How to not smoke - tips and advice

If you're reading this article you are possibly struggling to quit smoking or have already stopped smoking for a while and are trying to not start smoking again. Nicotine craving, addiction and management can be very difficult. Whether you quit smoking cold turkey or quit smoking with hypnosis you may still be struggling to remain a non-smoker. While quitting smoking is extremely difficult remaining a non-smoker after quitting is also quite challenging. After I quit for my first time I went back to smoking after six months. This time around I have made it past the six-month barrier. Here's I'll share my tips for remaining a non-smoker after quitting.

Remind yourself of how much healthier you are

As a non-smoker you're greatly lowered your chances for lung cancer, many other types of cancer, heart problems, stroke and a huge list of health problems. Your body is gradually returning to the normal healthy state of a non-smoker. So what if you've put on a few pounds. Remind yourself: Wouldn't you rather be a little overweight and healthy than a skinny smoker and dead?

Remind yourself of nicotine addiction withdrawal

If you have successfully stopped smoking and would like to light up a cigarette think briefly of all the times you tried to quit and failed. Can you remember the horrible feeling of nicotine addiction withdrawal? It is awful! Personally, I made hundreds of attempts to quit smoking before I finally succeeded. Here just think of all those attempts and how disappointed you felt when you went back to smoking. Remembering that horrible feeling a disappointment and not having to go through nicotine addiction withdrawal should prevent you from lighting up a cigarette.

Remember the other smoker might be struggling to quit too

The first time I quit smoking then went back to the habit I always looked at other smokers and really wanted a cigarette. I'd say to myself, "Man, that looks nice!" But, now I have a completely different way of looking at somebody who is smoking and have no desire to light one up myself. I say to myself, "He or she might be struggling to quit too." By reminding myself that the other person smoking now might also be tying to quit has helped enormously to stay away from cigarettes.

Remember it's easy to avoid smoking now before you go back to smoking

If you've stopped smoking for several months you've released yourself from the physical addiction and if you feel like smoking now the desire is purely mental and not physical. At this point preventing yourself from smoking is easy. After one minute the feeling of desiring a smoke should pass and you'll continue on with your day. BUT, if you smoke just that ONE, the effort to avoid lighting up that next cigarette will increase one-thousand fold.

Remember the money you've saved from not smoking

By not smoking you've saved yourself a ton of money. If you're tempted to light up a cigarette try this exercise. Take out a calculator and calculate how much money you were wasting per month on cigarettes. Now consider how much your're saving per month. Multiply that number by 12 for one year. You'll see that by not smoking you're saving yourself thousands of dollars per year. This number should keep you from lighting up a cigarette.

Remember the guilt you felt when you smoked

Do you remember the guilt you felt when you were a smoker? You probably felt guilty about the fact that you were slowly damaging your health and shorting your lifespan, which would surely sadden your family members and friends. By not smoking you've relieved yourself of this guilt. By reminding yourself of this guilty feeling you associated with smoking cigarettes and how you no longer feel this guilt you'll probably avoid lighting up a cigarette.

Remember your goals in life

We all have different goals in life. You may want to see you kids grow up, travel to certain places and reach certain financial goals. By smoking you knew that the chances of doing certain activities later in life and reaching specific goals were lowered. But, by not smoking now you realize that you have a much higher chance of reaching these goals. Everyday remind yourself that by not smoking you are much more likely to reach your long-term goals in life and become a happier person!

I hope this quick list of tips for remaining a non-smoker has helped you. If I left anything out I'd love to hear from you below in the comments section!