Overview
One of the strongest addictions that afflict humans is smoking. Nicotine in tobacco is a powerful habit-forming substance and once you consume it in a smoke, you get consumed by it! With a large part of the world addicted to smoking, more and more people are realizing the death knell it sounds and are making efforts to give it up. Though it is wonderful to decide to give up smoking, there are a few things to be known and a few steps to be taken to achieve the same.
Things to watch out for
When you decide to quit smoking, there are some things you must be careful about when you take your resolve.
- Depending on your body type and nature, you will either gain or lose weight as you quit smoking. Keep a tab on your food habits and alter them accordingly.
- You are bound to feel very restless, irritated and angry when you deprive the body of the nicotine and smoke that it has got used to. The withdrawal symptoms can be very severe. Be prepared with alternatives.
- When you seek nicotine substitutes, do it under proper medical supervision to take it in a form that is most suitable for you.
- Have a host of mood elevators at your disposal before you begin the efforts to quit smoking.
- Be ready to have a relapse and never quit till you finally kick the habit.
- Prepare not only yourself, but everyone around to the fact that you are planning to quit smoking.
DIY steps
There is not particular order in which things have to be done. Since you are trying to kick away a habit, you have to do everything possible to keep away from tobacco and nicotine. So, the steps outlined below represent all the things that have to be done to quit smoking.
1. Planning the time to quit
Like for any other activity, planning is essential when you want to quit smoking too. Pick a date and time when you will begin your effort. This is important because the body and mind would have got used to smoking in times of stress and hard work. Pick a time when you are relaxed and have no stresses. It would do you good to pick a time when there is a change coming. This could either be a break from work, shift to a new place or a vacation.
2. Finding reasons to quit
This acts as a powerful motivator. Make a list of all the reasons why you would like to quit smoking. Keep this list in handy and keep referring to it whenever you feel like having a smoke. This will keep the motivation going.
3. Keeping track of your smoking reasons, times and places
Just like all other activities, smoking too happens at certain places, at certain times for certain reasons. Keep a tab on all these three and try to avoid them. They are triggers which will be detrimental to your effort. You should have back up plans as to what you would do if those situations arose or you were forced to be in those places.
4. Discard everything related to the habit
When you are trying to forget something, its very memories can cause trouble. Throw away all the tobacco, ash-trays and lighters. Let there be no object in your vicinity that remind and tempt you to smoke.
5. Gather support for your drive
Words of encouragement and whole-hearted support can do wonders to the human resolve. Tell your friends, family and well wishers about your decision to quit. They will definitely pitch in to help and help you overcome your craving for a smoke. There are also many support groups available to quit smoking.
6. Reward your efforts
Know that what you are doing is indeed a very tough task. So, when you meet success, you should reward yourself. Buy yourself a gift for every tobacco-free week. Go out for a vacation for a tobacco-free month. Keep rewarding yourself for every small success. That will keep the motivation going.
7. Try alternatives
In today’s world, quitting smoking has actually become easier with the availability of a host of nicotine-replacement products. These come in the form of gum, patches, inhalers, nasal sprays and lozenges. They also contain nicotine but in lesser amounts. They seek to reduce your dependency on nicotine and contain your urge to smoke. They act as the small steps that help you march triumphantly to your goal.
8. Have a ‘never say die’ attitude
The most important thing in the whole process is your attitude. Be optimistic about giving up smoking. Do not get depressed. It is not an easy task that you have taken up and you are bound to have pitfalls. Remember, success lies not in never falling down but in rising every time you do!
