There are plenty of reasons to quit smoking, including health issues and being around friends and family, who do not appreciate cigarette smoke. All you need is the desire to quit and the ability to take a few steps that will help clear the air and your lungs.
Set a Quit Date
Tell your friends you plan to quit smoking, or invite a smoking friend to join you. This will put some more healthy pressure on you to carry out your plans. Do the same if you aren't planning a quit date and decide to go cold turkey. The support from the people around you will increase your chances of success.
Routine
Notice when you smoke and change your routine, the National Institutes of Health advises. Think of the times when you smoke and the places where you light up. Change those habits. For example, if you always have coffee with a cigarette, start practicing drinking coffee without a cigarette. Don't smoke in your car or in other areas where you find smoking appealing. This will lessen the difficulty of quitting.
Destroy Evidence
Get rid of cigarettes, ashtrays or any remnants of smoking when you quit. Give your house and car a good cleaning so the smell of smoke won't be left behind. You will be reminded how much better a place is without smoke.
New Friends
Stay with nonsmokers. You may even find new friends. Many people try to avoid smokers. By hanging around with people who don't smoke, you will see how much happier they are without cigarettes, and it won't make you want to grab one.
Exercise
Exercise regularly if you haven't already started. You will soon begin to realize how much easier it is to breathe, although some coughing will still exist for a few days for an ex-smoker. Moderate exercise such as brisk walking, bicycling or running a little bit is fine.
Keep Busy
Go to the movies or a restaurant you haven't been to in a long time. Smokefree.gov, a website of the National Cancer Institute, advises spending as much time as you can in places where smoking is not permitted. There are plenty of them out there such as libraries, malls, museums or places of worship.
Replacement
Substitute healthy items for cigarettes. You can try toothpicks, cinnamon sticks, chewing gum, carrot sticks, celery, lollipops or hard candy.
Healthy Food
Eat regular healthy meals. This is a good time to practice a good diet. Stay away from unhealthy snacks such as candy or potato chips. Ex-smokers can gain weight right after quitting because they feel a need to do something other than smoking. Keep fruit available to eat when the snack urge strikes. Drink plenty of water and fruit juice.
Avoid Temptations
Certain places may remind you of smoking. You may need to stay away from establishments you once enjoyed, such as such as nightclubs, for a while. It could temporarily separate you from friends who smoke. But later on, you can invite them to follow your lead and hang out with new nonsmoking friends.
Reward Yourself
Treat yourself to an expensive dinner or purchase a product you have been waiting to buy. You now have that extra money you are not spending on cigarettes. It will help keep you away from your old habit.
