Start a Healthier Life Today – Toss those Cigarettes
While it is no secret that smoking tobacco has many ill effects on your general health, smoking is a difficult habit to give up for good. If this applies to you, use these tips to help in breaking free from tobacco. Decide which ones sound right to you, and use them to stop smoking.
Avoid some of the places and behaviors that can lead to smoking cigarettes. Change your behavior, so you aren’t tempted, for example, go to new restaurants that do not allow smoking. Find a distraction to keep you occupied.
If you’re going to succeed at stopping smoking, you need to have faith in yourself. You have to believe in your ability to quit. Certainly, you have conquered other difficult situations over the years. Think about those successes, and then realize that you have what it takes to do this too.
Find ways to busy yourself during cravings and keep those activities on hand. When you begin to crave a cigarette, finding an alternative activity may be difficult so it will be easier to simply have an activities list already around. Try including activities such as going for a short walk, eating carrot sticks, taking a hot bath or doing yoga.
Schedule your time so that you frequent locations which prohibit smoking, especially when you first quit. Try going to the museum or movies with friends. When having coffee with friends, visit a no smoking cafe and avoid the patio. Simply being in an area where smoking is allowed, or where others are smoking, can make your cravings even worse.
Tell all your friends and colleagues that you plan to stop smoking. If many people know you have stopped smoking they will help hold you accountable. You will try to avoid disappointing those people, or falling short of their belief in you. This could be exactly the motivation that you need when the going gets tough.
When you are thinking of quitting, switch brands. Consider switching to a brand of cigarettes that you don’t care for. Don’t smoke more than you typically would or inhale them differently. This is one method that will ease you into quitting smoking.
Make a record of the times and places you typically smoke. If you know when your temptation to smoke will be most severe, you can make a more informed plan for quitting. If you are ready for the tobacco cravings, then you can deal with them, which will make you better able to avoid the temptations.
If you have already attempted to quit and have not been successful, do not feel discouraged. It is normal for many efforts to fail, no matter how organized. Find your weaknesses and create solid backup plans to keep them from derailing you again. You may have an easier time overcoming the same hurdle if it arises again.
Implementing several of the above tips can help you to make rapid progress with your goal to quit smoking. You deserve to live your life free of cigarettes. Give yourself permission to quit. Your boosted health and well-being can help you quit smoking.

February 18, 2011 
 copy.png)

