Almost everyone that smokes is aware of the health risks that come with it. We all know how smoking increases the risks of cancer, heart diseases, infertility and stroke.
Given how dangerous long-term smoking is, quitting should be something logical and commonplace. That is not the case. Kicking the habit or quitting might just be the most difficult thing in the world.
According to experts, smoking involves both a physical compulsion and a psychological craving. The element of nicotine helps in providing the brain with a temporary high. Whether it is to relieve stress, eliminate anxiety or feel relaxed, it is this nicotine that alters the mood.
For many smokers, smoking is part of their daily routine. They might reach out for a cigarette with their morning tea or coffee, smoke when at a party (with alcohol) and go for a puff before bedtime.
In this article, we lay down certain steps that can help you quit smoking for good. If you are someone that wants to give up smoking and are looking for help, you should read what we have to say.
Top 7 Tips to Help you Quit Smoking for good
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Be Mentally Prepared to Set a Time and Date-
Many feel that reducing the number of cigarettes will slowly enable you to quit. This is a grave misconception. One useful tip for quitting smoking featured in this blog post suggests that the individual should set a definitive time and date to quit, rather than just attempting to stop suddenly without being mentally prepared. Being definite and precise helps in this regard.
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Distract Yourself When the Craving comes-
Many medical experts point out that the craving for smoking comes for a period of five minutes. This means that if you can distract yourself for those five minutes, the craving will subside. Go for a walk, play with your dog, or watch something on TV to make those crucial five minutes pass. If you can control your urges, your brain will get trained accordingly.
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Engage in Regular Physical Activity-
Physical activities like exercises, cycling, walking, or running help produce positive hormones that counter the urge to smoke. The more you can stay physically active, the lesser will be your craving to smoke a cigarette. The human brain produces anti-craving chemicals or hormones that are released when we engage in physical activity. This is great for your health.
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Avoid Areas and People that Encourage Smoking-
We have already mentioned how smoking is a habit that we pick up by watching and following others. A simple trick is to avoid social gatherings where you know people smoke. If you are in the initial stages of quitting, you need to do this intentionally and consciously. Do not think of it as doing something rude. This will help you resist the urge to smoke in many ways.
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Try to go for a Substitute to keep your Fingers busy-
Holding a cigarette is as much a part of habit as is physically smoking it. Keeping your mouth and hands busy by taking healthy munchies, lozenges, and gums can go a long way in helping you quit. Remember, it is all about the habit. You need to retrain your muscle memory by replacing cigarettes with some other element. Over a period, this will become a habit.
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Use Help and Support from your Family-
A lot of individuals quit smoking when their child is born. They use the pictures of their newborn son or daughter as a source of motivation to help them quit smoking. There is no harm in doing this. Turn to family members are ask them to encourage you to not smoke. When you get emotional and psychological support, you will see that kicking the habit becomes easier.
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Get Help from Experts-
In recent years, many credible institutions have come up that are offering de-addiction counseling, therapy, and exercises to help to quit. You can enroll in any of these programs and follow their instructions. Most of these programs suggest creating a new healthy routine, pointing out steps that you should take, and holding support sessions to help reinforce positivity.
The Bottom Line
By following all the above-mentioned tips, you will be giving yourself a fighting chance to give up smoking. This probably might be the best decision you will be taking in your life. If you have any other queries or require clarifications on how to quit smoking, please let us know in the comments below.
