Quit Smoking in 12 Easy Steps!
Smoking is one of the major killers of modern life.
No one can seriously doubt the harmful effects of smoking. Yet even when we know it is killing us, we keep on smoking.
God Forbid. Please quit smoking, If you are not going to quit smoking then Smoking is going to quit your life.
Why? Because…
• It is hard to quit smoking because tobacco is physically addictive.
• It is hard to quit smoking because tobacco is psychologically addictive.
So you’ve tried to quit smoking before, and it didn’t work. And you think to yourself: I’ve been smoking for so long, why bother to quit now? Surely the damage is already done. Well, the fact is it isn’t too late, quitting even after years of smoking is still worth the effort because :
Just eight hours after your last cigarette, your body will be clear of nicotine. In about a week’s time, all the side effects of smoking will have gone.
With time, your body will slowly repair all the damage done by the tobacco. And if you continue to stay away from cigarettes, your risk of getting smoking, related diseases like lung cancer and heart attack actually decreases, until it’s almost as if you have never smoked at all!
• And it is hard to quit smoking because it is a social habit.
12 steps to quitting:
1. Make a date to stop and stick to it. Draw up a plan of action, including what methods are available to you.
2. Keep busy to help take your mind off cigarettes. Throw away all your ashtrays, lighters and tobacco.
3. Drink plenty of fluids – keep a glass of water or juice by you and sip it steadily. Try different flavours.
4. Get more active – walk instead of using the bus or car. Try the stairs instead of the lift. Exercise helps you relax and can boost your morale.
5. Think positive – withdrawal can be unpleasant, but it is a sign your body is recovering from the effects of tobacco. Irritability, urges to smoke and poor concentration are common – don’t worry, they
usually disappear after a few weeks.
6. No excuses – don’t use a crisis or even good news to be an excuse for “just one cigarette” there is no such thing – you will soon want the next and the next…
7. Be careful what you eat – try not to snack on fatty foods. If you do need to snack, try fruit, raw vegetables or sugar free gum or sweets.
8. Take one day at a time – each day without a cigarette is good news for your health, your family and your pocket
9. Change your routine – try to avoid the shop you usually buy cigarettes from. Perhaps you should avoid the pub or the break room at work if there are lots of smokers around you.
Try doing something totally different. Surprise yourself!
10. Treat yourself – this is important. If you can, use the money you are saving by not smoking to buy yourself something special – big or small – that you usually would not have
11. Many adult smokers don’t realise they are addicted to their cigarette (just like someone hooked on heroin or cocaine). They believe they can give up smoking anytime they want to.
But when they try to quit, they find it much harder than expected. Their craving for a smoke is so great they give up their attempt to quit, convinced that it can’t be done.
- Addiction to cigarettes can be physical or psychological. Physical addiction is caused by the nicotine in cigarettes acting on the brain. The body soon finds it cannot do without nicotine and seeks out more cigarettes. If it doesn’t get enough, unpleasant and distressing withdrawal symptoms appear.
- Psychological addiction occurs when cigarettes are used to fulfil some psychological need like relieving stress. The person generally can do without his cigarette. But he worries that he wonit be able to cope without it. So he continues to smoke.
12. Throw away all your remaining cigarettes. Resist the urge to keep a few ‘just in case’. Get rid of all your lighters and ashtrays as well. Even your smoker’s toothpaste should go into the garbage bin.
- Stay away from people, places and situations which tempt you to smoke. Give up the company of your smoking friends for a while, if they really care about you, they’ll understand. Who knows, they might even join you in quitting.
Here are some useful tips for overcoming the urge to smoke:
- Drink plenty of water and nibble on healthy snacks like fruit or nuts. Talk to someone, make a phone call or do something you’ve always meant to do but never had the time.
- Go for a brisk walk or do some simple Exercise: touching your toes, bending sideways or jogging on the spot.
