When you finally make the decision to stop smoking, it is a big one. If you’re like most smokers, smoking has seen you through some tough times in your life. That’s why it’s so hard to give up. But you can do it; you just need the right plan in place and the right goals. Here are a list of things to do in order to finally quit smoking.
Talk to your doctor. This is going to be the first step, since your doctor can monitor your withdrawals and give you a plan of treatment. He may also prescribe Chiantix or a nicotine patch if you want, but you may opt to try non-pill methods first.
Let your friends and family know what you’re doing. They are likely to be very supportive. Just let your smoking loved ones know that you may not be able to hang out with them as often until you have been able to stay away from cigarettes for a while. Have one or two people you talk to when you have cravings, so they can dissuade you from puffing up.
Clean out your home of anything related to smoking. That means empty ashtrays, throw out ashtrays, dispose of lighters and deep cleaning everything so you can’t smell smoke anymore. You may want to hang on to certain items for sentimental reasons, and if that’s the case, just put it out of sight until you are sure it won’t trigger a cigarette.
Eat well. A healthy diet always helps you, but at no better time than this. The added bonus is that you will be able to better taste and smell what you’re cooking!
Drink plenty of water. Water can flush your body of all the toxins it contains from your smoking. The more water you drink, the better!
Learn how to handle your stress. Stress is usually one of the major motivations to smoke. So if you want to quit, you need to make sure that you have a plan in place for handling stress. Take up meditation, yoga, or some other practice that helps you to de-stress so you don’t need cigarettes.
Reward yourself. After all, you’re saving a lot of money now that you aren’t smoking! Give yourself something every week to celebrate how far you’ve come. This can be a great incentive to stay away from cigarettes.
Get support from people who are also not smoking anymore. People who are trying to quit, or who have, are the best people you can talk to during this time. After all, they know what you are experiencing. They have been there. They can offer tips for dealing with cravings, and they can just lend an ear when you’re having a bad day.
If you want to quit, you can do it. You just need to have the right information and the right plan of attack. Use the tips here to help you prepare and execute your plan to quit smoking, and you’ll find that it’s easier than you thought.