Quitting Smoking

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Author:
Dan Gluckman

Learn how to reduce cravings for both cigarettes and food.
Once you stop smoking, it is important to learn how to handle cravings for cigarettes and food. Remember, a craving only lasts about 5 minutes. Consider these actions to help deal with your cravings.

Replace smoking with other activities.
Snack on fruit or sugarless gum to satisfy any sweet cravings. Keep your hands busy. Replace the action of holding cigarettes with activities like doodling, working puzzles, knitting, twirling a straw, or holding a pen or pencil.

Drink less caffeine.
Try to avoid drinking beverages that contain caffeine, such as sodas. Nicotine withdrawal will make you feel jittery and nervous, and the caffeine may only make nicotine withdrawal worse.

Get enough sleep.
When you feel tired, you are more likely to crave cigarettes and food.

Reduce tension.
To help relieve tension, relax by meditating, taking a walk, soaking in the tub, or taking deep breaths. Find something that will help you relax and replace the urge to smoke.

Get support and encouragement.
You need a lot of support when you quit smoking. Talk to a friend when you get the urge to smoke or join a support group such as Nicotine Anonymous. You can also participate in workshops offered by health care providers that will help you quit smoking. If you can, find a friend to quit with you for mutual support.

Consider nicotine replacement therapy.
If you have significant withdrawal symptoms or are concerned about weight gain, consider using a nicotine substitute. Some nicotine replacement products, formerly available by prescription only, are now available over the counter. Using nicotine gum or a nicotine patch, along with improved eating habits and physical activity, will help you reduce your risk of a smoking relapse. Nicotine gum has been shown to delay weight gain after quitting. There are also prescription medications that are available to help you quit smoking. Before considering a prescription medication, you may want to explore natural stop-smoking aids.

Try not to do things that tempt you to smoke or eat when you are not hungry.
Keep a journal of where and when you feel most tempted to smoke and avoid these situations. Substitute healthy activities for smoking to help you avoid the urge to smoke or eat when you are not hungry.

Try not to panic about modest weight gain.
Accept some weight gain as a normal result of the nicotine leaving your body. Know that quitting smoking is the best thing that you can do for you and those around you. If possible, before you quit, prepare a plan to quit smoking that includes simple changes in your eating and exercise habits. Improving your lifestyle as you stop smoking can help you prevent a large weight gain and become a healthy nonsmoker.

Dan has successfully remained a non-smoker for the past 6 years and is committed to helping other smokers break their nicotine habit. He runs the stop-smoking resource site Giving Up Smoking Cigarettes ( http://givingupsmoking.net ).

Think your ready to quit? Test your stress coping skills.

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Smoking... Smoking`s Fitness Impact Choosing to smoke cigarettes is your decision, but smoking can have a severe impact on your fitness goals. This article will explain the dangers of smoking, smoking`s negative impact on your body, and common aids to help you kick the habit. Your main focus here is to not merely hear me mumble on about why you shouldn`t smoke. I am trying to help you quit and give you postive words of encouragement in order for you to achieve your quit smoking goals. You`ve heard it before, "Smoking is bad," "Smoking gives you lung cancer," blah blah blah. But do you really know why it`s bad for you or why it gives you lung cancer? It`s because you are addicted to the drug nicotine and crave more of it each time you light up a cigarette. This addiction can go on for years and even decades, and will cause health problems such as empasyma, heart disease, bronchitis, increased risk of a heart attack, and mouth cancer. Smoking is hard on the lungs and will reduce fitness levels through the carbon monoxide in the smoke fighting for oxygen in the lungs. Have you ever tried to run or lift weights after smoking a cigarette? You probably noticed a lack of motivation, fatigue, and a harder time finishing your workout. The biggest problem of these three is fatigue because you want to be able to skim through your workout at a fast pace and get on with your day, right? Not by smoking! With smoking, you stand little chance of having a productive workout and even if you do have a productive one, you will still have to worry about the other factors as well. So what`s the miracle cure to quitting smoking? The first thing you need is motivation. Why do you want to quit in the first place? Secondly, you need a positive support cast I suggest joining a quit smoking forum online and get advice from other...