You will be doing your body a favor by quitting smoking . Although "cold turkey" is the most popular approach to quitting, some people prefer a gradual approach. Although smoking kills millions of people every year, millions of other people have quit the habit for good. Their experience with successful and unsuccessful methods can help you to achieve your goal. In order to succeed, you must formulate a plan to break both the physical addiction and the psychological addiction.
Step 1
Formulate a properly-stated smoking reduction goals using the SMART goal-setting formula. Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-sensitive, according to best-selling author Tristan Loo, writing for Selfgrowth.com. An example of a SMART goal would be "Reduce smoking by one cigarette a day, each day for the next two weeks." Your goal will be relevant only if it is personally meaningful to you, which means that you will need to decide exactly why you want to quit smoking.
Step 2
List your reasons for quitting smoking. First, brainstorm all of the advantages of being a non-smoker. Include not only health reasons but also social and financial reasons. Try to frame your reasons positively--to live longer or feel better, for example--rather than to avoid getting lung cancer. Place your most important reasons first on your list. Be sure to list the reasons that are most important to you personally. For example, if you are motivated more by social reasons that by health reasons, then be honest about it and place social reasons at the top of your list. This process will enhance your motivation to quit.
Step 3
Identify your smoking triggers, or situations that tempt you to smoke. Common smoking triggers include sex, consumption of alcoholic beverages, work stress, eating, getting out of bed and socializing with friends who smoke, according to COPD International, a support network for those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Identify which cigarettes you will eliminate and in which order--the one you smoke after sex, for example, or the one you smoke when you get out of bed in the morning.
Step 4
Set a specific date when you will start reducing your smoking and tell your friends and family about it. Social support will increase your odds of success.
Step 5
Distract yourself whenever you feel the urge to smoke. Prepare various activities in advance to keep your mouth and hands busy, such as chewing gum, sucking on hard candy or popping bubble wrap. Read through your reasons to stop smoking while you are engaged in these activities.
Step 6
Mediate for at least 20 minutes a day. Sit upright in a chair in a dark, quiet room and close your eyes. Focus on relaxing your body, one part at a time--your feet, for example, and then your calves, working your way up. Next, focus your awareness on your thoughts, calmly observing them. Then focus on your breathing. Every time you catch yourself thinking about something besides your own breathing, gently guide your thinking back to a singular focus on your breathing. Daily meditation will help you reduce your cravings for cigarettes, according to AltMD, a website specializing in alternative medicine.
Tips and Warnings
- If you fail to quit using a gradual reduction approach, you may eventually have to resort to the "cold turkey" approach.
- Don't use nicotine replacement products, such as nicotine gum, until you have cut smoking to almost zero. Smoking and using nicotine replacement products at the same time can increase your body's need for nicotine.
Things You'll Need
- Hard candy or chewing gum
- Bubble wrap
