The American Lung Association reports that there are nearly 400,000 tobacco-related deaths in the U.S. each year. An additional 50,000 deaths are attributed to exposure to secondhand smoke. When it comes to quitting the natural way, a holistic approach to nicotine addiction addresses the psychological, physical and social aspects of your life. Taking the total body approach can help you quit smoking and improve your overall health.
Get Active
Stay active to help you stop smoking. Physical activity actually releases "feel-good" hormones in the body. When you feel good as a result of doing something healthy for your body, it's easier for you to resist the temptation to smoke. Exercise also improves cardiovascular health, which is especially important when your body has taken a hit from years of smoking. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic suggest going out for a walk when you feel the urge to smoke a cigarette. Physical exercise distracts you and can reduce the strength of your cravings. A half-hour of moderate physical activity such as walking can make the uncomfortable craving to smoke go away.
Seek Support from Others
Enlist the help of family and friends once you decide to quit smoking. Tell those close to you that you plan to quit smoking. Ask them to hold you accountable to help you achieve your goal. Letting other people know of your intent makes it harder for you to break your commitment to not smoke. If you have friends or family members who smoke, try to find someone else who wants to quit smoking and suggest that you work on it together. Because it can be difficult to stop smoking if a lot of the people around you smoke, you might have to find yourself some new friends who don't smoke. Socialize at places where people aren't allowed to smoke. Look for a support group in your area that offers encouragement to people who are trying to kick the habit of smoking.
Resist the Urge
Chew gum or snack on mints and other low-calorie treats when you feel the urge to put a cigarette in your mouth. During those first difficult days when you're trying to quit, it might help to use a coffee stirring straw as a fake cigarette. Hold the straw in your hand or mouth as you would a cigarette as you fight the urge to light up the real thing. Be determined not to give in to the craving for a cigarette. Most times, the urge will last for only a few minutes before it passes. Find reasons to postpone having a cigarette. If you keep delaying that next cigarette, you may be able to go longer between smokes. Many people succeed at quitting by taking it just one day at a time and using techniques such as these.
Natural Herbs
Use products that contain natural herbs such as lobelia, passionflower, peppermint or ginger root to help you quit smoking. These herbs affect the brain in much the same way that nicotine does, except they're nonaddictive and won't harm your health the way tobacco can. Lobelia and passionflower produce a calming effect that makes you feel less irritable and more relaxed as you try not to smoke. Ginger root and peppermint work to soothe your stomach and alleviate some of the other physical side effects associated with nicotine withdrawal. Other herbals you might want to consider include skullcap to help relieve anxiety, and mimosa to ease the headaches many smokers suffer when trying to quit.
