Quitting Smoking

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Author:
Michael Russell

Many people have tried to quit smoking and failed. What most of them don't know that most smokers will fail several times before they quit completely. There have been many studies that have shown that cigarette smoking is as hard to break as a cocaine addiction. Some people have found it beneficial admitting to themselves that they are powerless over nicotine, before starting their journey to quitting smoking. If you admit that you are now smoking because you are addicted and not because it is a personal choice may help motivate you to making the next steps to quitting smoking.

Surprisingly about eighty percent of people try to quit smoke without help. Ninety five percent of those people fail. So getting help to quit smoking is a must. Do not try to do it by yourself. Seek help with programs and there are even meetings for people who are trying to quit smoking to help give you support. Find a program that may work for you, better yet find two or more. You can use a combination of programs. You can place a call to your local American Cancer Society and get a list of inexpensive mainstream programs. There are over the counter nicotine replacement methods that you can use such as nicotine gum and the patch. You could get a prescription for the nicotine inhaler or Zyban. You should buy a quit smoking book and audio tapes to listen to on the way to work. Some work places offer you a reward for quitting smoking. So not only do you save money you may get money as well.

A lot of people who have quit smoking claim that learning to take slow deep breaths were a very important technique to learn. Essentially every time you want a cigarette, you take a deep long breath and then very slowly exhale. If you purse you lips it will force you air to come out more slowly. When you exhale try to imagine all the tension coming out of you body and let you chin fall to your chest. Let the tension just flow out. You also need to remember the urge for a cigarette lasts for about five minutes. So if you get the strong urge to smoke, practice your breathing and tell yourself that you can make it through these five minutes. Then it will be better.

You will need to drink lots of water for the first few days to flush all the nicotine and toxins out of your body. Stay away from coffee, alcohol and high calorie snacks, these can trigger a craving for a cigarette. Some people find it helpful to find a substitute for their cigarette such as gum, lollipops, cinnamon sticks and hard candy. It may be helpful to change your normal routine. Take a walk or go to the gym during lunch or breaks. Please do not forget to ask for support form family, friend and co-workers. That way they know you are trying to quit and understand if you are a little grumpy! Do not be afraid to ask people around you not to smoke. This may be more important than you realize.

It will be helpful to write down ten things about being a non-smoker and then ten things bad about smoking. It really helps. It will also help if you reaffirm to yourself that you are a non-smoker, not a smoker who isn't smoking at the moment. Repeat to yourself all day that you are a non-smoker. It is ok to grieve about quitting smoking. Your body has been programmed that smoking made you feel good. You will miss it in the beginning; it is okay to feel that grief.

Michael Russell

Your Independent Stop Smoking guide.

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... Five Reasons Why You Should Stop Smoking, Now! If you are reading this article it means that you have already thought about stopping smoking. The first step in quitting a habit or in changing your life is to take a firm determination or a vow to yourself that you are going to do something. However, in order to take this first step you have to be convinced that it is the right thing to do. If you need some more reasons why it is time to do something about your smoking habit, here are five things to consider: 1. You can live longer if you stop smoking now According to a study in the British Medical Journal, quitting smoking now could add 7-10 years to your life. No one can be sure that he or she will be alive tomorrow. Anything can happen, due to circumstances beyond our control. Despite this, we should do whatever we can that is within our control to live a long and happy life. You can’t prevent yourself from being injured in an earthquake, but you can prevent yourself from dying due to a smoking related illness. 2. Smoking is no longer "cool" Many people begin smoking due to peer pressure or for other social reasons. At one time it was fashionable or “cool” to smoke, but that is no longer so. With study after study confirming the harmful effects of smoking, the tide has turned. It is becoming quite difficult to smoke in public areas and smoking is viewed as a nuisance by the society at large. If you began smoking to be “in”, take a look around and you will see that the times have changed. Keep up with these changes and quit smoking now. 3. Set a good example for your children or people who look up to you If you know that becoming a smoker was a mistake, then you should make sure that your children or friends who look up to you do not follow in your footsteps. The best way to teach others is by...