According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking kills over 480,000 people in the US each year. It also includes 41,000 deaths due to indirect (secondhand) smoking.
Smoking adopted as a lifestyle choice takes an ugly shape when it starts displaying its adverse effects on your health and well-being. It is easy to start smoking, but when it comes to quitting, not so really.
Deciding you want to quit is just the tip of the iceberg; there is a lot you are required to do before you finally get rid of your smoking habit.
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Tips to Quit Smoking For Good
After immersing yourself in this bad habit, it is not uncommon to struggle to take the first leap. We realize this situation and offer our help. Below is a curation of tips to quit smoking for good.
- Be sure of your reason for quitting
Before you get yourself into emergency mode and make a resolution of never touching the cigarette again, be sure of your purpose of quitting. What motivates you to take this step? How did you conclude that this is enough and you need to quit now?
There can be many such questions you must answer because you need a powerful reason to get motivated and stay on track to quit. You will be leaping to get a cigarette if you don’t have a powerful reason.
Often your loved one might motivate you to quit smoking because they see that matters have taken a serious turn. They are witnessing you displaying nicotine addiction symptoms characterized by difficulty refraining from cigarettes for extended periods and withdrawal from social activities.
Quitting for family and kids is a strong motivation. They may motivate you by discussing the hazards of smoking and how it can affect your lungs, heart, etc.
The more mindful you are of the issues linked with smoking, the more motivated you will feel about your quitting decision.
- Mark a quitting date
Once you are confident about the reason for quitting, the next is to decide on a date. Pick a date that is neither too far (six months) nor too near (one week) in the future. If you give yourself too much time, you will most likely change your decision. And if it is too early, you will do it haphazardly— both do not work.
There are two ways you can quit smoking on your chosen date:
- Either you keep smoking till the quitting date, but all this time, prepare your mind for what will happen.
OR
- quit gradually by decreasing the daily number of cigarettes you smoke
Choose the technique that fits you the best. Some people are more inclined to quit gradually; if it works for you too, go ahead.
- Gear up for quitting
Now that you have a date by which you want to quit, it is time to take actual action in the right direction. According to the American Cancer Society, doing the following can help you quit.
- Make it known among your friends and family, office colleagues, neighbors, and even boss that you are quitting.
- Remove all the cigarettes, lighter, and ashtrays from your room—don’t forget to empty your bottom drawer where you keep a few cigarettes for emergency use.
- Decide if you will do it on your own or use medications or therapies (Nicotine Replacement Therapy), etc.
- Sign up for a smoke-quitting group.
- Have the supply of oral substitutes such as sugarless gums, coffee stirrers, cardamom, toothpicks, carrot stick, etc.
- Stay in contact with people who have quit and reach out to them for motivation.
- Don’t engage with people who smoke and ask others not to smoke around you.
- If you have had one prior effort of quitting, evaluate your previous efforts and think about what worked and what when wrong.
- Put “no smoking signs” in and outside your house to keep those who smoke away from you. These visual signs, when put on your wardrobe, working table, and in the bathroom, will remind you of your resolve.
- Use Nicotine Replacement Therapies
Many people have been able to quit cold turkey without any medications or NRT. But the number of those people is not very significant. Of the total attempts, only about 6 percent have been successful.
People try to ignore medication or NRT because they don’t consider the intensity and power of nicotine dependence.
NRTs are a great way to reduce the withdrawal symptoms and the cravings you might feel when you decide to quit. These cravings are often too powerful that they can shatter your resolve, and you start arguing with yourself about everything that makes smoking look less harmful.
The purpose of NRT is to deter your body from smoking and provide your body with a controlled supply of nicotine. At the same time, it prevents your body from getting exposed to the other chemicals in tobacco.
Five types of NRT have been approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
- Nasal spray
- Chewing gum
- Skin patches
- Inhaler (on prescription only)
- Lozenges
Even if you know about all the options of NRT, don’t start using any one of them on your own. Contact a healthcare professional and discuss your predicament with them.
They will suggest the required dose for you. Meanwhile, remember that the actual goal is not just to quit smoking but to end your nicotine addiction.
Instantaneously contact your physician if you experience skin swelling, nausea, mouth problems, dizziness, vomiting, etc., while using NRTs.
- Know about non-nicotine prescription pills
Apart from the Nicotine-medications, non-nicotine meds approved by FDA are also available. These are varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban). Talk to your clinician about these meds and if you wish to try them too.
Bupropion helps you fight the cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Varenicline reduces the pleasure you get from tobacco use by interfering with nicotine receptors in the brain. It also diminishes the withdrawal symptoms.
Conclusion on the Tips to Quit Smoking For Good
Quitting smoking cannot happen suddenly and haphazardly; you must approach this issue with foresight.
Therefore, it is never recommended to quit cold turkey because most chances are that it will not be permanent.
Before quitting, be sure of your reason for quitting, how much you can give yourself, and what medication options you have. Also, once you stop smoking, adopt healthy habits like exercise, eating healthy food, etc.