Are you trying to quit smoking and finding it difficult? Do you find it increasingly hard to resist the temptation to smoke? Do you have a history of quitting and relapsing right back into the habit? If you said yes to the questions above, I hope this article will help you.
Quitting smoking is difficult. Rooting out this deep-seated habit can be a long, drawn out struggle. Some people can succeed in quitting in a few weeks, but many of us struggle for years, and often get caught in the cycle of quitting and smoking. If you are a smoker, you are only too familiar with the urge to smoke. This urge can be triggered by many things, such as your frame of mind, your physical environment or your daily routine. If you have tried to quit but have not succeeded, in all likelihood it was due to some such circumstance. The time it will take you to quit smoking – and I mean really quit it – can vary, but the important thing is to come up with a strategy to win over this strong urge, so that the next time you find yourself in a situation that is conducive to smoking and triggers your urge, you know what to do.
Tip #1. Think about your smoking patterns. Figure out the times in a day when you typically smoke. Is it always after a meal or a shower? Or before you go to bed? It is important to be armed with this self-awareness; the first step to fighting the urge to smoke is to know when to expect it.
Tip #2: Formulate a diversion strategy. By this I mean, stay occupied, mentally and physically, during the times when you usually feel the strongest urges. Smoking urges are usually strongest during times when our minds and hands are idle. So if you always smoke after your morning jog, then add a new routine to your workout, such as using a stress ball for your fingers. If you always smoke after a meal, chew hard candy instead.
Tip #3: Stay clear of temptations. This can be as simple as taking a detour to avoid a group of strangers smoking in the street. Tobacco smoke can be a great temptation for smokers, and so can smoking zones, tobacco stores or even billboards. So if you are around a lot of smokers and tobacco smoke on a daily basis, your battle will be that much harder.
Tip #4: Get rid of all your smoking instruments. Smokers have a lot of paraphernalia – lighters, matches, ashtrays, old empty packs. Clean your house and working area of all such products. Use a scented room freshener and eject the smell of tobacco from your environment. This will also go a long way in making you feel better about not smoking.
Tip#5: Take control of your physical environment. Figure out if there are specific areas in your house where you like to smoke. You can outsmart your smoking urges with simple counteractive moves such as rearranging the furniture in such a place or even just moving your favorite smoking chair away from the window.
Tip#6: Don’t lose sight of your goal. Write it down, even if you’re doing really well. This will help you to not only remember but believe in how important this is to you. The written word is stronger than the spoken word and much more so than the unspoken thought – so make your goal real and important by putting it down on paper and holding yourself accountable to it.
Tip#7: Believe in your ability to quit smoking. A lot of smokers relapse because they just don’t think it can be done. It’s too hard, they say, I’ll never be able to do it. Even if you know others who have tried unsuccessfully to quit, remember that the urge to smoke is only an aggregate of environmental, mental or physical triggers, and can be combated successfully with the right approach. Thousands of people quit smoking every year – what sets the successful quitters apart is that they know it can be done, and that they can do it. With dedication and strategy, so can you.
