Quit Smoking For Good
Posted by Owen Jones in Uncategorized, tags: advice, coaching, environment, fitness, habits, happiness, health, management, office, other, self help, smoking, stress management, success, UncategorizedIt is well-known among smokers that it is so hard to stop and so depressing if you fail, that numerous smokers just give up giving up. They sadly accept their fate, their failure and their deficiency of willpower and carry on with their lives as steadfast smokers.
This is very sad, not least for the smoker who is condemning himself and possibly loved ones around him to ever-worsening health and possibly a painful death.
They also say that if you do not plan for success, you plan for failure, so it is almost certainly a wise concept to have some sort of strategy in mind if you intend giving up tobacco. A lengthy plan is not much good either; the plan has to be short and decisive - almost like a mantra. So here is a simple four-step plan for giving up smoking.
1] Strive to analyze why you smoke. Is it because you spend a lot of time in bars? Is it because all your friends smoke? Is it a means of getting out of the office for ten minutes? Is it out of boredom? Is it because of stress? Do you simply enjoy it or do you just like burning money?
When you understand why you smoke, then you can do something about it on the psychological level or lifestyle level. In many ways this is the hardest change to achieve because it means lifestyle alterations, but it has to be done if you are going to become successful. You need to tackle the psychological as well as the physical addiction.
2] There are many aids to stopping smoking on the market but some of them are quite costly. If you plan to give up smoking dead, this is not difficult because you will be saving on cigarettes, but if you plan to phase smoking out, it might become a problem.
In the latter case, buy the nicotine patches and gum bit at a time for a few weeks before you begin attempting to stop so that you have all the supplies you need. However, give some serious consideration to going cold turkey because it is the most successful strategy and the advantages are instant.
3] Plot your progress in a diary. On the first page set out your objectives. Eg: give up smoking on Tuesday 11th, walk one mile each day, swim each Saturday etc etc. Or Begin Tuesday 11th, reduce smoking by 50% by Tues 18th and another 50% every week until down to one a day. Stop one week later.
This means marking cigarettes down on the packet as you smoke them and keeping honest records. It is a very useful way of checking your progress and keeping your spirits up if you do well. It will also discourage you from slipping off the straight and narrow.
4] Set goals in your diary and then reward yourself as you hit them.Reward yourself for even the minutest successes. I know someone who saved 50 pence for each cigarette he did not smoke and went on vacation to Africa for a month with the proceeds. Smaller treats are also helpful. Tell friends what you are doing, it makes it more difficult to backslide.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on numerous subjects, but is at present involved with exercise to quit smoking. If you have an interest in stopping smoking, please go over to our web site now at Health Risks To Smoking
Entries (RSS)