine replacements you decided upon. Do yourself a
favor and read the directions! (Nicotine gum is not meant to be chewed
just LIKE gum! It is meant to be bitten upon and held between the teeth
for a few seconds, then rolled around the mouth, bitten upon again,
held, etc.) In addition, there are many different levels of smoking in
the nicotine replacements. Do what I did - figure out how much you
smoked, and - if there is a level above that one - then choose the
higher level! You will not believe how often we try to play tricks on
ourselves -- specially when it comes to saying, "Oh, I don't really need
that much - I don't smoke enough!"
Think about what your daily
routine is. If you smoke in your car, and usually have a cigarette
finished by the time you hit so-and-so street, then consider changing
routes. Humans are one of the routine creatures of habit out there.
However, we can also learn to change such habits!
So now you're a little more educated. You know the benefits
of quitting smoking. But knowing the benefits of quitting smoking is
rarely enough to get people to quit. They need help. If you're looking
to quit smoking and you're actually looking for a way to do it ON THE
FIRST TRY, then CLICK HERE to Learn The Step-By-Step System that led over 95% of smokers to quit on their very first try!
