Smoke 'till die
With millions of smokers desperate to quit, there seems to be an unending barrage of tips, ideas and suggestions on how to stop smoking. If you are currently a smoker, I'm sure you've heard of many of them. Perhaps you've even tried one or two things, but you're still looking for that one method that will work for you. Luckily, the chances that you'll eventually be successful are pretty good.
Millions of people, who were once dedicated smokers, are now ex-smokers. If they could do it, surely you can too. You just need to find the right method that works for you. As you already know, it's easy enough to start puffing away on those cigarettes, but it's really hard when you try to quit.
Here's something positive for you to think about. Each and every day, you actually go six to eight hours without having a cigarette. It doesn't matter if you are a heavy or light smoker. There is a long period of time when you do not have a single cigarette. Guess when.
Stumped?
When you're asleep at night.
Think about it. Each night when you go to sleep, you usually do not wake up in the middle of the night with a craving for cigarettes. Maybe you want one right after waking up, but during the night, your cigarette addiction is asleep as well. This means that you can, in fact, go for long periods without having a cigarette while you're awake.
Some of the more popular ways to kick the habit are hypnosis, nicotine aids, medications, and the always popular cold turkey method. Many smokers don't think they can go the cold turkey route, but many people are successful doing it this way. The bottom line on quitting is: different strokes for different folks - use whatever you think will work best for you.
Here are three of the all time best ways to quit smoking:
Hypnosis
Many people, who are struggling to give up smoking, find hypnosis is the answer they've been looking for to finally end their addiction. When you visit a hypnotist to stop smoking, they will put you in a relaxed state and then give you positive suggestions concerning your smoking habit.
You will hear the message over and over again that you no longer need, or have any desire, to smoke cigarettes. Because you are in a relaxed state, your subconscious mind will be very open to this suggestion. Our subconscious minds play a big role in our everyday behavior. This is why hypnosis therapy is so powerful.
You don't have to visit a hypnotherapist to quit smoking. You can buy a hypnosis CD or Mp3 download that will have the same powerful message that you can listen to repeatedly. If you go this route, make sure you are relaxed and free of stress to obtain the best results.
Stop Smoking Aids
What makes giving up cigarettes so difficult for many people is the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Nicotine is a powerful addictive substance and when you begin pulling away from it, you may experience extreme irritability, as well as, cravings.
Many people turn to stop smoking aids to avoid the unpleasant side effects of quitting. There's the nicotine patch, nicotine gum and inhalers. Recently, there is a pill that is supposed to be very good for smoking cessation.
Some of these aids are available over the counter, while others need a doctor's prescription. If you have any questions or concerns about these methods, you should consult your doctor.
Cold Turkey
Some people think that going cold turkey is easy, but the reality is that it's the hardest way to stop smoking. You need to be highly motivated to try this method and quite frankly, most people who think they can simply stop smoking usually find they cannot quit so easily.
Remember that nicotine is a powerful substance and your body and mind is used to having a constant supply. You may throw those cigarettes away and tell yourself that you're not going to touch one ever again, but your mind will begin to crave another cigarette. It's particularly hard when you're around other smokers.
Many people fail their first time going cold turkey, and if this happens to you, don't get too upset. It may take you two or more tries before you can finally quit smoking for good.
To help yourself, you can write down positive affirmations and read them every day. You can also give yourself a little reward for reaching small goals - like pay yourself a dollar for each day you go without having a cigarette.
Whatever method you use, make a firm commitment that you will see it through until you are successful. Your long-term health is more important than sticking with an old habit that offers nothing but the promise of expensive medical bills down the road. Kick the habit today - you can do it!
With the with the onset of the Smoking Ban, it is estimated that over 2 million people in England, Wales & Scotland will have tried to quit smoking in the second half of 2007. However, even if all of these people managed to give up and stay off cigarettes, that still leaves an estimated 8 million smokers in Britain today.
To give up smoking is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions, with hundreds of thousands trying to quit each year. But the sad fact is that a significant proportion of these people will lapse before the year is out and return to their smoking habit.
There are withdrawal symptoms that will be experienced when trying to give up smoking - many people suffer from mouth ulcers, develop a chesty cough and even suffer from disturbed sleep.
However as well as these physical symptoms there are also mental side effects that need to be faced - irritability, restlessness and anxiety and it is perhaps these side effects that contribute more to people succumbing to the craving for nicotine more than the physical withdrawal symptoms.
Therefore preparing yourself mentally to quit before you even stub out that last cigarette could be the key to success. Take time to sit down and write a list of all the reasons why you want to quit and then put it somewhere really obvious to refer back to it in a moment of weakness. Decide on a day to quit and make a note - only buy enough cigarettes to last you until that time - "emergency supplies" stashed away will call out to you once you've stopped and could be your downfall. Tell your family and friends and ask them to support you, maybe even find yourself a friend who wants to stop as well.
The night before you are due to quit, throw away all your smoking "equipment" - ashtrays, lighters, spare cigarettes - they've got to go if you are to succeed. However, perhaps most important of all is to accept the fact that it won't be easy to give up.
If you kid yourself that giving up smoking is going to be a walk in the park then you will be unpleasantly surprised throughout the first few days and you may not have the willpower to see it through.
But, if you're feeling really strong you could try some reverse psychology and view the cravings as a good thing - it's a sign that your body is starting to recover.
Once you've taken the plunge and decided to, the key to success is to take small steps. Take each day one at a time and tell yourself you just aren't smoking for today; it will seem far less daunting than never smoking EVER AGAIN.
Nicotine replacement therapy could work if you've been a heavy smoker, but if you don't want to go that route then distract yourself; drinking water flushes out toxins but also gives you something to do with your hands. Alternatively, go and do something else - ring a friend or go for a walk.
Finally, sit those cravings out - the average craving only lasts three minutes and then the urge should disappear.
Once you've got this far, you're almost there and you just need a few techniques to keep you on the straight and narrow. By spotting your trigger points, you can learn to avoid them; so for example if you always had a cigarette with a glass of wine, have a handful of nuts instead so that you have something else to focus on. If you do have a lapse, keep your resolve - it's only one and you don't have to have another.
Smoking was a habit, so help to break it by taking up a new habit (but this time, choose a healthy one!) If you think you would benefit from some help as you give up, take advantage of the support that's out there. There are plenty of support groups for people wishing to give up smoking - both online and offline, and anyone serious about giving up can find details of support groups from their local GP surgery.
Additionally, many high street chemists offer help and advice for those wishing to stop smoking. Boots, for example operate their Change One Thing programme, which has an action plan containing advice from experts, to hold your hand every step of the way.
Before you know it, you will start to see the positives - your clothes will no longer smell, your skin may have fewer wrinkles, your smile will be brighter once the cigarette stains start to fade and your heart will be much healthily. So, take a deep breath (if you can!) and declare yourself a non-smoker in 2008.
Millions of people, who were once dedicated smokers, are now ex-smokers. If they could do it, surely you can too. You just need to find the right method that works for you. As you already know, it's easy enough to start puffing away on those cigarettes, but it's really hard when you try to quit.
Here's something positive for you to think about. Each and every day, you actually go six to eight hours without having a cigarette. It doesn't matter if you are a heavy or light smoker. There is a long period of time when you do not have a single cigarette. Guess when.
Stumped?
When you're asleep at night.
Think about it. Each night when you go to sleep, you usually do not wake up in the middle of the night with a craving for cigarettes. Maybe you want one right after waking up, but during the night, your cigarette addiction is asleep as well. This means that you can, in fact, go for long periods without having a cigarette while you're awake.
Some of the more popular ways to kick the habit are hypnosis, nicotine aids, medications, and the always popular cold turkey method. Many smokers don't think they can go the cold turkey route, but many people are successful doing it this way. The bottom line on quitting is: different strokes for different folks - use whatever you think will work best for you.
Here are three of the all time best ways to quit smoking:
Hypnosis
Many people, who are struggling to give up smoking, find hypnosis is the answer they've been looking for to finally end their addiction. When you visit a hypnotist to stop smoking, they will put you in a relaxed state and then give you positive suggestions concerning your smoking habit.
You will hear the message over and over again that you no longer need, or have any desire, to smoke cigarettes. Because you are in a relaxed state, your subconscious mind will be very open to this suggestion. Our subconscious minds play a big role in our everyday behavior. This is why hypnosis therapy is so powerful.
You don't have to visit a hypnotherapist to quit smoking. You can buy a hypnosis CD or Mp3 download that will have the same powerful message that you can listen to repeatedly. If you go this route, make sure you are relaxed and free of stress to obtain the best results.
Stop Smoking Aids
What makes giving up cigarettes so difficult for many people is the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Nicotine is a powerful addictive substance and when you begin pulling away from it, you may experience extreme irritability, as well as, cravings.
Many people turn to stop smoking aids to avoid the unpleasant side effects of quitting. There's the nicotine patch, nicotine gum and inhalers. Recently, there is a pill that is supposed to be very good for smoking cessation.
Some of these aids are available over the counter, while others need a doctor's prescription. If you have any questions or concerns about these methods, you should consult your doctor.
Cold Turkey
Some people think that going cold turkey is easy, but the reality is that it's the hardest way to stop smoking. You need to be highly motivated to try this method and quite frankly, most people who think they can simply stop smoking usually find they cannot quit so easily.
Remember that nicotine is a powerful substance and your body and mind is used to having a constant supply. You may throw those cigarettes away and tell yourself that you're not going to touch one ever again, but your mind will begin to crave another cigarette. It's particularly hard when you're around other smokers.
Many people fail their first time going cold turkey, and if this happens to you, don't get too upset. It may take you two or more tries before you can finally quit smoking for good.
To help yourself, you can write down positive affirmations and read them every day. You can also give yourself a little reward for reaching small goals - like pay yourself a dollar for each day you go without having a cigarette.
Whatever method you use, make a firm commitment that you will see it through until you are successful. Your long-term health is more important than sticking with an old habit that offers nothing but the promise of expensive medical bills down the road. Kick the habit today - you can do it!
With the with the onset of the Smoking Ban, it is estimated that over 2 million people in England, Wales & Scotland will have tried to quit smoking in the second half of 2007. However, even if all of these people managed to give up and stay off cigarettes, that still leaves an estimated 8 million smokers in Britain today.
To give up smoking is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions, with hundreds of thousands trying to quit each year. But the sad fact is that a significant proportion of these people will lapse before the year is out and return to their smoking habit.
There are withdrawal symptoms that will be experienced when trying to give up smoking - many people suffer from mouth ulcers, develop a chesty cough and even suffer from disturbed sleep.
However as well as these physical symptoms there are also mental side effects that need to be faced - irritability, restlessness and anxiety and it is perhaps these side effects that contribute more to people succumbing to the craving for nicotine more than the physical withdrawal symptoms.
Therefore preparing yourself mentally to quit before you even stub out that last cigarette could be the key to success. Take time to sit down and write a list of all the reasons why you want to quit and then put it somewhere really obvious to refer back to it in a moment of weakness. Decide on a day to quit and make a note - only buy enough cigarettes to last you until that time - "emergency supplies" stashed away will call out to you once you've stopped and could be your downfall. Tell your family and friends and ask them to support you, maybe even find yourself a friend who wants to stop as well.
The night before you are due to quit, throw away all your smoking "equipment" - ashtrays, lighters, spare cigarettes - they've got to go if you are to succeed. However, perhaps most important of all is to accept the fact that it won't be easy to give up.
If you kid yourself that giving up smoking is going to be a walk in the park then you will be unpleasantly surprised throughout the first few days and you may not have the willpower to see it through.
But, if you're feeling really strong you could try some reverse psychology and view the cravings as a good thing - it's a sign that your body is starting to recover.
Once you've taken the plunge and decided to, the key to success is to take small steps. Take each day one at a time and tell yourself you just aren't smoking for today; it will seem far less daunting than never smoking EVER AGAIN.
Nicotine replacement therapy could work if you've been a heavy smoker, but if you don't want to go that route then distract yourself; drinking water flushes out toxins but also gives you something to do with your hands. Alternatively, go and do something else - ring a friend or go for a walk.
Finally, sit those cravings out - the average craving only lasts three minutes and then the urge should disappear.
Once you've got this far, you're almost there and you just need a few techniques to keep you on the straight and narrow. By spotting your trigger points, you can learn to avoid them; so for example if you always had a cigarette with a glass of wine, have a handful of nuts instead so that you have something else to focus on. If you do have a lapse, keep your resolve - it's only one and you don't have to have another.
Smoking was a habit, so help to break it by taking up a new habit (but this time, choose a healthy one!) If you think you would benefit from some help as you give up, take advantage of the support that's out there. There are plenty of support groups for people wishing to give up smoking - both online and offline, and anyone serious about giving up can find details of support groups from their local GP surgery.
Additionally, many high street chemists offer help and advice for those wishing to stop smoking. Boots, for example operate their Change One Thing programme, which has an action plan containing advice from experts, to hold your hand every step of the way.
Before you know it, you will start to see the positives - your clothes will no longer smell, your skin may have fewer wrinkles, your smile will be brighter once the cigarette stains start to fade and your heart will be much healthily. So, take a deep breath (if you can!) and declare yourself a non-smoker in 2008.
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