For all the strong attempts to reduce smoking in the USA over the past two generations, the progress has not been remarkable. Nowadays one in four men and one in five women is a smoker.
The fact is that most smokers do understand. They also know the big financial cost of smoking, with a pack of 20 cigarettes priced at $10 in some areas ($3,650 spent per year on cigarettes by pack-a-day smokers).
Then why do large numbers still smoke? In good part, because smoking presents psychological relaxation to some smokers. Possibly because stopping smoking is too difficult.
There have never been so many programs for stopping smoking. And with every day, there is more study displaying the advantages of quitting.
1. Establish a quit date. Compose a “quit date contract” that contains your signature and that of a witness.
2. Compose all your motives for stopping. Write your quit smoking reasons on an index card and hold it near you always.
3. As you are ready to quit, stop purchasing cigarettes. Preferably, buy only a pack during a period, and only have some cigs with you. Ultimately you’ll discover that when you want smoking, you won’t have smokes instantly available. That will slowly switch you to fewer cigarettes.
4. Make a list of items to do when a craving gets. Recommendations contain: take a walk, get a glass of water, kiss your partner or child, wash the car, cleanse a cupboard, chew a piece of gum, drink a cup of coffee or tea, breathe deeply, get rid of cigarette smoke in your house. Have one copy with you constantly so when the craving gets, you can find the list and easily do something from it.
5. When your quit date comes, get rid of anything that reminds you of cigarettes. That contains all smoking things - remaining smokes, lighters, ashtrays, cigarette holders.
6. Rather than to take a cigarette break, play a game on computer. It requires about the same time and is much more fun. However, there are other varieties you can do: a phone call, a walk, or eating a fruit.
7. Drink a cup of herbal tea anytime you usually smoked. That may be at breakfast time, midmorning, or after meals. The process of making the tea and drinking it little by little will give the same stress relief as a hit of smoking.
8. Change your cigarette habit for a nut habit. Four nuts for every cigarette. By doing this, you’re using your hands and your mouth, having the same physical and oral sensations you receive from smoking.
9. Keep some canella-flavored toothpicks. Suck on one whenever a cigarette craving hits.
10. Use decaf for some weeks. Too much caffeine during smoking cessation process can cause the jitters.
