How to quit smoking

* Medical Care – Drug companies have developed medication to help the campaign against smoking.  For example, the antidepressant Bupropion lessens nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.  This drug is comparable to most nicotine replacement therapies.  Studies show people have successful stopped smoking in as short as three months with this method.

* Alternative Medicine – There are a number of alternative medical care available to help you quit smoking.  These include meditation as well as herbal supplements and drinks to control nicotine cravings. 

- Meditation will allow you to relax your mind and body.  Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned, “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation often involves turning attention to a single point of reference, in this case smoking cessation.  It will help you be more focused and assist in removing your cravings.  The deep breathing techniques that is involved in meditation will effectively help to oxygenate your body and relieve anxiety and stress, making you less likely to crave for that stick of cigarette. 

- Hypnosis and NLP are also alternatives that will help to get to the root of the psychological need for a smoke.  Hypnosis is a distinctive, often trance-like mental state that is induced by an organized pattern of suggestions which are usually verbal in nature.  The suggestions may be directly induced by a clinical hypnotherapist in the presence of the subject, but may also be self-induced.  This would normally require a few sessions for it to be effective in helping to quit smoking.  Or you could click here to access a gentle and pleasurable hypnosis online that gives you 100% money-back guarantee if it doesn’t work on you to help you to remove your cravings for that stick of cigarette and quit smoking. 

- As for herbal supplements and drinks, these have been known to work as well.  There are some very special plants available to us that we can use to support our healthy wholeness and to help to quit smoking although this is not advertised. Have personally seen a few friends on whom this method has worked and the process is very simple.  No hassles and no challenges.

* Using Patches – Another way of quitting smoking is by making use of patches.  Patches which can be purchased at any pharmacies or by doctor’s prescription have been known to help people solve their smoking addiction.  The percentage of success though is not high.  Nicotine replacement therapies are other tools that can help to manage nicotine cravings, withdrawal symptoms and resulting in smoking cessation.

* Another tool to quit smoking is through an ancient Chinese medical technique called acupuncture.  Acupuncture involves the insertion of extremely thin needles through your skin, to various depths at strategic points on your body.  This usually involves a series of weekly or biweekly treatments in an outpatient setting.  Acupuncture has seen success in the field of smoking cessation.

* Belonging to a support group where members provide each other with providing and evaluating relevant information pertaining to smoking cessation, relating their personal experiences, listening to and accepting others’ experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks can help a smoker succeed in his quest to quit smoking.  A support group can be very valuable in terms of the support that is given.

* Most important of all is to focus on the goal and the desired outcome.  The methods are numerous and many.  However, the end result is to quit smoking.  Without commitment and determination, the number of smokers are not able to overcome their bad habit of smoking.  Unless they have a strong commitment to themselves and a burning desire to quit smoking, they will not be able to overcome their smoking habit for good.

Smoking is an addiction to nicotine.  Just a few sticks a day can be harmful to your health and damaging to your cells in the long run.  Many smokers do think to quit smoking but because it is not easy to do so and requires a big commitment and strong desire to want to quit smoking, many avoid going through the actual quit smoking drive and continue with what they are most comfortable with. 

Core Desire To Quit Smoking

In order to be able to quit smoking successfully, you must first of all know why is it that you want to quit smoking.  What are the benefits that you are looking for?  Better health, improved fitness level, getting back your sense of taste and smell, easier breathing, less likelihood of developing heart disease, lung disease, stroke or cancer are some of the benefits that smokers look forward to when they decide to quit smoking.  Not only are the health benefits to the smoker numerous, even more advantageous is the better environment for those around the smokers, especially for their loved ones.

To quit smoking may be one of the hardest things you have ever embarked upon as it can be a monumental task.  In order to successfully quit smoking, you have to know all your own reasons for wanting to get rid of a habit that may have taken up more than half or even three-quarters of your life.  Although our society is becoming less accepting of smoking with some governments enforcing ‘No Smoking Sections’ in food outlets and air-conditioned areas, if you are not ready to undertake the challenge to quit smoking, nothing will help you kick the habit for good.

Why Quit Smoking

In order to be able to kick the smoking habit for life, you want to be able to take some time to prepare yourself.  Have a goal for yourself as in when you want to start to quit smoking, how are you going to go through the whole program without relapse, what you will do if you face a relapse, how are you going to cut down on the cigarettes, by when will it be zero cigarettes, and so on.  Once you have written out your plan, stick to it as closely as possible.  It would be advisable to start slowly, that is, if you smoke ten sticks a day, you may cut down by one a day for one day, then two a day for two days…..  There is no right or wrong.  Do what you feel comfortable with.  Eventually you will find yourself smoking less and you can adjust the plan if so required.

It would be good to also think of some of the worst case scenarios that could befall you if you do not quit smoking now.  Then write down the reasons that motivate you to want to kick the smoking habit.  Look at the consequences in a positive light and give yourself the encouragement and commitment to go through this huge step now.

Announce To Yourself Your Intention

As studies have shown, your brain plays a very important part in this as well.  Picture yourself actually having quit smoking!  Give yourself positive affirmations everyday as well.  “I have quit smoking as I want better health.”  Or “I have quit smoking as I want to breathe better.”  Most smokers find that they tend to go back to their normal after having quit for a day or two, and most are back at it within three to six months.  Do not be discouraged if that happens.  So long as you have the will to go for it and the mind to quit smoking, that will be a good starting point. 

Announce To Others Your Intention

Another way that many have found helpful and succeeded in their journey to quit smoking is to announce to everyone what you are intending to do.  Ask for their help and support.  Tell your family, colleagues, business associates, friends and everyone you know that you are going to kick the smoking habit and get their support to help you.  Announce to the whole world.

Some ex-smokers have found that it helps to suck on sweets or chew gum when they feel the urge to want to smoke and go back to the habit.  By doing so, this helps you get over the sensation of having that cigarette in your mouth. 

Certain health drinks also have the ability to help you curb your smoking desire by working at the cellular level.  A friend of mine was skeptical and did not think that it would work.  However, he tried the juice and it helped him quit smoking.  It has now been more than a month since he touched a stick.  There have also been many testimonials by others who have been helped in this way.

If none of the above work, another program that you might consider is Neuro-Linguistic Programming or Hypnosis.  It is a natural way to help train your mind to quit smoking which has helped thousands to quit.  With the correct mindset, core desire and commitment, you can stop smoking cigarettes by today, and for the rest of your life.

Today we have information about smoking-related cancers and other illnesses, and the benefits of quitting smoking. We’re also well-informed about the dangers of second-hand smoke. Tobacco smoke is deadly, whether you actively inhale it or are exposed to it through other smokers.

Among the benefits of quitting smoking is reducing the risk of smoking-related cancers of the lungs, jaw, tongue, lymph nodes and esophagus. Even second-hand smoke can cause these cancers. It is primarily the tar content that causes cancer. The greatest benefit of quitting smoking is that you will not be putting tar, a toxic poison, into your body.

Some of the symptoms of cancer caused by tar-containing tobacco smoke are white spots on the tongue, lips, throat, gums, and jaw structure, deep, sputum-producing coughing spells, difficulty swallowing, recurring infections of the lymph nodes, and difficulty breathing. Another benefit of quitting smoking and reducing your exposure to second-hand smoke is that toxic tar won’t collect in your lungs, throat, and lymph nodes.

Asthma is a medical condition that causes a serious constriction of the airway passages, making it difficult, sometimes impossible, to breathe. Severe asthma can be fatal if it isn’t quickly treated with an inhaled steroid medication. Asthma is caused by, or worsened, by tobacco smoke, including second-hand smoke. If you suffer from asthma, one of the benefits of quitting smoking is that your asthma attacks can be significantly reduced or even eliminated. If you have a child with asthma, it’s imperative that you not expose him/her to your second-hand smoke or allow other smokers to do so.

If you have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) the benefits of quitting smoking are extremely important. COPD is the chronic obstruction of your airways; it can occur with emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or both of these disorders. Coughing, choking, and gasping for breath, and smoking-related cancer are symptoms of COPD. The primary cause of this illness is tobacco smoking. Thus, it is entirely preventable simply by not smoking. The benefit of quitting smoking for those with COPD is a lack or delay of progression of the disease e.g. lung damage. Unfortunately smoking-related COPD damage is irreversible and permanent. Although its symptoms can usually be treated, for people with severe, advanced COPD the survival prognosis is very poor.

Emphysema is a disease similar to COPD; it too causes serious airway obstruction, and often occurs along with COPD. The primary treatment for emphysema is to stop smoking and/or breathing second-hand smoke. The benefit of quitting smoking among emphysema sufferers, like COPD; progression of the disease is delayed, but the airway and lung damage is permanent and eventually fatal. With end-stage emphysema, a mechanical breathing machine is necessary unless the terminal patient has an advanced medical directive declining this treatment.

The benefits of quitting smoking are clear and in most cases, hopeful. However, years of exposure to tobacco smoke takes its toll in the form of terminal illness that could have been prevented. To reap these benefits of quitting smoking, make a plan today to stop smoking!

Here’s why: Recording your smoking habits in a smoker’s journal helps you identify your smoking triggers and moods, so you can better devise your quit-smoking plan. You might think you know why you’re lighting up, but writing down the these information can give useful insight into your smoking patterns or triggers. For example, you might be chain-smoking when you’re hanging out with your friends, or you might be smoking partly to kill time. This new insight into your stressors can help you strategize ways to beat your urge to smoke.

1. Click to download and print out your Smoker’s Journal.
2. Record your daily smoking patterns by noting down in your journal each time you have a cigarette, where you have it, with whom, and your reason for lighting up. Keep track of your need to smoke under the Urge column with a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being low, 5 high).
3. At the end of each day, review your journal to identify patterns or triggers in your smoking habit.

What Are the Best Ways to Quit Smoking?

As with anything, your success in a stop smoking program depends entirely upon your commitment to it. You must overcome your denial and admit that you are addicted to nicotine, one of the most powerfully addictive drugs known. Yes, nicotine is a formidable enemy, but does that mean that you cannot quit smoking? Do you feel helpless to quit smoking? The answer is NO! You can stop smoking anytime you are ready to participate in a stop smoking program that isn’t based upon media hype, but rely on stop smoking aids with a proven success record.

There are several ways to quit smoking that have been tried and proven over the years. These stop smoking programs rely upon your absolute dedication to become smoke-free. Let’s look at some of the most successful programs that have a demonstrated “track record” to help others stop smoking.

• Stop smoking aids can help your withdrawal from this addictive substance, nicotine, in a variety of ways. Using a nicotine patch or gum, that you can buy over the counter at your drugstore, supply you with an ever-decreasing dose of nicotine gradually reduces your withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. When you think about it being time to quit smoking, you will need to take into account that nicotine has a nasty withdrawal syndrome; anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness and weight gain, to mention a few. It is the withdrawal symptoms that cause an individual to relapse back into smoking. Thus, if you can manage these withdrawal symptoms through stop smoking aids, you have a much greater chance at success than if you stop “cold turkey.”

• Many smokers find help in mental health techniques like hypnosis to quit smoking. You may have some misinformation about hypnosis; it is simply a deep state of pure relaxation that makes you more susceptible to suggestions like, “I feel no urge to smoke,” or “I am strong enough to resist urges to smoke.” Contrary to Hollywood’s distortion, using hypnosis is an excellent way to quit smoking, and you won’t be quacking like a duck every time you hear a bell ring.

• To quit smoking, there is also medical treatment that will help you in your decision. To quit smoking with Zyban, a medication often used as a stop smoking aid, is something you should discuss with your physician. Stop smoking medications like Zyban can be of enormous help in quelling your cravings and urges to smoke. Zyban is also sold under the name Wellbutrin, a well-known and very effective antidepressant medication. At a smaller dose, this stop smoking aid can be of great benefit in acting upon neurotransmitters in the brain; most smokers find Zyban very helpful.

What About Herbal Preparations to Quit Smoking?

There is not magic quit smoking pill. Like weight loss, we have to do the hard part on our own. But considering the devastating health risks caused by smoking, perhaps you have determined that you will not give up years of your life in order to maintain your nicotine addiction. Many smokers find relief from nicotine withdrawal symptoms through herbal preparations to quit smoking. In fact, to quit smoking, you might consider doing whatever you need to do by any means necessary to eliminate your nicotine addiction. If herbal quit smoking preparations work for you, then as long as they’re safe, use them!

Several herbs have been found to help your quit smoking quest. Chamomile, for example, is a herb known for relaxation for at least a thousand years. Valerian root also has sedation properties that will help you sleep during your nicotine withdrawal period of up to 48 hours. St. John’s Wort is also a stop smoking aid due to its antidepressant and antianxiety properties.

Before you use any herbal preparation to quit smoking, please remember to consult with your physician; some herbs interact badly with other prescription medications.

Quit Smoking Tip #1 – Prepare Yourself

Are You ‘Covered’?
Even if smoking costs people a ton of money, one of the deterrents (excuses) people have to stop smoking is the expense of quitting! So, your fist step when preparing to quit smoking is to check some things with your insurance provider. Are quit smoking aids, medication, and counseling covered under your insurance plan? You might be more likely to take advantage of quit smoking aids if you aren’t burdened with paying for expensive medications or treatments.

Get in the Right Mindset
Prepare your body and mind for the incredible amount of stress that comes when you quit smoking. There is no easy way to quit smoking. It comes down to sheer determination, and you need to gear yourself up for a fight!

Write it Down
Before you reach your quit smoking date, keep a smoking journal. Write down when you are smoking and why you want to smoke at that time. A smoking journal is a quit smoking tip that allows you to see what triggers your cravings and allows you to plan strategies on how to combat future cravings.

Set a Date
A very useful quit smoking tip is to set a quit date, and stick to it. Once you reach that date, you need to steel yourself to not pick up another cigarette. People who mentally have a quit smoking date in mind, and who do not smoke at all on that quit smoking date are more likely to completely kick the habit than those who do not state a quit smoking date.

Make sure your quit date is planned at the right time. It is not recommended to try and quit smoking during holidays or other stressful times of the year. The week before your wedding or before a big move might not be the ideal time to set a quit smoking date.

Make sure that you have everything set for your quit smoking date. If you have chosen to go with a stop smoking aid, make sure you have enough supplies ready to go. If you plan to join a support group, make sure that you know when and where the meetings are held so that you can take advantage of them as soon as you hit your quit smoking date.

Check With Your Doctor
Talk with your doctor about your plan to quit smoking. Your doctor is sure to have educational pamphlets filled with quit smoking tips you can both run through.

Quit Smoking Tip #2 Get Support

Talk it Out
You have a better chance of completely kicking the smoking habit if you let friends and loved ones in on what you are going through, than if you try and quit without telling anyone. You are going to need the support of your friends and loved ones during this trying time. And if they know what you are going through, they are likely to be more understanding when you become moody and irritable.

Listen to Someone Who’s Been There
You can also talk it out by taking advantage of quit smoking tips such as calling telephone support lines, or joining a quit smoking support group. You can get quit smoking tips from ex-smokers who have been through the pain of withdrawal, and find out what worked best for them.

Join a Group
A quit smoking tip many ex-smokers find very helpful is to join a smoking cessation program. You can look over the various smoking cessation programs with your doctor and choose the most suitable one for you.

Check the Web
If you want support, but don’t feel like talking, or if attending regular meetings doesn’t work with your schedule you can consider joining an internet online support group.

Smoking does not have to be a lifelong habit. Prepare yourself, get some support, and take advantage of the many quit smoking aids available to you and you can put out your last cigarette and quit the smoking habit for good.

The Start of An Addiction

It is the nicotine in cigarettes that turns a smoker into an addict. Many people start smoking for social reasons. Some smoke because it helps them relieve tension, or it stimulates them. But eventually every smoker smokes to relieve the craving of nicotine. And in order to quit smoking, you must overcome your body’s addiction to nicotine.

Regardless of how many quit smoking tips people give you, the first and most important step to smoking cessation is to decide to quit. You can talk with your doctor, and the two of you can decide which stop smoking program would be the most effective for you. Your doctor is sure to have educational pamphlets with useful quit smoking tips, and may even prescribe one of the latest aids to quit smoking.

Quitting smoking cold turkey is not necessary. There are many aids to quit smoking available today. You may choose to use nicotine gum, the nicotine patch, nasal spray or a non-nicotine replacement good for people with high blood pressure. Each of these quit smoking aids try to ease the discomfort as your body fights against its addiction to nicotine.

Some people even turn to unconventional ways to quit smoking, such as acupuncture and hypnosis.

Quit Smoking Roadblocks

The challenges of smoking cessation, apart from the nicotine withdrawal, also involve breaking your ritual of smoking at certain times of the day. A quit smoking tip is to beware of what your triggers are. For instance, you may crave cigarettes more when you are socializing with your smoking friends.

Another quit smoking tip is to tell your friends and loved ones you are quitting. You will gain the moral support you will need. If your friends and loved ones know you are trying to quit smoking, they will be more understanding, and will be more tolerant if you become irritable and moody.

Quit Smoking - Benefits to Look Forward To…

There are tons of benefits to quitting smoking! Following are a few:

• When you quit smoking your breath will no longer smell. Your teeth will lose that yellowish glow and will return to healthy pearly whites again. You will also be less likely to get gum disease or tooth decay.

• It won’t just be your breath that smells better when you quit smoking. The smell of smoke will wash out of your hair. Your clothes, your furniture and your car will lose that nasty odor of smoke as well.

• You will be better able to appreciate the fresh smell of your surroundings, as your sense of smell will return to normal. Food will taste better as your sense of taste will also improve.

• When you quit smoking, your body immediately begins to repair itself. You will find that when you stop smoking cigarettes, you will have fewer headaches and you will eventually stop that nagging smoker’s cough. Your complexion will also improve as you will also stop the premature wrinkles that smoking cigarettes has caused to your face.

• When you quit smoking you not only make the air around your friends and loved ones more healthy to breath, you will also not have to be constantly on the look out for an appropriate place to smoke when in public.

• Another huge payoff for quitting smoking is the money you will save. A lifetime of smoking can cost a smoker up to $20,000.00!

Quit Smoking and Save Your Body from Serious Illnesses

When you quit smoking, you reduce your risk of developing a variety of deadly attacks on your body including a heart attack, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Also, if you do not quit smoking you are TEN TIMES more likely to develop emphysema, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and bladder cancer.

Women who do not quit smoking are at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. Men who don’t quit are at a greater risk of developing impotency. Parents who quit smoking make the air safer to breathe for their children. When a parent quits smoking a child is less likely to develop respiratory infections or aggravated asthma.

You may not even remember why you started smoking. But you do not have to remain bound to the addiction of smoking cigarettes. When you are ready to quit, talk to your doctor. And remember, once you put that last cigarette out, you will gain tremendous benefits as your body begins healing itself. Good luck!