5 Ways To Stop Smoking For Good

For over two decades, the American government has spent millions of dollars in quit smoking programs and as well as smoking prevention programs, but unfortunately we are yet to see any dramatic improvements in neither areas. There are many reasons that can be attributed to this stagnation, but the main reason has to be for how addictive cigarettes are and thus making it very hard to quit. Having been an addict myself, I know firsthand the sort of death-grip nicotine has on you once you are addicted to it and you find yourself at the mercy of the substance. But all hope is not lost and there are ways that can help you to stop smoking for good. So here are the top 5 tips in the order to be followed.

1 – Make a list of the good and the bad of smoking. Grab a piece of paper to write on and draw a line in the middle. Use the first column to write down the positive things you think smoking cigarettes brings in your life and use the second column to write down the negatives. Give yourself a few days to come up with a comprehensive list and see for yourself which side you run out of real estate to write on. When you are done with your personal list of the good and the bad, speak to your family and friends and ask them if they have been affected in any positive or negative ways due to your smoking habits. Write them down in their corresponding column and in a few days you’ll find the second column to have outgrown the first by a big margin. Now you got your reason to quit and we should move on to the second phase.

2 – Choose how you will quit smoking. There are many ways to go about quitting smoking, you can choose to quit smoking cold turkey, gradually, or you can choose to employ some help in the ways of acupuncture, nicotine replacement therapy, or even psychotherapy if you want to get fancy. Quitting smoking is not easy and it will not be a pleasant experience no matter how you choose to quit it, but you can always make it easier on you by choosing the quit method which you feel most confident with.

3 – Set a quit date or give yourself a timeframe to quit. How you choose to stop smoking all depends on your personal preference. You can set a specific date and quit on that exact date and time. Or if you prefer, you can give yourself a week or two to stop smoking and start the quitting process on any given day during that timeframe. There is no single right way of giving up smoking, it only matters that you get it done and the best way to achieve that is by doing things the way you are most comfortable with.

4 – Find something to keep yourself busy with. You have to replace the act of smoking with other activities that can fill the void. If you smoke cigarettes during lunch break at work, perhaps you can download an app on your phone to keep yourself busy during the time you would normally be smoking. Certainly the apps will cost much less than the cigarettes, so you don’t really have to concern yourself over the cost. Adopt a new hobby if you are at home a lot and try to fill the void with fun activities that will help you keep your mind off the cigarettes. It is extremely important that you keep yourself busy during the first two weeks of quitting and you should try to stay away from stress inducing activities during this period.

5 – Place a clear jar in a spot in your home where it would be most visible. In it, place the money which you would have spent on cigarettes and do this on a daily basis. You will be amazed at how much money you’ve been wasting on a product that slowly killed you all along and you will get angry in how many other better things you could have spent them on. Use this jar to inspire you, to anger you, and to give you the perseverance needed to kick the habit for good.

Don’t be overwhelmed at the thought of quitting smoking for good and follow the top 5 ways to stop smoking one by one. Give yourself enough time to prepare yourself both mentally and physically, but be sure to go through with the quitting process during the timeframe you’ve allowed yourself to have. You’ve won half the battle just by looking into the ways to stop smoking for good, now you know you want it and all you have to do is to get it done. Good luck.