Five Tips to Quit Smoking Today

Giving up your smoking habit is possible. It can be difficult to take the first step and to maintain your quit, but if you have a plan in place, you can accomplish this worthwhile goal. In Alcoholics Anonymous they say that the first step in dealing with an addiction is admitting that you have a problem. You must recognize that quitting means quitting.

You cannot have just one regular cigarette. That one cigarette will likely lead you right back to where you were when you quit. You have to acknowledge that cigarette smoking is likely to cause irreversible health problems if you do not stop. In addition, you should accept that you can make a difference in your health now. No matter what your age, you can see improvements in your overall health. Do not let yourself believe that it is too late to see benefits.

As you begin to plan for your quit remember that there is no reason that you have to go cold turkey. Some people have success that way, but if it doesn’t feel right for you, or it has not worked well for you in the past, try something new. There’s no right way to quit smoking. The success lies in the goal, not in the journey. You choose how to get to your goal.

There are five tips to stop smoking that you can consider. The Internet is full of success stories, and you should not hesitate to follow the advice of people who have successfully quit smoking. The five tips for quitting smoking are: • Form a plan• Wean down your nicotine habit• Set a date and time• Plan for cravings• Get support

Once you have decided that you are going to quit smoking, you need a plan for success. Your quit plan should include steps you should take before quitting, a plan to handle cravings after you quit, and setting up a solid network of support. 

When forming your strategy you should absolutely use the Internet to your full advantage. The Internet is a great source of information. You can look up the phases your body will go through as you quit. When you see the positive health benefits that start occurring as early as 24 hours after you quit, you will be inspired to get your quit started.

There have been many innovations in smoking cessation products over the last decade, like electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes are a great way to start your quit.

Just ask your friends and followers on Facebook or Twitter about their experiences with E cigarettes. There are many converts that have used them to quit traditional cigarettes or other tobacco products.

You can use an E cigarette to wean down over a long period of time. When your body is dependent on smaller amounts of nicotine, the quitting process gets easier. Even if you end up using E cigarettes for an extended period of time, you are still ingesting far less chemicals than regular cigarettes. It is also cheaper and more environmentally friendly. You can take the time you need to wean down your habit if you are replacing cigarettes with more health-friendly alternatives like nicotine gum, patches, or E cigarettes. 

Picking a date to quit is an important part of your quit. As you wean down your habit, that quit day won’t seem so scary. One little known hint about quitting smoking is to quit smoking in the afternoon versus smoking your last cigarette before bed. When you quit during the day you get a chance to immediately and successfully deal with some cravings, and when you wake up the next day, you can count one day under your belt.

The day you pick to stop smoking does matter. Quitting on the weekend might not be the best choice if you have a lot of free time. When you choose your day, bear in mind what your schedule will be like. Choose a day when you can access your support system and when you have a lot of distractions, such as work and errands. Make sure you hit the gym that day. Get an idea of how your body feels so you can see improvements as your quit progresses.

Cravings will happen, and believe it or not, the clock will become your friend. Most cravings last under a few minutes. If you can get in the habit of reminding yourself that it will pass, even watching the clock tick for three minutes, the time between cravings will get longer and longer. You can have cravings for up to two years, but they get fewer and farther in between. If you can learn to deal with them three minutes at a time, you will see success.

Support is crucial to your success. Some people like to tell as many people as possible that they have quit as incentive to stay quit. To others, privacy is crucial. No matter what you choose, do not hesitate to reach out for help. The Internet can keep you anonymous in support chat rooms. You can talk to other people in the same place as you. You can talk through cravings and get ideas for the side effects of quitting, such as, increased appetite and insomnia.

If quitting smoking is your goal, you have to go for it. With the right plan in place there is nothing to stop your success. If it takes you a few tries, just keep going. Don’t let the fear of weight gain stop you. Get to the gym every day. It will help you fight cravings and keep the weight gain to minimum. Don’t let the fear of cravings delay your quit. You will handle them as they come. Your success is inevitable if you keep trying, and if you use the tips and techniques that successful quitters have used.