People know that smoking is bad for a variety of reasons. It has negative effects on your health and on the way you look. Not only does smoking affect you, but the second-hand smoke is also harmful to your family as they inhale the smoke. You may have been hesitating about quitting because of how hard it will be. However, think of the long-term benefits. If you want some help with getting started, read the following article.
The first thing that must happen is for you to decide, once and for all, that you want to quit. Quitting takes a lot of will power, and this will power has to come from within. This will power will drive you through the tough moments when you have a craving. Sit down and do some careful soul-searching. How important is it to you that you quit? How will it benefit yourself and your family? What will happen if you do not quit? Write down some thoughts about why you want to quit, and revisit these reasons regularly. This will help keep your motivation high. If you think you have the willingness to do it, you are ready.
Once you have decided to quit, draw in support from your close family and friends. Let them know what your goal is and why you are doing it. Ask them to support you in your efforts. If they care about you, they will be thrilled to hear that from you. Identify the few who are willing to be there for you whenever you need someone to talk to. With the right kind of support, you can conquer this habit.
There are a variety of methods to wean yourself away from nicotine dependency. The most drastic way is to just quit cold turkey. This requires a lot of inner strength from you. If you prefer a more gradual method, you can try one of the many nicotine replacement therapies available. Nicotine patches are widely used, and the results are good. The patches gradually decrease in the amount of nicotine content until you can stop using them without big withdrawal symptoms. Another replacement would be nicotine gum that you can chew. The small amount of nicotine from the gum, plus the act of chewing, can help satisfy that craving effectively.
Quitting smoking can bring a lot of stress because you no longer have cigarettes as a crutch. Therefore, before you quit, it is advisable that you deal with the other stresses in your life. You need to go into quitting with a positive mindset. If you have interpersonal problems work problems, get those problems resolved first. If you try to quit with a mindset that is already stressed out, you will not have much success.
To deal with those strong cravings, try the nicotine therapies. You just need a little bit of nicotine in your system to feel satisfied. Go and get some exercise to get your mind off of it. Call up someone in your support circle and talk. The key is to not just sit around and think about how much you want a cigarette. Divert your attention.
Quitting is possible if you know the right approach. Your health is on the line, so do not delay another day.