Quit smoking – 12 tips

No easy task to quit smoking! Not only does smoking create physical dependence. Much heavier weighs the mental habituation for many. Many everyday situations are so mentally linked to smoking that the smoker cannot even imagine how he can survive these situations without smoking. Often, what is a bad habit also fulfils social functions, is mentally linked to socializing and relaxing breaks – or is supposedly the right way to counteract stress and psychologically stressful situations. Here are 12 practical tips for the path to freedom.

12 tips to quit smoking

How to quit smoking and feel good about it:

1. Set a date  – it’s easiest to quit overnight to avoid raising the profile of cigarettes. Pick a day within the next two to three weeks.
2. Keep yourself busy to distract yourself and not think about smoking! Banish all smoking paraphernalia!
3. Drink as much as possible;  keep a glass of water or juice handy and sip occasionally. Change the flavour every once in a while.
4. The human psyche is corruptible and wants short-term positive consequences! Use the money you would otherwise have spent on cigarettes to treat yourself to something special!
5. Move more, do sports! Physical activity relaxes, lifts the mood, is healthy, distracts and prevents slight weight gain! This is how you kill several birds with one stone for a doubly healthy life!
6. Also, make sure you eat a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables – if you crave sweets, grab sugar-free chewing gum or sugar-free sweets.
7. Avoid situations that you firmly associate with smoking! Instead of coffee, for example, drink tea and avoid lounges where people smoke a lot!
8. If the craving overwhelms you, consciously turn your attention to something else! There’s no point imagining how nice something would be that you don’t want to do anymore! So instead, direct your thoughts to something beautiful you can do with a clear conscience and all your heart. Bouts of cravings are short-lived and pass—whether you smoke or not!
9. Become aware of the importance of withdrawal symptoms! This is your body’s signal that it is well on its way to recovering from the stress of smoking and cleansing itself! Enjoy it! In addition, these side effects usually disappear after a short time.
10. To facilitate the cessation process, the nicotine in cigarettes can be replaced with nicotine medication. This nicotine replacement therapy alleviates the withdrawal symptoms. Ask your pharmacist for advice!
11. Stand your ground! No sound or lousy news or mood will allow them to “smoke just the one cigarette” – there isn’t one, they will soon want “one” and another.
12. Enjoy every day knowing that you are free and no longer need cigarettes! Every day is good for your health, fellow human beings and wallet – you can be proud of yourself.

Stabilization is important

Once you have stopped smoking, it is essential to stabilize your success so that you do not relapse again. Once the withdrawal is over, you should try to integrate the new non-cigarette behaviours into your everyday life. You can also do this by including your environment. Reward yourself for your successes and be proud of what you have achieved – you will live much healthier from now on!