How to Stop smoking?

We have already talked about the the ill-effects of smoking in our previous blog-post. If you haven't already checked that out, you can find a link to it towards the end of this article.  Now, let us look at the difficult part of it. We shall find out how to successfully quit smoking and at the same time analyze and review reasons behind the failure of various inept attempts you might have already made.

Smoking is an addictive habit and there's no denying, it is challenging to get rid of. It's related to the onset of practically every bad thing that can happen to you and your surroundings. If you are reading this, you know you already want to quit smoking but when asked how exactly, you may sound like at sixes and seven. It's an upshot of the several anti-smoking campaigns being conducted globally that a lot of people have lately sworn to withdraw from nicotine enslavement. Its important to understand that failure is never fatal, it is the unwillingness to change that kills. Consider the following checklist before giving it a next try. Here's something that could help you save yourself from the destruction.

Identify Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

Have you analyzed the stumbling stones that led to the failure of your anti tobacco resolution? If not yet, next time when you decide to go without smoking, irrespective of whether you succeed or not, make sure you note down the difficulties you face as tobacco withdrawal symptoms. Not everyone experiences the same set of issues. Find out whether you get anxious, irritated, depressed or you deal with something bigger like insomnia, intestinal cramps, sore throat etc. Once you know where your problem starts, you can take steps to curb them before your cravings go out of control.

Change Your Perspective

For some people smoking is more like a choice than addiction. Think why you started smoking tobacco in the first place. Some people would argue that it relieves their mind from stress. They don't realize that it's nothing but their nicotine addiction that gets satisfied to make them feel good for a few minutes. If you are the one who finds excuses to explain why smoking tobacco is unavoidable then take it as given that it is you who is responsible for the addiction even more than nicotine. Unless and until you change the way you look at this, you won't be able to free yourself from the wrongdoing. Smoking wont relieve stress but will only block it for sometime. 

Identify The Trigger Moments

What makes you smoke? When do you often smoke? Do you smoke while watching TV? Does idleness intensify your cravings for a cigarette? Only after you get well acquainted with your habit, you can try to find a solution. Note down the exact moment that triggers a strong desire to smoke. If you have failed trying to quit smoking, you would probably know what made you pick it up again. If it's idleness and inactivity that trips your craving, ensure that you keep yourself engaged and your mind occupied with work as long as possible.

Avoid Company Of Smokers

At public places, in hospitals, in public transport and at workplace you can't smoke. You realize that smokers are now treated as a social outcast. People who don't smoke do not want to get effected by passive smoking. When you are determined to quit the bad habit, company of regular smokers may turn out to be savage.

Seek Help

How did you start smoking? Did it happen because you thought it was cool enough to smoke with your friends or were you not able to turn down the cigarette that was offered to you for some other reason? If it took you the help of someone to set off the habit, you should not hesitate to seek help from others who could actually help purge you of it. You know giving up on nicotine isn't going to be a cakewalk. Though assistance from health professionals would be more advisable, you can also take help from someone you know. What you need is some constant psychological support and encouragement that would keep you on track.

Break A Relationship, Start A New One

A smoker thinks he could justify smoking by labeling himself as an addict and hence he would willingly admit being one. We already know that it is addictive and no medication has yet shown to restore a smoker's will to reject cigarettes. If you are really serious about quitting it, you need to believe that you can. What would help you break an old relationship? As might be expected, a new and a better one. Engage yourself into healthy habits like exercising or other physical activities. This would require a change in lifestyle but you anyhow need to keep yourself unavailable to the thought of picking up tobacco again.

We did not talk about any pharmacological substrate that could help you resist tobacco. I strongly believe that if you train your mind and keep making attempts despite failures, you will be able to get rid of the addiction. It's all about changing your mind without creating any further dependency on something else. Most of the pharmacological products that claim to provide an oral gratification similar to nicotine would themselves contain nicotine and that too in a slightly higher proportion than what you get in a single cigarette. Apparently, they would only intensify your nicotine addiction. Better aim to get rid of the killer addiction through your will power and turn it off before it turns you off. Again, it won't be easy but it's going to be worth it. 

Click on the link to read our blog-post on 'What's wrong with smoking?'.