How To Quit Smoking Right Now
To be smoke free is a dream many smokers dream about. The question is not why, but how. How does someone go from a pack of cigarettes a day to none ever again? How would you feel if I told you that the difference between smoking and not smoking is in your own head? What if I told you that you have the power to give it up, only you? Would you believe me or think I am a fool?
Let me tell you a little about myself first. I used to smoke. I smoked for eight or nine years before I gave it up, and I smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day. Now I do not smoke at all. I wish I could tell you that I don’t even think about it but that would just be untrue. Every now and then I will catch myself thinking about smoking, but through will power I put those thoughts outside of my mind.
How to Quit
First of all, quitting for me was easier than I thought. Some people who’ve smoked for more years than I did may find it to be more difficult. It is possible and it will happen if you have the right frame of mind. There are many methods out there to quit smoking; I personally used the cold turkey method. I did not just stop smoking; I worked my way off of the cigarettes and I did so in a high stress environment. Here are the steps to quitting smoking for good.
1. Make a conscious decision to quit.
2. Be realistic with your goals.
3. Choose a method that fits your lifestyle.
4. Persevere with that method when it is tough.
5. Use a crutch when needed.
6. Quit
7. Never look back or give in after you quit.
As you can see actually quitting is nearly last on the list. The reason it is not last is because after you quit it is a battle for quite awhile to finish it off completely.
Some Scientific Data
- Smokefree.gov
Here is a government run website that can help you with your stop smoking goals.
Make a Conscious Decision to Quit
This is the hardest part of the whole process. It is the hardest because your mind can fool you into thinking you’re serious when in fact you aren’t. There has to be some strong reason for you to quit. It can be a number of things—the most common being health. I quit because I grew tired of it, smoking made me smell funny, it had no purpose to it, and it was killing me, plus my wife has asthma and wanted me to quit. Like I said before, you have to be 100 percent committed mentally to achieve this goal. Once the decision is made and you feel secure in that decision then you can start the real process. Before you can be smoke free you have to follow the steps, don’t jump or you’ll fall.
Be Realistic with Your Goals
The ultimate goal in quitting smoking is to not smoke, this goal is realistic. The unrealistic goal is, “I will quit smoking Monday.” This is unreal and doomed to failure because without properly stepping down off the cigarettes, you will have an extremely hard time not smoking. It is possible to do it this way but only a few have succeeded at this. Stepping down from cigarettes is realistic, work your way towards having three a day. Once you get there then you can knock it down to two, then one, and finally none. As long as you are realistic with your goals and your will power you will do fine.
Choose a Method
How many stop smoking methods are out there? There are several methods out there to choose from. They are cold turkey, Nicorette, Chantix, the patch, all of these methods work. The trick is to pick which one is best for you. I would recommend seeing a doctor about your plan to stop smoking. The doctor may be able to suggest what is best, but in the end it is you that knows yourself best. What you must know is that when you stop smoking there are two things you need to beat. The first is the nicotine; this one is simple and is out of your system in seven days. The second is the habit of smoking. Muscle memory can be a pain in the butt; however there are tools out there to help you.
Persevere
A winner never quits. This saying applies directly to a quit smoking method in this article. If you want to win against smoking you can’t quit. As a matter of fact remove it from your vocabulary. Times will get hard during the process, you may feel like you can’t win and want to give up. Don’t give up though; it is beautiful over here on the non smoking side. You can breathe better, you don’t smell bad, and your family is happy; it is sunshine and butterflies over here. I know how tough it can be, so you need to get tough with it. Stay as busy as possible while in this process and if you can’t handle it anymore use a crutch.
Use a Crutch
I’m not talking about a real crutch for broken legs and such. I’m talking about a tool used to help get you over something. In quitting smoking a likely crutch would be a hard candy, like Jolly Ranchers™ or something like that. Peppermint mints are also great crutches during this time. It is far better to eat a candy to get over the habit than to smoke again, trust me. Yes you may gain some weight, which is almost guaranteed. The funny thing about weight gain is you can lose it again.
Quit
You’ve made it to a month without a cigarette. This is only the beginning. The challenge will still be there but now that you’ve quit you know that you are just fine without cigarettes. Never again will you think that you need them to be happy. You are now in the land of sunshine and butterflies. The air smells so much cleaner, and you can do so much more. Not smoking is the cool thing to do nowadays. Welcome to the cool crowd.
Never Look Back
Always look forward. The past happened, you used to smoke, and there is no denying it. Don’t dwell on what used to be, this will only cause a relapse. If you do touch a cigarette and have even one thought about smoking it, you need to discipline yourself. Maybe you could treat yourself to something nice for achieving the insurmountable goal. You did it and now you are a proud non smoker.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed reading this and more so I hope it inspired you to quit. The tools and method described is what I used to quit smoking. This method can work for you if you give it everything you have. Always check with a doctor prior to initiation of a stop smoking plan. Take care and I can’t wait to hear how your battle is going.
The End
© 2010 by Wesley Cox. All rights reserved. Copying without permission is illegal and will be prosecuted.