Congratulations. You want to stop smoking--this is the first and most important step to a smoke-free and healthier life. Now you need to arm yourself with the techniques to succeed. Smoking addiction is both mental and physical. Most of the nicotine is out of your system after 2 to 3 days of quitting, according to the American Cancer Society. The mental part of the cigarette addiction can keep cravings present for months, although the severity and frequency decreases. The University of Minnesota, Division of Periodontology, states that nicotine is "1,000 times more addictive than alcohol" and "5 to 10 times more addictive than cocaine or morphine." Quitting smoking is hard, but it is not impossible. Learn to fight the urge to smoke, without using drugs, by following proven quit smoking techniques.
Step 1
Write a list of reasons why you want to quit smoking. The list strengthens your desire to quit and, you can refer to it when you quit smoking to help you resist the urge to smoke.
Step 2
Decide on a date to quit smoking and mark the date on your calendar. The American Cancer Society recommends choosing a date within 1 month of making your decision. The 1-month period gives you a chance to prepare yourself to quit smoking but is not so long to give you a chance to talk yourself out of quitting.
Step 3
Prepare yourself to deal with withdrawal symptoms once you quit smoking. Common withdrawal symptoms include feeling angry, frustrated, anxious, depressed and like you cannot concentrate or you may have trouble sleeping. Most withdrawal symptoms "subside within 3 to 4 weeks," according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, but cravings to smoke can last for months, although they will not be as severe.
Step 4
Tell your family and friends about your plan to quit smoking and ask them to for emotional support. Ask friends and family members who smoke to not smoke around you.
Step 5
Join a quit smoking support program to increase your chances of success. There are free quit smoking programs available on the Internet or over the phone (see References).
Step 6
Discard all items related to smoking the night before your quit date. Throw away your cigarettes, lighters, matches, ashtrays and any other items that remind you of smoking.
Step 7
Occupy your hands and mouth with items other than cigarettes. Eat carrot sticks, suck on a lollipop, chew sugar-free gum or play with a yo-yo.
Step 8
Drink plenty of water and juice to help your body flush out nicotine
Step 9
Exercise to reduce stress and combat weight gain.
Step 10
Combat strong nicotine urges by looking at the list you made of reasons to quit smoking and disallowing yourself to smoke for at least 10 minutes after the urge first hits. Often, if you can resist the urge to smoke for 10 minutes, the craving will become weaker. Once you have resisted one craving, you can remind yourself of your success when you have your next craving.
