The latest data in this area indicate that it may take thirty more attempts to quit smoking, so do not get discouraged!
By smoking you have not only become "addicted" physically, but also psychologically and behaviorally dependent. You have developed ways of thinking and full of habits that have tied you more and more to cigarettes. Such habits and reflexes do not change by swallowing a pill or taking a resolution.
To successfully get rid of cigarettes, it is important to:
- Learn from previous attempts
- Getting Ready
- Use daily tools and effective tips
Classic Stop Smoking Tips:
1. Do not respond immediately
A desire to smoke lasts less than five minutes. By filling your cravings with something that appeals to you, they will get smaller. Whenever you succeed in passing through an envy, your confidence in yourself and your pride will increase. Result? The next cravings will be fewer and fewer.
Here are ideas to get through the cravings, without smoking:
- Baillez: Yawning brings deep breathing, thus a better supply of oxygen to the body.
- Stretch: Stretching (like the ones shown here) helps to relax and release tension in the body.
To get even more benefit from these little tricks, combine them with this simple relaxation technique that takes only a few minutes. Look for "heart coherence" on You Tube. You can choose from a large number of videos. Here is a classic example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA8EfBP_S88
2. Modify some of your habits
To reduce or eliminate the impact of things, people and situations that lead you to smoke, you must change your ways of thinking and doing without creating anxiety.
Here are ways to change your habits:
- Do something other than smoking during a cigarette break.
- Do activities with non-smokers.
- Smoke your first cigarette in the morning 10, 30, 60 minutes later than usual.
- Smoke a few cigarettes less per day.
- Eliminate the smell of smoke on your clothes, in your home, your car, etc.
3. Replace the cigarette with something else
You have trained your brain and your body to depend on the cigarette to make you feel good. It is therefore very important that you do activities that give you pleasure. The "pleasure" brought by the cigarette will lose more and more its hold on you.
- Move: Create opportunities to be physically active, such as climbing stairs or walking to do your shopping.
- Treat yourself: Look for activities you like, such as playing with your pet, going to the movies or talking, meeting a good friend.
- Occupy your hands: Hold your hands with an elastic or an antistress ball. Also, it is possible to draw, photograph, etc.
- Occupy your mouth: Chew gum, a straw, cinnamon sticks or vegetables. Drinking water is also a good trick.
- Make a kit: Prepare a non-smoking kit with the items listed above and keep it handy.
- Maintain positive thoughts: Do you find excuses for not smoking (eg, "Ah, I do not have time!").
- Find someone to support you: Identify a person to talk to as much as you can when it's difficult.
- Relax: Sleep a lot, stretch yourself, beautify your environment, learn relaxation techniques (like "Coherence"), and so on.
- Reward yourself: Reward yourself regularly with the money saved from cigarettes.
In the next section, "The Use of Tobacco is the Origin of 16 Cancers", You will discover how tobacco products kill 37,000 people each year in Canada and account for one-third of all cancers.