Quit Smoking For Good
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012It is well-known among smokers that it is so hard to stop and so depressing if you fail, that numerous smokers just give up giving up. They sadly accept their fate, their failure and their deficiency of willpower and carry on with their lives as steadfast smokers.
This is very sad, not least for the smoker who is condemning himself and possibly loved ones about him to ever-worsening health and probably a painful death.
They also say that if you do not plan for success, you plan for failure, so it is probably a wise notion to have some sort of strategy in mind if you propose giving up tobacco. A lengthy plan is not a lot of help either; the plan has to be short and decisive – almost like a mantra. So here is a simple four-step plan for giving up smoking.
1] Strive to analyze why you smoke. Is it because you spend lots of time in bars? Is it because all your acquaintances smoke? Is it a way of getting out of the office for ten minutes? Is it out of boredom? Is it because of stress? Do you just enjoy it or do you simply like burning money?
When you comprehend why you smoke, then you can do something about it on the psychological level or lifestyle level. In many ways this is the most difficult change to achieve because it means lifestyle changes, but it has to be done if you are going to be successful. You have to tackle the psychological as well as the physical dependence.
2] There are numerous aids to stopping smoking on the market but some of them are rather expensive. If you plan to give up smoking dead, this is not difficult because you will be saving on cigarettes, but if you plan to phase smoking out, it might become a problem.
In the latter case, purchase the nicotine patches and gum bit at a time for a few weeks before you start trying to give up so that you have all the supplies you require. However, give some serious thought to going cold turkey because it is the most successful strategy and the advantages are instantaneous.
3] Record your progress in a diary. On the first page set out your goals. Eg: stop smoking on Tuesday 11th, walk one mile every day, swim every Saturday etc etc. Or Begin Tuesday 11th, reduce smoking by 50% by Tues 18th and a further 50% every week until down to one a day. Quit one week later.
This means marking cigarettes down on the packet as you smoke them and maintaining honest records. It is a very useful method of checking your progress and keeping your spirits up if you do well. It will also discourage you from slipping off the straight and narrow.
4] Set goals in your diary and then reward yourself as you hit them.Reward yourself for even the minutest successes. I know someone who saved 50 pence for each cigarette he did not smoke and went on vacation to Africa for a month with the proceeds. Smaller treats are also helpful. Tell friends what you are doing, it makes it more difficult to backslide.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on numerous topics, but is at present involved with exercise to quit smoking. If you have an interest in stopping smoking, please go over to our web site now at Health Risks To Smoking