Saturday, July 21, 2012

Need Advice On Quitting Smoking? Read On

Many people want to get out of the habit of smoking. Smoking is never healthy. It can cause long-term or permanent damage to major organs, including your heart and lungs. Read this article to learn how to end your smoking habit forever.

Plan on using exercise as you quit smoking, not just for the added health perks, but to distract yourself from the desire to smoke. Just getting moving will help you defeat your stress. Do not let your lack of exercise impede you. Start small and move forward from there. Make sure to discuss any exercise routine with your doctor before beginning it.

When you are slowly cutting back on cigarettes to reach a smoke-free lifestyle, ban smoking from your home. The more inconvenient you can make smoking, the easier it will be to quit. If you need to be outside when smoking, you will be less comfortable doing so regularly.

Allow yourself three attempts at quitting. Try to stop cold turkey on your first attempt. You have only a five percent chance of succeeding using this method. However, you might be lucky enough to succeed on the first try. Try to cut back slowly, to make your quit date. If that doesn't work, just go into your third attempt gung ho! Discuss alternatives in prescription treatments, and join a support group.

When you decide you want to quit, it's key to not give up. Quite often, it takes someone a number of attempts to kick the habit before they actually quit for good. If you do experience a relapse, determine why the setback occurred, and renew your commitment to quitting once more.

To assist you with quitting smoking, know that your family will have to join in and help and that they know if it continues you can get very sick. Roughly twenty percent of Americans die from smoking-related causes. You don't want to be another statistic.

When attempting to quit smoking, reward yourself for every milestone that you pass. You can take yourself out to a new movie release after the first week. Maybe after a month, you could go to a nice restaurant you have been wanting to go to. Continue to give yourself a reward in increasing amount to acknowledge your progress until you don't think about the urge to smoke.

Come up with some fun things to do instead of smoking, and keep that list of suggestions handy for when cravings strike. When you get a craving, you won't be as clear-headed to find something else to do, so accessing this list can give you options quickly. Try activities like taking a warm bath, doing crossword puzzles, or taking a walk.

Just stop smoking if you really want to quit. In fact, this is the only possible way to start yourself on the road to a smoke-free lifestyle. Stop smoking, and do not ever pick up a cigarette again. This method of quitting cigarettes is not the easiest one. It has been proven to be very effective, in long term cases.

If you are having trouble resisting the urge to smoke, get someone else in on it right away. This can be a family member or close friend, but you really need to talk with them about your temptations. The time you spend chatting can distract you until the craving passes, and you will feel good knowing that you do not have to experience your struggle alone.

Advise friends, family and co-workers that you are going to stop smoking. If many people know you have stopped smoking they will help hold you accountable. You will not want to disappoint your loved ones or become embarrassed that you keep smoking and fall short of what they expect from you. The fear of failure or disappointment can serve as a positive motivator throughout the process.

Hopefully this article has given you some practical advice to get you ready to drop the smoking habit for good. Remember you must stay strong, and while the choice is for you, quitting smoking helps you stay around longer for your loved ones too.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Tips, Tricks, And Techniques To Quit Smoking For Good

Smoking is a bad habit that can have damaging affects on your own health and the health of the people that live with you. Smoking causes many health problems including cancer, heart disease, and emphaysema. Furthermore, second-hand smoke is detrimental to the people around you. Quitting is so important for many reasons. Continue reading to discover several ways to ease the process.

Talk to a medical professional if you need assistance in your attempts to give up smoking. There are a growing number of medical aids, such as antidepressants, that can help you quit with much less discomfort. Also ask your doctor for a list of support groups, therapists and any other resources that may be helpful to you.

Take some time to honestly consider the top reasons why you would want to stop smoking. Jot down a few of your top reasons for quitting, and carry the paper in your wallet or pocket. Anytime you are tempted to light up a cigarette, take the paper out of your pocket and read your reasons for wanting to quit instead.

Before you even think of beginning the process to quit smoking, you must be willing to stay committed. Unless you adopt a positive, optimistic outlook and a willingness to persevere, you will have a difficult time ditching your habit. Keep your motivation for quitting in mind at all times.

As you begin your journey to a smoke free lifestyle, plan a series of rewards as you reach certain milestones. Make a list of the rewards you will offer yourself once you've stopped smoking for one day, a week, a month and so on. Keep the list on display so that you have to look at it every day. This will allow you to combat any urges or temptations that you have during the day.

Let your family and friends know that you are quitting smoking. Their support will help you stick with your resolution to quit. Tell them they need to remind you that you want to quit because you want to be healthier, and so you feel better, especially when the temptation to smoke is nagging at you.

A counselor may help you quit smoking. There may be underlying emotional reasons attached to your smoking habit. If you can successfully deal with those issues, you may lose the urge to light up or be better able to control it. If this is a strategy that you think would work for you, make an appointment to speak with your primary care physician for a referral to a counselor who can help.

Would nicotine replacement therapy work for you? Implementing this technique can pacify your withdrawal symptoms while helping you to quit at the same time. Once you've lost the urge to smoke, you can stop using nicotine replacement altogether.

When the temptation to smoke overwhelms you, using stalling tactics to make yourself wait. Force yourself to wait at least ten minutes before you give into the urge. Typically, you will become distracted with something else and will wait longer than the ten minutes. If the craving is still there, repeat the process as often as you need to.

You may have to quit smoking several times before you quit for good. Many individuals who have successfully quit did not succeed the first time they tried. When you quit, try to stick to abstinence for as long as possible. If you should slip up, and light up, immediately get back on track and set a new quit date. Make a habit of quitting, and try to make it longer every time you quit. Each time you attempt to quit smoking, you will develop new tactics which will eventually enable you to quit completely.

It can be a tough emotional challenge to quit smoking. Craving a cigarette is tough and it's easy to succumb to temptation. One way to help overcome cravings is to keep a journal. In this journal you should write down what was happening when the craving occurred, and how you effectively dealt with the craving.

Smoking is extremely harmful to your health. Those who smoke are more likely to suffer from heart attacks, cancer, or emphysema. You need to realize that second-hand smoke is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous to the people around you, and you are putting their health at risk as well. Hopefully, you will be better able to stop smoking by following the advice in this article.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

You Really Can Stop Smoking - Tips To Show You How!

Many people wish to quit smoking, but they quit before they start. You can quit if you adopt a positive attitude, find your motivation, and use successful cessation methods. Use these tips to ease your quitting.

It is important that you stop smoking immediately. Choose today as the day instead of putting it off to a future date. By quitting immediately, you lower your chances of succumbing to a possibly fatal disease. Quitting smoking will also protect your family, as they are likely being exposed to dangerous secondhand smoke.

If you truly want to stop smoking, you need to believe that you can do it. You need to truly know you have the power to quit smoking. This isn't the first difficult task you'll achieve in your life, and it won't be the last. Think about those triumphs and realize that you can do this! You can become a non-smoker!

You must understand the triggers that cause you to want to smoke, in order to eliminate smoking. These causes may be related to a stressful work situation or relationship. One of the best things you can do to successfully quit is to remove as many of these triggers from your life as you can. There may be some triggers you will be unable to avoid; therefore, you should make a plan on how to combat your urge to smoke when the desire to smoke arises.

Try to encourage friends and family to support your decision to stop smoking. Make it clear that you need support but that it won't help if they are judgmental. Tell them that you'll probably be irrational and in a depressed mood first. Try to maximize your level of support throughout the process of quitting smoking.

Nicotine replacement strategies can help you stop smoking. In conjunction with behavioral therapy, this kind of therapy doubles the odds of your quitting successfully. These products are available in lozenge, patch and chewing gum forms. But you should consult your doctor, and only use these products after you stop smoking.

There are risks with using treatments such as scopolamine or atropine to help you quit smoking. These ingredients can offer some relief from nicotine withdrawal. However, they may also impact the function of your central nervous system. There are side effects including dizziness, blurred vision and constipation, among others. You do not need to replace one problem with a host of others.

When you decide to quit smoking, be sure to tell your family and friends. They can help support you in your choice. This could be that extra push that helps keep you on track towards your smoking cessation.

Speak with a medical professional about any stop smoking aids that are good for quitting. Many advances have been made with medications for smoking cessation. There are a lot of options available to you when you decide to quit smoking, from gum to patches to doctor-prescribed medication to help with the withdrawals. Your doctor is your best resource for finding a medication that will help you stop smoking.

Make the choice to not smoke at all. Do not convince yourself that smoking one cigarette will not hurt your good resolutions; one will soon turn into two, and all your hard work will be for nothing. Remember that if you cave in once, it makes it that much easier to rationalize caving in again.

One way to help you stop smoking is to develop a rewards system. Buy yourself a new pair of shoes, treat yourself to some take-out, or give yourself a break from household chores to read a good book. This will help you forget about nasty old cigarettes, and focus instead on the positive outcome of quitting.

Many people wish to stop smoking, but many can't do it. People who have successfully quit smoking are usually the ones who have a well-laid strategy and support system. From the techniques that have been provided to you in this article, you can prepare your own fight plan so that you can be successful once and for all.

Make Your Next Cigarette Your Last With These Handy Tips

The task of quitting smoking can break the will of even the most determined person. Even people who are desperate to quit still believe that smoking provides something to them. These suggestions will help you determine the best way to break the bonds of cigarette addiction.

Create a mantra centered around your most important reasons for wanting to quit. When you feel like giving up, state your reasons aloud, over and over, to help the craving pass. This helps you take your focus off of smoking, and instead you are able to focus on other important things to you.

Do not crack under stress or pressure: find another way to deal with your stress. You may find it helpful to work out during the most difficult part of the day, learn a new skill or hobby, or book massages on a regular schedule. You should do your best to fill any free time with pleasurable and fulfilling activities. You can take this time to catch up on with old friends or reading, too.

Write down what is important to you in regards to giving up cigarettes. Make sure you include all reasons you can possibly think of to help you. Every time you have the temptation to smoke, consult your list to put things in perspective. This will keep you motivated and help you remember you why you are trying to quit.

Instead of thinking that you "must" quit, think about wanting to quit. If you regard quitting optimistically, you have a better chance of remaining focused on your goal and achieving it more quickly. Think about the pros rather than the cons. Do not dwell on the deprivations, think about the positive aspects of a nicotine free life. This will keep your motivation up while giving real reason to stop now.

Cut back on smoking. That will help you slowly begin your journey to quit smoking. Avoid smoking when you first wake up. To cut back, try smoking 1/2 of a cigarette instead of a full one.

Decorate a glass jar and fill it with the dollars that would have gone towards your cigarettes. When you've made it to a year smoke-free, take the money and buy yourself something you want. Smoking cigarettes is expensive, and once you quit you might even have enough saved for a nice little vacation!

There are wonderful supplements in the form of nicotine patches and even gum to help you stop smoking if you need some help. These over-the-counter products will supply nicotine to your body during your quitting efforts. They can ward off the maddening physical withdrawal symptoms.

Increase your exercise level to help you overcome withdrawal problems. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that reduce your urges. Also, being active will make you forget about smoking. Using exercise to help you quit smoking will have the added benefit of keeping you from gaining weight as many people do when they quit smoking.

What are your triggers as a smoker? An example of triggers would be work, stress or maybe other people. Avoid each of these, which can help you to reduce the urges that you will have. If some triggers are unavoidable, plan mechanisms for dealing with the temptation before you are faced with them.

Advise friends, family and co-workers that you are going to stop smoking. If many people know you have stopped smoking they will help hold you accountable. You will not want to disappoint your loved ones or become embarrassed that you keep smoking and fall short of what they expect from you. The fear of failure or disappointment can serve as a positive motivator throughout the process.

The powerful advice above demonstrates that you can face quitting without fear and increase your chance of success. If you use what you have learned here, you give yourself a much better chance of succeeding. You might shock yourself with what you can accomplish with the right mindset.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Quitting Smoking Is Hard - These Tips Can Help!

Although many people intend to stop smoking, they often think that they lack the willpower for this difficult task. This article contains many useful tips you should apply to reduce your smoking, and eventually quit.

Be prepared for urges, even if you haven't smokes in years. You absolutely cannot give in to them, though! Think about all that you went through to quit, and imagine having to do it all over again.

As soon as you quit, spend your smoking dollars on bottled water. While drinking water constantly and keeping hydrated isn't a nicotine substitute, you will always have something to hold, and something to put in your mouth, thus replacing the need for a cigarette. The other benefit of drinking lots of water, is that it will flush the toxins from your system that came from being a smoker. Once you have gotten past the cravings, be sure to put the money you are saving to use, by spoiling yourself.

Avoid relying on other vices to quit smoking. While it is frustrating to be lectured, your loved ones only want to see you live a better life, but you really should quit for yourself, not anyone else. Do not let this person feel like they have been proved right by explaining your real motivations. Iy you get totally involved in your new vice, you'll forget you're even quitting!

When you are planning to quit, find someone who is in the same position. If a good friend is also trying to kick the habit, join together for mutual support through the process. In addition to getting the benefits of having a support group, you can also do things together that take your mind off smoking. Try to share what works best and be there for each other as much as possible.

Use multivitamins as a way to recover from the ravages of so much cigarette smoking. Take one that includes trace minerals in order to give you the most effective healing effects. Remember that more than your lungs suffer damage from smoking's effects. It is in your best interest to promote rapid healing.

Find support through different online forums and communities. There are hundreds of useful websites that are dedicated to furthering your goals of smoking cessation. It might be helpful and informative for you to compare different quitting methods with other people. If you have a support system made up of others that are quitting, this will help you deal with any trouble you may have.

Nicotine replacement therapy is a great option. Nicotine withdrawal is very powerful and can lead to depression, feelings of restlessness, and becoming frustrated or irritable. Cravings can be extremely tough to resist. You may find that nicotine replacement therapy will help reduce these feelings. Research has shown that people who make use of nicotine gum, lozenges, or patches can have twice the chances of quitting smoking successfully. Don't use these products if you're currently smoking.

It is important to approach your journey by focusing on a single day at a time. It is a big process to quit smoking. Take things step by step to maximize your chance for success. Take one day at a time. Focus on getting through each day without smoking so that you can build a future that is smoke-free.

Hypnosis is an effective tool to use when you quit smoking. This non-traditional method of quitting has shown great success with many smokers. The hypnotist puts you into a trance, giving your mind positive affirmations which stay with you. This hypnosis will tell your brain that smoking is not appealing, helping you avoid the urge to smoke.

Advise friends, family and co-workers that you are going to stop smoking. If many people know you have stopped smoking they will help hold you accountable. You will not want to disappoint your loved ones or become embarrassed that you keep smoking and fall short of what they expect from you. The fear of failure or disappointment can serve as a positive motivator throughout the process.

The decision to quit smoking can be a really difficult thing to do. However, it is not an impossibility. There are many aspects involved when stopping smoking, including time and patience. As is so often the case, the more you know about the topic of quitting smoking, the easier it is to do it. Use the tips from the article above, and you will be smoke free before you know it.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Are You Ready To Stop Smoking? Tips To Make It Stick

There are a lot of positive things that come out of the decision to quit smoking. Remember the positive reasons you are quitting, and use the suggestions you are about to read to assist you in your efforts. Keep these tips in mind and use them when needed to give you the extra help you need to become a proud non-smoker.

Avoid triggers you associate with smoking when you are trying to quit. Many people find that they have an association between driving and smoking, for example. In that case, you need to think of ways in advance to change your driving behavior so you're not constantly tempted while in the car. Find a distraction to keep you occupied.

If you have an oral fixation associated with your smoking habit, find new ways to occupy your mouth. Many people that try to stop smoking carry around hard candy or chewing gum with them. Then there are other people who use electronic cigarettes to help themselves.

If you are thinking about kicking your cigarette habit, create a detailed list of things that will motivate you to stick with it. If you are tempted to start again, get the list out and read it to motivate yourself to stay strong.

When you stop smoking, start by changing brands. Switch to a lighter cigarette or a cigarette whose taste you don't enjoy. Don´t smoke more than normal or in a different way. You will be less likely to smoke if you don't enjoy it as much.

Be sure that you follow a regular diet. Don't start a diet when you are already trying to quit smoking. You should instead follow a balanced and healthy diet. Smokers suffer from a distorted sense of taste, so healthy items such as fresh produce and low-fat dairy will not taste great. Including fresh produce and low fat dairy will give you the energy you need and make you less inclined to smoke.

It is very important to know what challenges may arise as you make your decision to quit smoking. Of the people who resume smoking after having quit, many do so within a matter of months. Are you often tempted to smoke when stressed? Know what triggers your desire for a cigarette so that you can be extra careful during those times.

Try doing breathing exercises when you crave a cigarette. You will want to inhale deeply through your nose while counting to ten. Pause a moment, then release the breath through your mouth, counting to ten again. This breathing exercise will reduce stress from cravings and allow you to focus your attention on something else. An additional benefit to doing this is that you will become increasingly aware of how your body can breathe easier with each passing day free of cigarettes.

If you can't do away with a craving altogether, try to at least hold out against it for as long as possible. Tell yourself you need to take a long walk before you could smoke, or try to drink a glass of water prior to smoking. This will help you to reduce your temptations and shift your focus elsewhere. Delaying can help to reduce the amount that you smoke, which can make a significant difference during the year.

Do not get discouraged if you fail to quit the first time you try. Even the hardest working quitters can fail. Be honest with yourself about why you failed this time, and be ready to combat that weakness next time. You may triumph the next time.

It can be a tough emotional challenge to quit smoking. Craving a cigarette is tough and it's easy to succumb to temptation. One way to help overcome cravings is to keep a journal. In this journal you should write down what was happening when the craving occurred, and how you effectively dealt with the craving.

Likely you already know that smoking is bad for you. While knowing why you want to quit is a great start, knowing how is far more important, so remember the tips you've read here to help you succeed. Apply the tips when you need some extra motivation or when you are hit with a craving. You can enjoy these non-smoker benefits in no time.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

How To Quit Smoking: Secrets For Success

Your family has begged you to give up cigarettes. Your doctor is probably pressuring you to quit as well. You will also find that your insurance provider will offer a discount for quitting. So, why haven't you done it yet? It is time to quit smoking for good, so use the following tips to help you give up the habit.

Cut back before you quit. This is a good way to ease into the idea of quitting altogether. Try a delay of one hour before you smoke your first morning cigarette. If it is difficult to reduce the number of times you smoke per day, so try cutting back on the amount of cigarette you smoke per time. Try smoking only half a cigarette instead of a full cigarette.

Choose to fill your time with a more positive habit. If you quit for someone else, you only give them power over you. If a person starts getting self-righteous and telling you they were right, start playing some noisy video games or loud music and tell them it's your new substitute for smoking! Getting involved in other activities will take your mind off of your difficult task, and the importance of the opinions of others will lessen.

Take several minutes to think of the primary reasons why you want to give up smoking. Keep a list with you, which highlight the reasons for quitting smoking. Whenever you are fighting a craving and want to light up, grab your paper instead, and remind yourself of your reasons to quit.

Great advice when quitting is to stop smoking altogether. Instead of setting a deadline that you can keep pushing back, quit today. By doing this, you are making a pact never to start smoking again. This method of quitting cigarettes is not the easiest one. However, dropping cigarettes altogether has been proven to work quite well.

The first seven days without cigarettes will be the most difficult part of quitting. Keep this in mind if you feel like you can't get through that first week. Your body will shed most of the nicotine you've been inhaling in the first two days. Once your body sheds the nicotine, the hard part will be mental addiction. Although psychological craving can be hard to manage, they are nowhere near as traumatic as physical craving.

Kicking the habit of smoking is a tremendous challenge to take on. Craving a cigarette is tough and it's easy to succumb to temptation. Try keeping a journal and writing down all of your cravings. Be specific by including the time, how it really felt, what activity you were participating in, and how you dealt with it. This can help you to become aware of your triggers, meaning that you will have a better chance of taking control of them.

One way to boost your success with quitting smoking, is building a list good and bad associations with quitting. When you put something in writing, it often has an affect on your entire mental outlook. This can help you to focus your quitting efforts more clearly, as well as to identify any weaknesses in your plan.

If you're thinking about quitting smoking, it's important that you talk to your doctor beforehand. Your doctor has access to quit-smoking resources that you don't. If the situation requires it, your doctor may prescribe you medication to quit smoking.

What are your triggers as a smoker? An example of triggers would be work, stress or maybe other people. Avoid each of these, which can help you to reduce the urges that you will have. If some triggers are unavoidable, plan mechanisms for dealing with the temptation before you are faced with them.

One way to help you stop smoking is to develop a rewards system. Buy yourself a new pair of shoes, treat yourself to some take-out, or give yourself a break from household chores to read a good book. This will help you forget about nasty old cigarettes, and focus instead on the positive outcome of quitting.

Now you have some good information to help you kick the habit, and get healthy. Stopping your cigarette habit will allow you to be happier, healthier, and you will live longer too. Use the money you are saving to spend on your family, showing them a big thank you for their support.