10 Top Ways To Help Yourself Stop Smoking
Here are some top tips for helping yourself to stop smoking (and vaping!)…
1. Set your ‘quit date’ and then stick to it (this would be the second session date if you are coming to me for help). Make it sooner rather than later. If you are quitting by yourself, leading up to your quit date you might try smoking another brand for at least a few days as they just won’t seem as enjoyable. You could also try smoking nonstop until you get to the point where it makes you sick, and disgusts you so much, that you just don’t want to do it anymore – then remember that feeling every time you get the urge later to smoke a single cigarette.
2. Get as much support as you can from family, friends and work colleagues. Let them know you are planning to quit and tell them your quit date. Ask smokers not to smoke around you or to offer you cigarettes or cajole you to start smoking again. Ask people to be on your side, to change the subject if smoking ever comes up and not to say things like “Go on, sure one won’t hurt you” or “You look like you could really do with a cigarette!”
3. On the big day, throw out all cigarettes, ashtray lighters and anything else that might remind you of smoking. I would advise you not to use nicotine patches or gum – that’s like trying to give up alcohol by continuing to drink alcohol! (and any patch users also end up wearing the patches and smoking anyway!). Wash your clothes and clean your car to remove the smell of stale smoke. The smell can sometimes take a week or two to completely go.
4. Your ‘official’ nicotine detox will take three days. During this time, cut down the amount of tea, coffee and caffeinated drinks you consume. Remember that ice cream and other foods can contain caffeine, so do check the labels. And at least four times a day, drink fresh fruit juice or eat fresh fruit instead. The natural fruit sugar will stop your blood sugars from crashing badly and help you avoid those dreaded extreme mood swings! Also go for regular daily, brisk, short walks to stretch your lungs as well as your legs.
5. Plan for situations when you may be tempted to smoke, such as parties, drinks with friends or going out for a meal. Try to avoid these situations in the early stages of quitting or until you feel much stronger.
6. You may find chewing regular minty gum helps, not only does it keep your mouth feeling fresh, chewing gum also causes you to salivate and this helps to reduce anxiety. Drink fresh water throughout the day as dehydration causes cravings. You may find it helpful to hold something like a pen in your hand when you’re talking, even when on the phone.
7. Write down all the reasons that made you decide to quit smoking in the first place, and look at your list when you need reminding!
8. Remember to keep the following ‘4 Ds’ in mind if you have a craving.
Delay: remember that the very worst cravings last for only a few minutes and will become even less frequent the longer you have quit.
Deep breathe: this should help you relax and focus your mind on something else. Breathe long, slow and deep.
Drink water: it is a good idea to drink plenty of fluids to help flush the nicotine and other toxins out of your system.
Do something else: change your focus, move, stretch, do something different……you could go for a walk, to the movies or visit a supportive friend. Try eating some fresh fruit or cleaning your teeth when you would normally have a cigarette. You could hold something else, such as a pen or a keyring, to replace the need to hold a cigarette, and chew some normal gum or eat or drink a healthy snack rather than sticking a cigarette in your mouth.
9. If you drink a lot of coffee, you may also want to cut down on your coffee intake as you retain more caffeine when there is no nicotine in your system. Feeling jittery from too much caffeine will not help your plan to quit! It may also be best to avoid alcohol as many people find it hard to resist smoking when they drink.
10. Pat yourself on the pack for each minute, hour, day, week and month you are a non-smoker. Put aside the money you would have spent on smoking and use this to treat yourself. Saving money is rarely the primary reason for stopping but just do the arithmetic – for example, if a typical pack of 20 cigarettes costs £15, and 20 a day is the average smoked, then you would save £5475 per year and £54,750 + interest in 10 years.
For more information please see the following resources:
- Stop Smoking using hypnotherapy
- How life improves when you stop smoking
- Smoking – truths, myths and lies are the primary reasons to
- What’s in tobacco?
- Some facts about smoking
And of course, if you find it hard to go it alone, then do give me a call to discuss my Stop Smoking with Hypnothe3-Step Step Programme.
