Whether you smoke a few cigarettes a day or a pack a day, quitting smoking will add years to your life. It is very possible that you have tried to quit in the past and failed to meet your goal.
This can be very frustrating and sometimes makes you wonder why your willpower isn’t working! The simple answer is that quitting smoking is a mental and a psychical process. It is very possible to be addicted to the mental side of smoking and to the way your addiction makes you feel physically.
Becoming addictive to nicotine is not your fault. Nicotine affects your brain and makes you feel good and to fight it you will need to take appropriate steps. Unfortunately there is no easy or quick way to quit smoking that works for everyone. Everyone is individual and it is important to find the method that will work for you.
If you have come this far you will understand that you need more than just your willpower alone. It doesn’t hurt to need help and one way to do this is to find a support group. Other methods that you can use are to use the patch or a product such as nicotine gum or electronic cigarettes. Your goal is to try and replace your smoking habit with something else. Research has shown that it takes about three weeks to form a new habit and make it stick.
Your first step is to make the decision to quit smoking. Your next step is learning how to fight those cravings! When you find yourself craving a cigarette do something else. This might be finding someone from your support group or reaching for a piece of nicotine gum.
Avoiding places where people smoke is going to be vital to your success. If you stay away from smokers you will miss smoking less and you will experience fewer cravings. Find places to go that are smoke free instead.
Remember that you are going to experience withdrawal symptoms because smoking is addictive. Temptations are always going to be around and you need to deal with them successfully. Deal with your smoking temptations the same you would a food addiction. If you were trying to lose weight you won’t stock junk food in your house. Don’t keep cigarettes in your home and avoid any type of smoking environment.
One good method to use is to mark off your calendar into a three week segment. Cross off each day separately to track how many days you have been smoke free. By concentrating on getting through those first 3 weeks you won’t feel as though you are on a lifelong battle. Instead you have an end in sight when your new habit of not smoking will be engrained in your body.
