Saturday, December 21, 2013
QUIT SMOKING : 10 ways to stop your smoking habit
QUIT SMOKING
10 ways to stop your smoking habit
For most tobacco users, tobacco cravings or urges to smoke can be powerful. But you are not at the mercy of these tobacco cravings. When an urge to use tobacco strikes, remember that although it may be intense, it will be short-lived, and it probably will pass within a few minutes whether or not you smoke a cigarette or take a dip of chewing tobacco. Each time you resist a tobacco craving, you are one step closer to stopping smoking or other tobacco use for good. It can be difficult but not impossible.
So here are 10 ways to help you resist the urge to smoke or use tobacco.
1. Delay. If you feel like you are going to give in to your tobacco craving, tell yourself that you must first wait 10 more minutes and then do something to distract yourself for that period of time. This simple trick may be enough to derail your tobacco urge. Repeat as often as needed.
2. Don’t have ‘just one.’ You might be tempted to have just one cigarette to satisfy a tobacco craving. But don’t fool yourself into believing that you can stop at just one. More often than not, having just one leads to another, then another — and you may wind up using tobacco again.
3. Avoid triggers. Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often, such as at parties or functions, in the car or while watching television or giving adda. Identify your trigger situations and have a plan in place so that you can avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco. Don’t set yourself up for a smoking relapse. If you usually smoked while you talked on the phone, for instance, keep a pen and paper nearby to occupy yourself with doodling rather than smoking.
4. Get physical. Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco urge and reduce the intensity of cravings. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can make a tobacco craving go away. Get out for a walk even in the office. If you are stuck at home, try squats, deep knee bends, push-ups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs a few times. If physical activity does not interest you, try prayer, writing or reading books.
5. Practice relaxation techniques. In the past, smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Trying to resist a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. Take the edge off stress by practicing relaxation techniques. These include deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, and massage.
6. Call reinforcements. Spend more times with family member, friends or relative for moral support as you struggle to resist a tobacco craving. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together or simply share a few laughs.
7. Remember the benefits of quitting. Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist tobacco cravings. These might include feeling better, getting healthier, sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke or saving money.
8. Go online. Join an online stop-smoking programme. Go to Google and type quit smoking or stop smoking you will get lot of information which might help you in quitting.
9. Try nicotine replacements. Try a nicotine replacement product instead of a cigarette. Some types of nicotine replacement therapy, including patches, gums and lozenges may get in local market or you can bring it from any country by your relatives abroad, these are available over-the-counter.
10. Chew on it. Give your mouth something to do to fight a tobacco craving. Chew on sugarless gum or labanga, elachi etc.
Remember, trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. And each time you resist a tobacco craving, you are one step closer to being totally tobacco-free. It is never too late to stop, so please try it from today.
So here are 10 ways to help you resist the urge to smoke or use tobacco.
1. Delay. If you feel like you are going to give in to your tobacco craving, tell yourself that you must first wait 10 more minutes and then do something to distract yourself for that period of time. This simple trick may be enough to derail your tobacco urge. Repeat as often as needed.
2. Don’t have ‘just one.’ You might be tempted to have just one cigarette to satisfy a tobacco craving. But don’t fool yourself into believing that you can stop at just one. More often than not, having just one leads to another, then another — and you may wind up using tobacco again.
3. Avoid triggers. Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often, such as at parties or functions, in the car or while watching television or giving adda. Identify your trigger situations and have a plan in place so that you can avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco. Don’t set yourself up for a smoking relapse. If you usually smoked while you talked on the phone, for instance, keep a pen and paper nearby to occupy yourself with doodling rather than smoking.
4. Get physical. Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco urge and reduce the intensity of cravings. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can make a tobacco craving go away. Get out for a walk even in the office. If you are stuck at home, try squats, deep knee bends, push-ups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs a few times. If physical activity does not interest you, try prayer, writing or reading books.
5. Practice relaxation techniques. In the past, smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Trying to resist a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. Take the edge off stress by practicing relaxation techniques. These include deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, and massage.
6. Call reinforcements. Spend more times with family member, friends or relative for moral support as you struggle to resist a tobacco craving. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together or simply share a few laughs.
7. Remember the benefits of quitting. Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist tobacco cravings. These might include feeling better, getting healthier, sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke or saving money.
8. Go online. Join an online stop-smoking programme. Go to Google and type quit smoking or stop smoking you will get lot of information which might help you in quitting.
9. Try nicotine replacements. Try a nicotine replacement product instead of a cigarette. Some types of nicotine replacement therapy, including patches, gums and lozenges may get in local market or you can bring it from any country by your relatives abroad, these are available over-the-counter.
10. Chew on it. Give your mouth something to do to fight a tobacco craving. Chew on sugarless gum or labanga, elachi etc.
Remember, trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. And each time you resist a tobacco craving, you are one step closer to being totally tobacco-free. It is never too late to stop, so please try it from today.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
0 Responses to “QUIT SMOKING : 10 ways to stop your smoking habit”
Post a Comment