With the threat of cancer, asthma attacks and lung diseases, such as emphysema, more than 3 million people make the choice to stop smoking each year. Since smoking is an addiction prone to mental cravings and physical urges, quitters face a number of obstacles that tests their self-control and willpower. When trying to eliminate one of the top compulsive habits in the United States, the following stop smoking tips can help.
Preparation
- Without mental preparation, your decision to stop smoking has a higher risk for failure. Creating a plan and committing it to paper is an effective way to anticipate potential obstacles and establish possible approaches on how to cope. Before you stop smoking, set an official quit date, and then alert family and friends about your decision. Remove all tobacco products from your home, office and car. Lastly, speak to your physician about available resources.
Motivation
- Consider the pros and cons of your decision to stop smoking and make a list of all the reasons why you want to quit. Typical objectives for quitting include living longer, feeling better, health problems, breathing issues, financial reasons and to please loved ones. Print out your list and post in visible locations at your home or office (like your refrigerator or computer desk). When urges arise, look to your list for motivation.
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Seek Support
- Friends and family provide a wealth of support for people quitting an addiction. It is important to surround yourself with positive reinforcements. Online assistance is also available, including forums where you can anonymously discuss your experiences with other people trying to stop smoking. Attend local support groups to speak directly with counselors and quitters---an effective way to learn new stop smoking tips.
Retrain Your Habits
- As you stop smoking, you must replace negative habits with positive alternatives. Instead of smoking a cigarette after meals, keep your mouth busy with a piece of sugarless gum. Find different ways to cope with stress other than tobacco products, like neck massages or bubble baths. During a 15-minute break or lunch hour at work, replace smoking a cigarette with constructive activities. Avoid environments that trigger your desire to smoke, such as bars and clubs.
Fruit and Water
- Your body undergoes physical changes when you stop smoking, including low blood sugar levels and a slower digestive tract. Drink fresh fruit juices to restore your blood sugar and increase the amount of vitamin C in your diet, which helps flush out the chemicals and toxins left behind by cigarettes.
Reward System
- Another way to stay motivated is to create a reward system for when you reach specific milestones, such as Day 1, Week 1, Month 1, the 6-month mark and your one-year anniversary. Examples of rewards include CDs, DVDs, books, clothing, dinner at your favorite restaurant or a weekend getaway with friends.
Visual Scare Tactics
- To combat strong urges, use visual techniques to strengthen your willpower. Scan photos of patients with lung cancer or view an image of a lung severely damaged by years of smoking. Place a handful of cigarettes in a jar of water and allow it to settle overnight. For a quick reminder why you should stop smoking, open the jar and take a whiff. Imagine the liquid entering your body. The sight and smell usually trigger feelings of disgust.
Delay Tactics
- Develop delay tactics to overcome the urge to smoke. For some, drinking a cold glass of water, eating a piece of candy or chewing gum helps distract the mind. Taking 10 deep breaths allows you to remember the importance of ignoring cravings. Other delay tactics include taking a walk around the block, popping in an exercise tape, and contacting friends and family for support.
Medical Alternatives
- Consider some of the medical alternatives available for people trying to stop smoking, including hypnosis, which builds confidence, provides motivation and uses behavior modification to achieve results. In addition to professional hypnosis treatments, there are also self-hypnosis tricks to explore. With acupuncture, tiny sterilized needles are inserted into specific points on the hand, wrist and ear to deter smoking, detoxify the body, and treat mental and physical symptoms of withdrawal.
Think Positive
- The mind is a powerful engine and a successful campaign to stop smoking begins with a positive attitude. Cravings to smoke are common, but they pass. Tell yourself that urges only last a couple of minutes. Withdrawal is an unwanted side effect---remind yourself that the symptoms only linger for a short period of time. Weight gain often takes place. Combat extra pounds with a healthy diet and exercise.
Read more: 10 Stop Smoking Tips | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5499729_stop-smoking-tips.html#ixzz1mZ5ePkiZ
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