The key to successfully battling any disease or addiction is to identify what it is that afflicts you, educate yourself about your disease or addiction to get a better understanding on how to proceed on your road to recovery. In the following article you are going to discover 5 powerful smoking quit tips that work, and understanding that nicotine addiction is two fold, will better help you to incorporate these tips into your quit smoking plan.
Without further delay here are the 5 smoking quit tips that will make quit smoking a breeze and make your life much better.
tip #1.If you are trying to quit smoking for any other reason than for yourself, it might make quitting a little more complicated and harder to stop for good. You have to want it without reservations or any ideas thinking that if you quit now you can stop any time, because each time you stop and go back quitting smoking becomes harder and harder, so make sure you want to stop for you.
tip #2.Here's a smoking quit tip that will almost positively ensure your stop smoking success, and that's, knowing what your potential habitual triggers are and doing what you have to do to avoid them, at least until you become strong enough to deal with being in contact with whatever it is that makes you want to light up. Remain consistent and you will succeed.
tip #3.Introduce new productive habits that will help you get through the initial stages quitting smoking. Believe it or not you have before you an excellent opportunity to explore some of the things and projects that you have been wanting to do and get to for a long time, what better time to explore those other areas in your life than now. Your mind will be preoccupied with your new projects and you won't have time to think much of any thing else to include smoking.
tip #4.Take the time to read educational information about the addiction of nicotine and how it effects the human body, trust me you are definitely in the right frame of mind for this and it will have a profound effect on your ability and wants to stay stopped. When I was smoking the last thing I wanted to do was pick up a pamphlet or anything that had something to do with not smoking, or the effects of long term smoking, I had convinced my self that it was enjoyable and that's all that concerned me about smoking.
tip #5.Set small goals for yourself, the choice to not smoke is not just simply choosing not to pick up a cigarette, it's a lifestyle change, and not smoking is going to present other opportunities because your going to have more energy to want to do more things. Take the time to embrace your new life and revel in the fact that others can see something different in you, and they will acknowledge it too.
Bonus tip.Don't look back, the longer you stay stopped the better things will get for you, your senses will begin to awaken and you will start to enjoy what may seem like brand new sensations. So take these powerful smoking quit tips and put them into action today.
If you want to stop smoking it begins with education. Take the next step to learn more about nicotine addiction right here. Please visit our blog at http://stronglungs.blogspot.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roger_Moore
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
quit smoking plan
Want to know how to quit smoking cigarettes and have long term success (i.e to stop and stay stopped)? There is only one price to pay: You have to want to do it!
Really want to! Stop, stay stopped - QUIT - completely.
Why? Well, just for the moment, forget about willpower, products, aids and programs. If you attempt to do anything half heartedly, the most likely outcome is failure.
It takes far less effort to make a determined effort to stop when you want to do it and you're in the right frame of mind, than a half baked attempt when you don't really want to. You just can't get your head around it.
Don't waste time and effort going through the motions if you don't want to stop. It's like waiting for a bus you know is unreliable to get you somewhere on time - setting yourself up with a lame excuse to blame for failure.
Find real reasons to quit that mean something to you and you will be well on your way. This is so important, as these reasons will help motivate you through difficult moments of craving, stress, social situations and peer pressure.
Common Reasons For Quitting
Below are some of the most common reasons ex smokers give for quitting. Apply these to your circumstances, try to picture how they affect you and those around you and personalise them. You may find hidden, constructive and real reasons to stop.
*
I want to stop feeling ashamed. My clothes, car and house smell because of it. The ceilings in my house need repainting and my curtains look grimy. Even my fingernails and teeth are stained.
*
I want improve my health. Stopping reduces the risk of serious illnesses such as heart disease and lung cancer. My family will suffer and their feelings will be hurt if I get ill.
*
I can't afford it. The money I spend on cigarettes could buy a nice used family car every few years. When I don't have enough money I think about how much I'm wasting.
*
I don't want to smoke around my non smoking family and friends. It's unfair. They don't smoke but face increased risk of ill health because of my smoking.
*
It's anti social. Finding places to smoke in public is becoming increasingly difficult. It's an unecessary strain when I eat out, go to the cinema and even shopping.
Identify and understand the reasons why you smoke and you will find it easier to form a personal quit smoking action plan.
Don't underestimate the value of this important step. The process will help you develop practical solutions for combating many of the issues you will face while quitting. For example withdrawal symptoms and coping with stress.
The most common reasons smokers give for smoking are:
* Pleasure: 'I enjoy smoking', 'Relaxation'
* For a boost: Mental or physical
* Habit: The being used to doing things while smoking
* Addiction: to satisfy nicotine cravings
* Peer/Social: Pressure or to feel part of the crowd
* Emotion: Feelings such as stress, anger, upset, anxiety etc.
Beginnings Of Your Quit Smoking Action Plan
To get a good idea of what makes YOU smoke, think about the reasons above every time you light a cigarette for the next couple of days.
It is also useful to rate how much you need each of them e.g
1. I don't really need it
2. I need it
3. I have to have one
Keep records in a notebook and tally how many cigarettes you could have gone without and how many you really needed to smoke. You will begin to see which cigarettes you are likely to miss the most.
Try to picture yourself in the same situations without a cigarette.
With just a little perseverance the cigarettes you rated with a "1" should be quite easy to eliminate. Most likely the cigarettes rated "2" and "3" will also be the ones that will tempt you back to smoking once you have stopped.
Make a note of what specifically makes you want to smoke. Maybe something like:
"The cigarettes I really have to smoke are through habit, first thing in the morning and after meals".
Really want to! Stop, stay stopped - QUIT - completely.
Why? Well, just for the moment, forget about willpower, products, aids and programs. If you attempt to do anything half heartedly, the most likely outcome is failure.
It takes far less effort to make a determined effort to stop when you want to do it and you're in the right frame of mind, than a half baked attempt when you don't really want to. You just can't get your head around it.
Don't waste time and effort going through the motions if you don't want to stop. It's like waiting for a bus you know is unreliable to get you somewhere on time - setting yourself up with a lame excuse to blame for failure.
Find real reasons to quit that mean something to you and you will be well on your way. This is so important, as these reasons will help motivate you through difficult moments of craving, stress, social situations and peer pressure.
Common Reasons For Quitting
Below are some of the most common reasons ex smokers give for quitting. Apply these to your circumstances, try to picture how they affect you and those around you and personalise them. You may find hidden, constructive and real reasons to stop.
*
I want to stop feeling ashamed. My clothes, car and house smell because of it. The ceilings in my house need repainting and my curtains look grimy. Even my fingernails and teeth are stained.
*
I want improve my health. Stopping reduces the risk of serious illnesses such as heart disease and lung cancer. My family will suffer and their feelings will be hurt if I get ill.
*
I can't afford it. The money I spend on cigarettes could buy a nice used family car every few years. When I don't have enough money I think about how much I'm wasting.
*
I don't want to smoke around my non smoking family and friends. It's unfair. They don't smoke but face increased risk of ill health because of my smoking.
*
It's anti social. Finding places to smoke in public is becoming increasingly difficult. It's an unecessary strain when I eat out, go to the cinema and even shopping.
Identify and understand the reasons why you smoke and you will find it easier to form a personal quit smoking action plan.
Don't underestimate the value of this important step. The process will help you develop practical solutions for combating many of the issues you will face while quitting. For example withdrawal symptoms and coping with stress.
The most common reasons smokers give for smoking are:
* Pleasure: 'I enjoy smoking', 'Relaxation'
* For a boost: Mental or physical
* Habit: The being used to doing things while smoking
* Addiction: to satisfy nicotine cravings
* Peer/Social: Pressure or to feel part of the crowd
* Emotion: Feelings such as stress, anger, upset, anxiety etc.
Beginnings Of Your Quit Smoking Action Plan
To get a good idea of what makes YOU smoke, think about the reasons above every time you light a cigarette for the next couple of days.
It is also useful to rate how much you need each of them e.g
1. I don't really need it
2. I need it
3. I have to have one
Keep records in a notebook and tally how many cigarettes you could have gone without and how many you really needed to smoke. You will begin to see which cigarettes you are likely to miss the most.
Try to picture yourself in the same situations without a cigarette.
With just a little perseverance the cigarettes you rated with a "1" should be quite easy to eliminate. Most likely the cigarettes rated "2" and "3" will also be the ones that will tempt you back to smoking once you have stopped.
Make a note of what specifically makes you want to smoke. Maybe something like:
"The cigarettes I really have to smoke are through habit, first thing in the morning and after meals".
Monday, 1 February 2010
10 Powerful Tips To Stop Smoking
Whether you are using Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Hypnosis or just Cold Turkey, these strategies and hints are for aiding you to stop smoking and are sure to assist you in helping your neurology change and thus enable you to stop smoking with ease. It is up to you to ensure that you do these things to really enhance what you are doing, the more effort you put into these exercises, the easier it is to stop smoking for good.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 1.
Being a smoker is like cycling with stabilisers attached to the wheels, you can find it hard to be balanced without smoking. Now, when you cycle freely again, the natural balance returns.
When people smoke, more than half of what they breathe is fresh air - pulled through the cigarette right down into the lungs. So if you feel any cravings you can instantly overcome them by taking three deeper breaths. Imagine breathing from that space just below your belly button. Whenever you do this you put more oxygen into your bloodstream. This means you can use deep breaths to change the way you feel instantly and give you power over the way you feel and help you let go of those old cravings and thus making it easier to stop smoking.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 2
Next, think now of all the reasons you don't like smoking, the reasons that it's bad and the reasons you want to stop smoking. Write down the key words on a piece of paper. For example, you experience breathlessness, it's dirty, filthy and your clothes smell, your friends and family are concerned and it's expensive, unsociable and so on. Then, on the other side of the paper, write down all the reasons why you'll feel good when you've succeeded in stopping. You'll feel healthier, you’ll feel in control of your self, your senses are enhanced, your hair and clothes will smell fresher and so on. Whenever you need to, look at that piece of paper.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 3
Next, we are going to programme your mind to feel disgusted by cigarettes. I want you recall 4 times when you thought to yourself "I've gotta quit", or that you felt disgusted about smoking. Maybe you just felt really unhealthy, or your doctor told you in a particular tone of voice 'You've got to quit' or somebody you know was badly affected by smoking. Take a moment now to come up with 4 different times that you felt that you have to quit or were disgusted by smoking.
Remember each of those times, one after another, as though they are happening now. I want you to keep going through those memories and make them as vivid as possible. The more vivid you make those memories, the easier it will be to stop smoking. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how you felt. I want you to take a few minutes now to keep going through those memories again and again, overlap each memory with the next until you are totally and utterly disgusted by cigarettes.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 4
Have a think to yourself about the consequences of you not stopping smoking now, if you just carry on and on. Imagine it, what will happen if you carry on smoking. What are the consequences? Imagine yourself in 6 months time, a years time, even 5 years time if you do not stop smoking now. Think of all the detrimental effects of not stopping right now and how a simple decision you make today can make such an impact on your future.
Next, imagine how much better is your life going to be when you stop smoking. Really imagine it's months from now and you successfully stopped. Smoking is a thing of the past, something you used to do. Keep that feeling with you and imagine having it tomorrow, and for the rest of next week. In your mind, imagine stepping in to that non-smoking version of you and feel how it feels to be a non-smoker.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 5
Also, your mind is very sensitive to associations, so it's very important that you have a clear out and remove all tobacco products from your environment. Move some of the furniture in your house and at work. Smokers are accustomed to smoking in certain situations. So, for example, if you used to smoke on the telephone at work move the phone to the other side of the desk. Throw away ashtrays, old lighters and anything that you used to associate with smoking. Make your environment conducive to stopping smoking.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 6
Smokers sometimes use their habit to give themselves little breaks during the day. Taking a break is good for you, so carry on taking that time off - but do something different. Walk round the block, have a cup of tea or drink of water, or do some of the techniques on this programme. In fact, if possible drink a lot of fruit juice. When you stop smoking the body goes through a big change. The blood sugar levels tend to fall, the digestion is slowed down and your body starts to eject the tar and poisons that have accumulated. Fresh fruit juice contains fructose which restores your blood sugar levels, vitamin C which helps clear out impurities and high levels of water and fibre to keep your digestion going. Also try to eat fruit every day for at least two weeks after you have stopped.
Also when you stop, cut your caffeine intake by half. Nicotine breaks down caffeine so without nicotine a little coffee will have a big effect. Drink 8-10 glasses of water (ideally bottled) to help wash out your system.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 7
You were used to using cigarettes to signal to your body to release happy chemicals, so next we are going to programme some good feelings into your future. Allow yourself to fully remember now a time when you felt very deep ecstasy, pleasure or bliss, right now. Take a moment to recall it as vividly as possible. Remember that time - see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how good you felt. Where abouts in your body were those feelings, imagine turning them up and spreading them through your body to make them more intense.
Keep going through the memory, as soon as it finishes, go through it again and again, all the time squeezing your thumb and finger together. In your mind, make those images big and bright, sounds loud and harmonious and feelings strong and intensified. We are making an associational link between the squeeze of your fingers and that good feeling.
Okay, stop and relax. Now if you have done that correctly when you squeeze your thumb and finger together you should feel that good feeling again. Go ahead do that now, squeeze thumb and finger and remember that good feeling.
Now we're going to programme good feelings to happen automatically whenever you are in a situation where you used to smoke but now you stop smoking.
So, next I'd like you to squeeze your thumb and finger together, get that good feeling going and now imagine being in several situations where you would have smoked, but being there feeling great without a cigarette. See what you'll see hear and take that good feeling into those situations without a need for a cigarette.
Imagine being in a situation where someone offers you a cigarette and you confidently say 'No thanks, I don't smoke'. And feel fantastic about it!
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 8
Get social support. Your commitment to stopping smoking for the rest of your life can be made much easier by talking about it to friends and family and letting them support you. They will congratulate you on doing so well too! You really did stop smoking.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 9
Be aware of making excuses for yourself. Some people talk themselves into smoking, especially if they encounter a stressful situation and in the past they used to deal with it by smoking. If those old thoughts pop into your head, shout the word “STOP” in your head, to stop the thoughts from progressing. Nicotine just stresses your body more and is like that itch that can never be properly scratched; the more you smoke, the more you have to. So say “STOP” and steer clear of old slippery slopes.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 10
Reward yourself. Congratulate yourself. Feel how good it feels to stop smoking and be a non-smoker. Treat yourself each time you get past a certain milestone; the first week or first month, the six month target. Let yourself know that you did something really special here.
Keep on using your brain, stretching it and helping your self, by running through these exercises time after time; you are sure to be able to make it easier and easier and successfully stop smoking for good.
Copyright 2005 Adam Eason All Rights Reserved.
Visit Adam Easons website today for a free mini series on how to stop smoking delivered to you by email. You can also visit his homepage to sign up for his free bi-monthly newsletter because it is packed with insightful tips, latest techniques and insightful strategies for personal development and receive a unique and amazing hypnosis session for free.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Eason
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 1.
Being a smoker is like cycling with stabilisers attached to the wheels, you can find it hard to be balanced without smoking. Now, when you cycle freely again, the natural balance returns.
When people smoke, more than half of what they breathe is fresh air - pulled through the cigarette right down into the lungs. So if you feel any cravings you can instantly overcome them by taking three deeper breaths. Imagine breathing from that space just below your belly button. Whenever you do this you put more oxygen into your bloodstream. This means you can use deep breaths to change the way you feel instantly and give you power over the way you feel and help you let go of those old cravings and thus making it easier to stop smoking.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 2
Next, think now of all the reasons you don't like smoking, the reasons that it's bad and the reasons you want to stop smoking. Write down the key words on a piece of paper. For example, you experience breathlessness, it's dirty, filthy and your clothes smell, your friends and family are concerned and it's expensive, unsociable and so on. Then, on the other side of the paper, write down all the reasons why you'll feel good when you've succeeded in stopping. You'll feel healthier, you’ll feel in control of your self, your senses are enhanced, your hair and clothes will smell fresher and so on. Whenever you need to, look at that piece of paper.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 3
Next, we are going to programme your mind to feel disgusted by cigarettes. I want you recall 4 times when you thought to yourself "I've gotta quit", or that you felt disgusted about smoking. Maybe you just felt really unhealthy, or your doctor told you in a particular tone of voice 'You've got to quit' or somebody you know was badly affected by smoking. Take a moment now to come up with 4 different times that you felt that you have to quit or were disgusted by smoking.
Remember each of those times, one after another, as though they are happening now. I want you to keep going through those memories and make them as vivid as possible. The more vivid you make those memories, the easier it will be to stop smoking. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how you felt. I want you to take a few minutes now to keep going through those memories again and again, overlap each memory with the next until you are totally and utterly disgusted by cigarettes.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 4
Have a think to yourself about the consequences of you not stopping smoking now, if you just carry on and on. Imagine it, what will happen if you carry on smoking. What are the consequences? Imagine yourself in 6 months time, a years time, even 5 years time if you do not stop smoking now. Think of all the detrimental effects of not stopping right now and how a simple decision you make today can make such an impact on your future.
Next, imagine how much better is your life going to be when you stop smoking. Really imagine it's months from now and you successfully stopped. Smoking is a thing of the past, something you used to do. Keep that feeling with you and imagine having it tomorrow, and for the rest of next week. In your mind, imagine stepping in to that non-smoking version of you and feel how it feels to be a non-smoker.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 5
Also, your mind is very sensitive to associations, so it's very important that you have a clear out and remove all tobacco products from your environment. Move some of the furniture in your house and at work. Smokers are accustomed to smoking in certain situations. So, for example, if you used to smoke on the telephone at work move the phone to the other side of the desk. Throw away ashtrays, old lighters and anything that you used to associate with smoking. Make your environment conducive to stopping smoking.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 6
Smokers sometimes use their habit to give themselves little breaks during the day. Taking a break is good for you, so carry on taking that time off - but do something different. Walk round the block, have a cup of tea or drink of water, or do some of the techniques on this programme. In fact, if possible drink a lot of fruit juice. When you stop smoking the body goes through a big change. The blood sugar levels tend to fall, the digestion is slowed down and your body starts to eject the tar and poisons that have accumulated. Fresh fruit juice contains fructose which restores your blood sugar levels, vitamin C which helps clear out impurities and high levels of water and fibre to keep your digestion going. Also try to eat fruit every day for at least two weeks after you have stopped.
Also when you stop, cut your caffeine intake by half. Nicotine breaks down caffeine so without nicotine a little coffee will have a big effect. Drink 8-10 glasses of water (ideally bottled) to help wash out your system.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 7
You were used to using cigarettes to signal to your body to release happy chemicals, so next we are going to programme some good feelings into your future. Allow yourself to fully remember now a time when you felt very deep ecstasy, pleasure or bliss, right now. Take a moment to recall it as vividly as possible. Remember that time - see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how good you felt. Where abouts in your body were those feelings, imagine turning them up and spreading them through your body to make them more intense.
Keep going through the memory, as soon as it finishes, go through it again and again, all the time squeezing your thumb and finger together. In your mind, make those images big and bright, sounds loud and harmonious and feelings strong and intensified. We are making an associational link between the squeeze of your fingers and that good feeling.
Okay, stop and relax. Now if you have done that correctly when you squeeze your thumb and finger together you should feel that good feeling again. Go ahead do that now, squeeze thumb and finger and remember that good feeling.
Now we're going to programme good feelings to happen automatically whenever you are in a situation where you used to smoke but now you stop smoking.
So, next I'd like you to squeeze your thumb and finger together, get that good feeling going and now imagine being in several situations where you would have smoked, but being there feeling great without a cigarette. See what you'll see hear and take that good feeling into those situations without a need for a cigarette.
Imagine being in a situation where someone offers you a cigarette and you confidently say 'No thanks, I don't smoke'. And feel fantastic about it!
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 8
Get social support. Your commitment to stopping smoking for the rest of your life can be made much easier by talking about it to friends and family and letting them support you. They will congratulate you on doing so well too! You really did stop smoking.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 9
Be aware of making excuses for yourself. Some people talk themselves into smoking, especially if they encounter a stressful situation and in the past they used to deal with it by smoking. If those old thoughts pop into your head, shout the word “STOP” in your head, to stop the thoughts from progressing. Nicotine just stresses your body more and is like that itch that can never be properly scratched; the more you smoke, the more you have to. So say “STOP” and steer clear of old slippery slopes.
Powerful Stop Smoking Hint 10
Reward yourself. Congratulate yourself. Feel how good it feels to stop smoking and be a non-smoker. Treat yourself each time you get past a certain milestone; the first week or first month, the six month target. Let yourself know that you did something really special here.
Keep on using your brain, stretching it and helping your self, by running through these exercises time after time; you are sure to be able to make it easier and easier and successfully stop smoking for good.
Copyright 2005 Adam Eason All Rights Reserved.
Visit Adam Easons website today for a free mini series on how to stop smoking delivered to you by email. You can also visit his homepage to sign up for his free bi-monthly newsletter because it is packed with insightful tips, latest techniques and insightful strategies for personal development and receive a unique and amazing hypnosis session for free.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Eason
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Quit Smoking Tips - 10 Of The Best
It is difficult for people to quit smoking (or so we are told) and until you actually realise it can be easy you could benefit from some quit smoking tips. You will need help to keep you off the smokes as long as you have this negative attitude to quitting. The following is a list of widely accepted tricks to help you get through the process of quitting.
Quit smoking tip #1:
Rid your entire life of cigarettes and all the paraphernalia of smoking such as lighters, matches, ashtrays etc. Never carry cigarettes with you.
Quit smoking tip #2:
Accept that you are never going to have another cigarette as long as you live. Understand that the only reason you could possibly need any smoking paraphernalia is because you plan on smoking again.
Quit smoking tip #3:
Don't kid yourself that you will let your friends smoke in your house. You must ban smoking from every aspect of your life. Your house, your car, your back yard.
Quit smoking tip #4:
Never doubt your decision to quit smoking. It was the right decision.
Quit smoking tip #5:
Every time you crave a cigarette, feel proud that you have gone this long without one and you can manage even longer.
Quit smoking tip #6:
Drink plenty of water and drink plenty of citric fruit juices for the first couple of days. Stop drinking sugary drinks after day 3 or you will put on weight.
Quit smoking tip #7:
If you are worried about getting fat, start using the stairs at work or whenever you can. If you have to go somewhere within a mile, walk instead of cycle or taking the car.
Quit smoking tip #8:
Start eating healthy food. Stay off the pastries, sweets, potato chips and chocolates. Eat raw vegetables and plenty of fruit. Without smoking, these things start tasting even better than normal.
Quit smoking tip #9:
Set aside a jar to put all your cigarette money in. You will be saving over $30 a week if you are a normal smoker. Use this money to spend on something extravagant for your self after the first week and then after the first month.
Quit smoking tip #10:
Tell everyone you know that you are quitting smoking. Ask them for their encouragement - they will give it. Smokers and non-smokers and ex-smokers especially, will all be 100% behind you. No-one likes seeing friends or family killing themselves.
There are many support methods out there to help smokers quit. You can use nicotine replacement therapy (which I seriously don't recommend), zyban or chantix with 16% and 22% apparent success rates. There are also other methods that do not use drugs or pharmacological interventions such as hypnotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy. These methods generally boast better long term results than drugs do.
My advice to anyone trying to quit smoking is to be prepared to try any and every method you can. Invest money (particularly if it comes with a money back guarantee) because it is money well spent. No-one can tell you which method will work best for you so you can only find out by trying all the methods.
As always, never stop trying to quit smoking.
Why do people try to quit smoking before they know how to quit smoking? Pete Howells is the author of the EasyQuit System available only online at http://easyquitsystem.com. He also blogs, post articles and videos at http://easyquitsystem.com/blog and at http://quit-smoking-motivator.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Howells
Quit smoking tip #1:
Rid your entire life of cigarettes and all the paraphernalia of smoking such as lighters, matches, ashtrays etc. Never carry cigarettes with you.
Quit smoking tip #2:
Accept that you are never going to have another cigarette as long as you live. Understand that the only reason you could possibly need any smoking paraphernalia is because you plan on smoking again.
Quit smoking tip #3:
Don't kid yourself that you will let your friends smoke in your house. You must ban smoking from every aspect of your life. Your house, your car, your back yard.
Quit smoking tip #4:
Never doubt your decision to quit smoking. It was the right decision.
Quit smoking tip #5:
Every time you crave a cigarette, feel proud that you have gone this long without one and you can manage even longer.
Quit smoking tip #6:
Drink plenty of water and drink plenty of citric fruit juices for the first couple of days. Stop drinking sugary drinks after day 3 or you will put on weight.
Quit smoking tip #7:
If you are worried about getting fat, start using the stairs at work or whenever you can. If you have to go somewhere within a mile, walk instead of cycle or taking the car.
Quit smoking tip #8:
Start eating healthy food. Stay off the pastries, sweets, potato chips and chocolates. Eat raw vegetables and plenty of fruit. Without smoking, these things start tasting even better than normal.
Quit smoking tip #9:
Set aside a jar to put all your cigarette money in. You will be saving over $30 a week if you are a normal smoker. Use this money to spend on something extravagant for your self after the first week and then after the first month.
Quit smoking tip #10:
Tell everyone you know that you are quitting smoking. Ask them for their encouragement - they will give it. Smokers and non-smokers and ex-smokers especially, will all be 100% behind you. No-one likes seeing friends or family killing themselves.
There are many support methods out there to help smokers quit. You can use nicotine replacement therapy (which I seriously don't recommend), zyban or chantix with 16% and 22% apparent success rates. There are also other methods that do not use drugs or pharmacological interventions such as hypnotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy. These methods generally boast better long term results than drugs do.
My advice to anyone trying to quit smoking is to be prepared to try any and every method you can. Invest money (particularly if it comes with a money back guarantee) because it is money well spent. No-one can tell you which method will work best for you so you can only find out by trying all the methods.
As always, never stop trying to quit smoking.
Why do people try to quit smoking before they know how to quit smoking? Pete Howells is the author of the EasyQuit System available only online at http://easyquitsystem.com. He also blogs, post articles and videos at http://easyquitsystem.com/blog and at http://quit-smoking-motivator.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Howells
Saturday, 30 January 2010
How To Quit Smoking In Ten Steps
Quitting Smoking doesn't have to be a struggle with your will power, or an endless battle with withdrawal symptoms. To quit smoking successfully there are several key steps you need to take and several things you need to look at. Contrary to what most people and 'experts' think and say, using patches, gums will power and eating celery sticks will get you nowhere.
Before we look at the ten steps you need to go through to quit smoking we should briefly look at a few statistics.
Studies have shown that only 16% of smokers who use nicotine replacement therapy (patches and gums etc.) succeed at quitting, and only 10% of smokers who use will power succeed. Furthermore the people that use these methods still have to deal with cravings, pangs, nicotine withdrawal symptoms, weight gain and stress.
Not only that but the will power method usually takes seven attempts before a successful quit and after six months most of smokers using either method end up smoking again.
But 84% of people who use nicotine replacement therapy like gum or patches -- or try to rely on will power -- ultimately FAIL!
If you want to quit smoking in the least amount of time with the least amount of hassle and the least amount of stress, follow these ten simple but very effective steps.
1. Honestly want to quit - many smokers are being forced to quit by their families and children, doctors, employers and now the government with many countries around the world now enforcing a public smoking ban. As you probably know, these different sources of pressure only make it harder for you.
It’s the same reason that you probably want to strangle them when they say ‘smoking will kill you’ or ‘you’re going to get cancer or ….’ etc. These things have the opposite effect – they combine to make you want to continue smoking.
So it is important that you want to quit for yourself, yes bear your children / family in mind but ultimately you should quit for yourself and the things that YOU will get when you quit.
2. Avoid thinking that you are 'Quitting' or 'Giving Up' smoking – unfortunately adopting this attitude is as effective as taking one step forward and two steps back. Think of the words ‘quit’ and ‘give up’ – what do they imply and suggest?
Essentially they both have a negative underlying theme – you are losing out on, quitting, having to do without, giving up on and denying yourself something. This ‘something’ being the things you get from smoking.
So by saying and thinking that you are ‘quitting’ or ‘giving up’ you are subtly telling yourself and focusing on the things that you are going to be denying yourself when you stop smoking. It’s the same principle behind the reason that dieting doesn’t work – you are denying yourself the very things that you want, and not only that but you are constantly focusing on them and longing for them.
The result is that no matter how hard you are trying, you are still remembering the ‘good’ things that you are having to do without, basically you will feel as if you are depriving yourself of pleasure / relaxation etc.
Instead look forward to the very things that you will get when you stop smoking, and fully focus yourself and your mind on them. Think ‘I’m stopping smoking and I’m saving an extra $2,000 a year, I smell ten times better, I can taste my food more fully, I can spend more time on my hobbies / with my children, I don’t have to hide my cigarette breath from my partner / children / customers and I don’t have stand out in the wind and rain to have a cigarette.
3. Set a Stop Smoking Date - and look forward to a new lifestyle after that. A problem many smokers have when they set a date is they don’t do anything else other than set a date. Then the date arrives and they get onto a panic because ‘this is it’ and they are now under pressure to stick with it, this panic results in stress – and what do smokers do when they are stressed? They smoke!
Set your date and smoke without guilt until that date and follow the steps below to ensure that you avoid the common smoking pitfalls in the days and weeks before and after you stop smoking.
4. Find the things that make you smoke - your Smoking Links. In addition to nicotine addiction, there are several other things that make you smoke. Most of these other things are people, events, situations, people and emotions.
For example, you smoke when you wake up, on your way to work, after sex, when you pick up the phone, with your tea or coffee, when you finish your meal, when you argue with your partner, when you are stressed, to relax, before you go on a long haul flight, when you meet your partner’s parents for the first time etc. All of these situations and many, many more, either start with revolve around or end with a cigarette.
Once you’ve stopped smoking, these situations and events will occur again. So you have to remove these things, by breaking the associations, re-establishing new routines and by finding new ways to achieve the feelings / satisfaction / result that you used to get from smoking. If you haven’t got a reason to smoke, why smoke?!!
5. Accept that there will be problems – everyday is full of ups and downs, it’s a fact of life. So you should plan on how you are going to deal with stress and your smoking links. First remember that smoking will not put out your kitchen fire, fix your flat tire, get you your job back, fix your argument with your partner, solve your financial problems, calm your nerves after a car accident or satisfy your over zealous boss.
You should do two things, firstly find simple yet effective ways to calm your nerves and reduce stress in a matter of seconds or minutes. Breathing techniques are a good way but not necessarily everybody’s favourite choice. So take a five minute break, play with a stress ball, channel your aggression and stress and let it all out in a controlled manner – e.g. sports, call a friend or close your eyes and forget about the problem for a minute.
Secondly, make and set aside special time for relaxation and de-stressing. For example, plan a weekend retreat, set aside half an hour at the end of every day to go for a run, go to work on a boxing bag, read a book, take a bath, spend time with your partner / children with no TV or other distractions.
Know that there will be problems and accept that smoking is no longer an appropriate way to deal with them, and then find something else to help you.
6. Find a new hobby / source of pleasure to take your mind off smoking – this is crucial. Remember the above point about focus and ‘quitting’ and ‘giving up smoking’? Well they don’t work because you are still focusing on cigarettes. So you need to find one or two new things to focus on.
You need to find something that will:
a). take your mind off smoking
b). replace the pleasure you got from smoking
c). give you something to look forward to
A new hobby or two will do all three of these three things perfectly. It is very important that you find something or several things that fulfil all three of these needs. If you don’t, you will find yourself longing for cigarettes and constantly thinking about them.
It’s best to have two hobbies, one you can spend half an hour or so on a day (if you look at how much time you spend smoking it’s probably about an hour a day) and one you can spend a whole weekend on or several hours at a weekend on. Try to make these hobbies ones you can really get your teeth into and involved in, also don’t forget with the money you’ve saved on smoking you can now afford to spend a little extra cash.
If you really get involved in your new or forgotten hobby you will show and prove to yourself that you can enjoy life free from cigarettes.
7. Prepare and plan on how to PREVENT withdrawal symptoms and weight gain – these are the two most common reasons for relapse. Weight gain and withdrawal symptoms do not have to be a part of quitting smoking. The easies ways to prevent both of these are to eat!! But eat the right kinds of foods.
Withdrawal symptoms are partly due to your body realising that it’s blood sugar level is extremely low. Nicotine blocks the release of insulin which controls blood sugar levels. With nicotine in your system – your stores of sugar and body fats are released into your blood – tricking your body into thinking that you have eaten.
When you stop smoking, insulin is re-released which stops the release of your stores of sugars and fats (normally only released when you starve) and your body realises that it hasn’t eaten enough food. So you feel irritable and cranky – withdrawal symptoms.
This is why you eat a lot when you quit smoking – because eating naturally feels good – it’s comforting and also because it eases withdrawal symptoms. But the problem is you eat too much and gain weight. Why? Because today’s foods do not have the vitamins and minerals that our body needs, so you eat in excess to get the ‘vital’ foods that your body needs.
To solve the problem you should drink plenty of fresh juice (which contains the vitamins and minerals your body needs) and take vitamin and mineral supplements and eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and minimize the amount of junk food, frozen food and prepared food you eat.
8. When your Stop Smoking Date arrives - take it one hour at a time and focus on the things you are going to get from quitting smoking.
If you think 'I haven't had a cig since ....' or 'I can't believe I can never have a cig again' you are only punishing yourself. Accept that this is a positive step and change your focus away from cigarettes.
9. Establish new routines - what are you going to do instead of smoking during the 20 or times a day when you normally have a cigarette? e.g. after coffee, in the pub / bar, when waiting for a friend, when nervous or lacking confidence, when bored, as soon as you wake up etc. Break your old patterns of behaviour and stick to your new ones until old situations are re-written without cigarettes.
10. PREVENT relapse - No. 1 in this step is to STOP THINKING ABOUT CIGARETTES. Don't put your headaches, stress, sore arm or stress down to lack of cigarettes.
And don't lust after cigarettes by thinking things like - 'Ohhh that cigarette looks soooooo good, she looks like she's really enjoying that, I wish I could have one' or 'What am I going to do if my car gets broken into or, I split up with my partner etc.'
The other two things you can do to prevent relapse are to prevent weight gain and also prevent withdrawal symptoms - these two are easily prevented and do NOT have to be a part of quitting smoking.
Daniel Fargher
Quit Smoking Specialist
Stop Smoking For Good
Click Here To Learn How To Quit Smoking In 28 Days Or LESS With Hypnosis
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Fargher
Friday, 29 January 2010
How To Quit Smoking In Ten Steps
Quitting Smoking doesn't have to be a struggle with your will power, or an endless battle with withdrawal symptoms. To quit smoking successfully there are several key steps you need to take and several things you need to look at. Contrary to what most people and 'experts' think and say, using patches, gums will power and eating celery sticks will get you nowhere.
Before we look at the ten steps you need to go through to quit smoking we should briefly look at a few statistics.
Studies have shown that only 16% of smokers who use nicotine replacement therapy (patches and gums etc.) succeed at quitting, and only 10% of smokers who use will power succeed. Furthermore the people that use these methods still have to deal with cravings, pangs, nicotine withdrawal symptoms, weight gain and stress.
Not only that but the will power method usually takes seven attempts before a successful quit and after six months most of smokers using either method end up smoking again.
But 84% of people who use nicotine replacement therapy like gum or patches -- or try to rely on will power -- ultimately FAIL!
If you want to quit smoking in the least amount of time with the least amount of hassle and the least amount of stress, follow these ten simple but very effective steps.
1. Honestly want to quit - many smokers are being forced to quit by their families and children, doctors, employers and now the government with many countries around the world now enforcing a public smoking ban. As you probably know, these different sources of pressure only make it harder for you.
It’s the same reason that you probably want to strangle them when they say ‘smoking will kill you’ or ‘you’re going to get cancer or ….’ etc. These things have the opposite effect – they combine to make you want to continue smoking.
So it is important that you want to quit for yourself, yes bear your children / family in mind but ultimately you should quit for yourself and the things that YOU will get when you quit.
2. Avoid thinking that you are 'Quitting' or 'Giving Up' smoking – unfortunately adopting this attitude is as effective as taking one step forward and two steps back. Think of the words ‘quit’ and ‘give up’ – what do they imply and suggest?
Essentially they both have a negative underlying theme – you are losing out on, quitting, having to do without, giving up on and denying yourself something. This ‘something’ being the things you get from smoking.
So by saying and thinking that you are ‘quitting’ or ‘giving up’ you are subtly telling yourself and focusing on the things that you are going to be denying yourself when you stop smoking. It’s the same principle behind the reason that dieting doesn’t work – you are denying yourself the very things that you want, and not only that but you are constantly focusing on them and longing for them.
The result is that no matter how hard you are trying, you are still remembering the ‘good’ things that you are having to do without, basically you will feel as if you are depriving yourself of pleasure / relaxation etc.
Instead look forward to the very things that you will get when you stop smoking, and fully focus yourself and your mind on them. Think ‘I’m stopping smoking and I’m saving an extra $2,000 a year, I smell ten times better, I can taste my food more fully, I can spend more time on my hobbies / with my children, I don’t have to hide my cigarette breath from my partner / children / customers and I don’t have stand out in the wind and rain to have a cigarette.
3. Set a Stop Smoking Date - and look forward to a new lifestyle after that. A problem many smokers have when they set a date is they don’t do anything else other than set a date. Then the date arrives and they get onto a panic because ‘this is it’ and they are now under pressure to stick with it, this panic results in stress – and what do smokers do when they are stressed? They smoke!
Set your date and smoke without guilt until that date and follow the steps below to ensure that you avoid the common smoking pitfalls in the days and weeks before and after you stop smoking.
4. Find the things that make you smoke - your Smoking Links. In addition to nicotine addiction, there are several other things that make you smoke. Most of these other things are people, events, situations, people and emotions.
For example, you smoke when you wake up, on your way to work, after sex, when you pick up the phone, with your tea or coffee, when you finish your meal, when you argue with your partner, when you are stressed, to relax, before you go on a long haul flight, when you meet your partner’s parents for the first time etc. All of these situations and many, many more, either start with revolve around or end with a cigarette.
Once you’ve stopped smoking, these situations and events will occur again. So you have to remove these things, by breaking the associations, re-establishing new routines and by finding new ways to achieve the feelings / satisfaction / result that you used to get from smoking. If you haven’t got a reason to smoke, why smoke?!!
5. Accept that there will be problems – everyday is full of ups and downs, it’s a fact of life. So you should plan on how you are going to deal with stress and your smoking links. First remember that smoking will not put out your kitchen fire, fix your flat tire, get you your job back, fix your argument with your partner, solve your financial problems, calm your nerves after a car accident or satisfy your over zealous boss.
You should do two things, firstly find simple yet effective ways to calm your nerves and reduce stress in a matter of seconds or minutes. Breathing techniques are a good way but not necessarily everybody’s favourite choice. So take a five minute break, play with a stress ball, channel your aggression and stress and let it all out in a controlled manner – e.g. sports, call a friend or close your eyes and forget about the problem for a minute.
Secondly, make and set aside special time for relaxation and de-stressing. For example, plan a weekend retreat, set aside half an hour at the end of every day to go for a run, go to work on a boxing bag, read a book, take a bath, spend time with your partner / children with no TV or other distractions.
Know that there will be problems and accept that smoking is no longer an appropriate way to deal with them, and then find something else to help you.
6. Find a new hobby / source of pleasure to take your mind off smoking – this is crucial. Remember the above point about focus and ‘quitting’ and ‘giving up smoking’? Well they don’t work because you are still focusing on cigarettes. So you need to find one or two new things to focus on.
You need to find something that will:
a). take your mind off smoking
b). replace the pleasure you got from smoking
c). give you something to look forward to
A new hobby or two will do all three of these three things perfectly. It is very important that you find something or several things that fulfil all three of these needs. If you don’t, you will find yourself longing for cigarettes and constantly thinking about them.
It’s best to have two hobbies, one you can spend half an hour or so on a day (if you look at how much time you spend smoking it’s probably about an hour a day) and one you can spend a whole weekend on or several hours at a weekend on. Try to make these hobbies ones you can really get your teeth into and involved in, also don’t forget with the money you’ve saved on smoking you can now afford to spend a little extra cash.
If you really get involved in your new or forgotten hobby you will show and prove to yourself that you can enjoy life free from cigarettes.
7. Prepare and plan on how to PREVENT withdrawal symptoms and weight gain – these are the two most common reasons for relapse. Weight gain and withdrawal symptoms do not have to be a part of quitting smoking. The easies ways to prevent both of these are to eat!! But eat the right kinds of foods.
Withdrawal symptoms are partly due to your body realising that it’s blood sugar level is extremely low. Nicotine blocks the release of insulin which controls blood sugar levels. With nicotine in your system – your stores of sugar and body fats are released into your blood – tricking your body into thinking that you have eaten.
When you stop smoking, insulin is re-released which stops the release of your stores of sugars and fats (normally only released when you starve) and your body realises that it hasn’t eaten enough food. So you feel irritable and cranky – withdrawal symptoms.
This is why you eat a lot when you quit smoking – because eating naturally feels good – it’s comforting and also because it eases withdrawal symptoms. But the problem is you eat too much and gain weight. Why? Because today’s foods do not have the vitamins and minerals that our body needs, so you eat in excess to get the ‘vital’ foods that your body needs.
To solve the problem you should drink plenty of fresh juice (which contains the vitamins and minerals your body needs) and take vitamin and mineral supplements and eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and minimize the amount of junk food, frozen food and prepared food you eat.
8. When your Stop Smoking Date arrives - take it one hour at a time and focus on the things you are going to get from quitting smoking.
If you think 'I haven't had a cig since ....' or 'I can't believe I can never have a cig again' you are only punishing yourself. Accept that this is a positive step and change your focus away from cigarettes.
9. Establish new routines - what are you going to do instead of smoking during the 20 or times a day when you normally have a cigarette? e.g. after coffee, in the pub / bar, when waiting for a friend, when nervous or lacking confidence, when bored, as soon as you wake up etc. Break your old patterns of behaviour and stick to your new ones until old situations are re-written without cigarettes.
10. PREVENT relapse - No. 1 in this step is to STOP THINKING ABOUT CIGARETTES. Don't put your headaches, stress, sore arm or stress down to lack of cigarettes.
And don't lust after cigarettes by thinking things like - 'Ohhh that cigarette looks soooooo good, she looks like she's really enjoying that, I wish I could have one' or 'What am I going to do if my car gets broken into or, I split up with my partner etc.'
The other two things you can do to prevent relapse are to prevent weight gain and also prevent withdrawal symptoms - these two are easily prevented and do NOT have to be a part of quitting smoking.
Daniel Fargher
Quit Smoking Specialist
Stop Smoking For Good
Click Here To Learn How To Quit Smoking In 28 Days Or LESS With Hypnosis
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Fargher
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
