Ways to quit the Habit: Smoking

Then: I started actually smoking Junior year of high school when I was going through a stressful time in my life. It was my release from the world. I soon figured out how bad it was for me and I quit for a year. This took many different steps and I quit cold turkey.

Now: Now I have started again and I am writing this hub to help myself and others. Smoking is not only dangerous for YOU but it also hurts friends, family, and the environment.

A very helpful way to quit smoking is picking a day or just starting right away. Setting a day is easier for some people because it creates a point where you can start from and adds more organization t quiting. One thing I recommend is not to start on the first of any month. This can cause more stress for people to quit and many people have reported becoming more depressed if they relapsed then people who just quit on a normal day.

Then: When I quit cold turkey I did not pick a day. I simply said "I'm going to stop."

Now: This time around I am going to pick a day that means something to me. For example me and my current boyfriends anniversary. That makes it much easier because you will remember the day. I also might pick a random day to quit just to challenge my mind.

Make sure your friends and family know that you are quitting. This way smokers that you know are more likely to deny you a cigarette if you ask for one or talk about smoking in front of you.

When you quit a habit sometimes it helps to start a new one that is less harmful or not harmful at all. Chewing gum is a good one because it keeps your mouth busy, just try not to be like me and swallow it!. Playing a sport or exercising can also help keep your mind off of quiting.

Then: I danced and worked on my business plan. It would help me to keep my body, mind, and emotions busy and relieve stress.

Now: I think I am going to dance and exercise as well as meditate. The reason I smoke is because I am stressed and meditation helps with focusing the mind, body, and spirit.

Smoking can be dangerous for you and your family. There is the risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease. There is also the second hand smoke factor. Second hand smoke affects your family.

It is so important to quit at your own pace but it helps even more if you also are doing it for someone else as well. The thought of letting someone else down besides ourselves can push us to do things we never thought we were capable of doing.

Then: My boyfriend then was very helpful, he did not smoke at all and really was upset by me smoking so it helped me quit.

Now: I am not quitting for my youngest sister. She always asks me not to smoke anymore and when I look at the disappointed hurt look on her face it breaks my heart. She cares so much and is one of the most important people in my life that I just can't let down.