When tobacco companies spend billions of dollars advertising their products, it can be hard to stamp out the habit. Every time you decide you want to quit, you might see an ad that lures you back in. However, when you learn that smoking-related illnesses cost more than $300 billion annually in the U.S., you might be more inclined to give up the habit for good. Here are some tips that might help you on your journey to becoming smoke-free.
Slowly Transition
Very few people successfully stop smoking by going ‘cold turkey,’ which means quitting slowly might be your best option. You might decide to search ‘3mg nicotine equals how many cigarettes’ to learn more about the efficacy of freebase nicotine vaping or nicotine salts.
However, if you want to remove nicotine from your body altogether, vaping CBD hemp or THC distillate might be worth your while. These products don’t contain nicotine and may help you swap from cigarettes to something potentially less harmful while still providing smoking satisfaction.
Try Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Nicotine cravings make it challenging for even the most strong-willed people to quit smoking, which is why they may continue smoking long after they wish they had given up. When you want to improve your health, nicotine replacement therapy might be something you consider.
Talk to your healthcare provider about options like nicotine patches, gum, and lozenges. You might also be eligible for prescription non-nicotine medications or nicotine nasal sprays or inhalers.
Avoid Your Triggers
When you make a plan to quit smoking, write down all the situations that would see you lighting up. It might be first thing in the morning with your cup of coffee, while out with friends at a bar, or when you’re stressed.
Try to avoid these triggers as best as possible to avoid succumbing to temptation. For example, you might decide to have your morning coffee at work rather than at home and visit non-smoking establishments with your friends. With time and the absence of nicotine in your system, you’ll be able to create new habits that don’t involve cigarettes or the desire to smoke.
Replace One Habit With Another
It can be challenging to know what to do with yourself when you no longer have smoking to fill in your time. This abnormal new routine can even be challenging to adjust to, causing you to take up smoking once more.
However, consider replacing your cigarette habit with a healthier one for the best chance of success. For example, you can do a puzzle or try something new like working out or photography when you feel like smoking.
Delay Your Cigarette
Cravings can be hard to manage when you’re trying to give up smoking, and it can seem like the easiest route is to simply buy another packet and carry on smoking. However, you might have some success by delaying smoking when you feel the urge.
When you feel like having one, tell yourself to wait 10 more minutes and use that period to distract yourself. You might even decide to put yourself in situations where smoking isn’t allowed so that you can make it through those challenging times.
Keep Yourself Busy
You might have been smoking for such a long time that it feels too unusual not to have something in your hand or mouth. Although, you might have some luck quitting smoking by keeping your hands and mouth busy.
Chew chewing gum, eating healthy snacks like carrot sticks and sunflower seeds, and purchasing fidget toys to keep in your cigarette hand that you can squeeze. While they may not seem helpful, they might provide you with enough distraction to go extended periods without thinking about smoking.
Say No to Just One
It’s easy to trick yourself into thinking you can have just one and that you’ll go back to being smoke-free once you’ve had that one. However, one is all it takes to reintroduce nicotine back into your system and have your body craving it even more. Be strong and remind yourself why you’re doing it. Non-smokers live for an average of 10 years longer than smokers, which might be incentive enough to say no to that single cigarette.
Get Support
Quitting smoking is hard, and not everyone has success doing it alone. Get someone else involved if you don’t think you’re strong enough to go on this journey by yourself. You might decide to join an online stop-smoking program or even talk to friends about your plans so they can support you. If you have friends who smoke, your desire to quit might be the motivation they need to join you on your quit-smoking journey.
