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Anyone who wants to quit smoking has usually had the idea in the back of their mind for quite a while. Nevertheless, one always finds excuses to postpone the project a little longer. Maybe you’re still waiting for the beginning of next month or even next year to find a good starting point. However, there is no good time to start with a project as big as giving up tobacco and cigarettes. Waiting for you any longer doesn’t get you closer to your goal. So if you’re serious, there’s no reason to put off the last cigarette any longer. There are also good reasons for giving up tobacco. The health risks of smoking are incredibly high, and this bad habit not only harms your health but has been shown to shorten your life. However, there is also good news: In the past year, the number of people who have successfully quit smoking has been higher than ever before. However, this positive development is not only because the awareness of the risks is becoming more and more public. All the new options and tips intended to help you stay smoke-free in the long term have also made a major contribution. We have compiled our best tips below.
Tip 1: Write a motivation list
At the beginning of your project, you are usually still fully motivated. The first few hours without a cigarette pass quickly and easily. But as time goes by, and as one’s cravings for a cigarette and the rigors of withdrawal become greater, that initial motivation becomes less and less present. Once you have forgotten why you started in the first place, it is only a matter of time before you relapse. This is precisely why writing a motivation list makes so much sense. Here are all the reasons why you want to give up cigarettes before smoking cessation. This list is placed prominently so that it is always readily available in an emergency. For example, it can be attached to the workplace or the fridge with a magnet. You can read the reasons again whenever you give up yourself to gain new motivation and persevere longer.
Tip 2: Have distraction tactics ready
When you quit smoking, sooner or later, you will feel a strong desire for a cigarette. These cravings become stronger, and many people give in sooner or later and still relapse. It’s important to realize that most of these cravings don’t last more than five minutes. However, those five minutes can make the difference between quitting smoking in the long run and not. Instead of just struggling through, there are a few tactics you can use to help you get through these times of particularly strong cravings. It needs a distraction. You can do a lot in five minutes. You can play a mobile game or eat an apple. You can even take a short walk. The only important thing is you bridge the time without constantly thinking about the next cigarette. If you think about a few emergency plans beforehand, you drastically increase the probability of not relapsing.
Tip 3: Chew gum
We’ll admit, for many, chewing gum is considered the dusty classic of smoking cessation tips. However, there is some truth to this, and chewing gum can help you not to smoke. The function here is similar to that of the diversionary tactics. You get other thoughts. In addition, the foreign taste in the mouth reduces the desire for the smokey taste. Especially when you’re on the go and if you feel that restless feeling that comes with nicotine withdrawal, a pack of gum can help reduce cravings.
Tip 4: Know the triggers
Everyone has different triggers or triggers that are inevitably associated with smoking. This is mainly related to the habits that you have cultivated as a smoker. When did you usually pick up a cigarette? For some people, the first cigarette was part of the morning coffee. Others always smoked one during their lunch break at work. Still, others are classic party smokers and combine cigarette consumption with drinking alcohol. Which activities one associate with smoking is individual. However, it makes a lot of sense to know your triggers. This is not necessarily about giving up every coffee or party. Rather, this list helps to be prepared for such situations. You can consider alternative behavior or read through your list of motivations beforehand. If you don’t let yourself be surprised by your craving for cigarettes, you can survive challenging situations without relapsing.
Tip 5: Use e-cigarettes
E-cigarettes are a great way to quit tobacco but start a meaningful replacement therapy. While performing nearly the same gestures and getting a similar sense of satisfaction, e-cigarettes are up to 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes. This is precisely why it is a sensible alternative, especially for all those who have previously failed to quit smoking.
Tip 6: Measure your success
Your success becomes all the more visible when you make it measurable. This can be as simple as counting smoke-free days or cigarettes saved. The longer your list gets, the more proud you feel of your successes.
Tip 7: Book savings
If you give up smoking, there are great advantages for your health. Financially there is also a quick improvement. What you have otherwise invested in expensive cigarettes is now left over and can be invested elsewhere. Here, too, success becomes even clearer when measured. So if you add up what you have saved over time, you will feel all the better when you stop smoking. The amounts saved can then be invested in a short vacation or a long-cherished wish at the end of the year, for example.
Tip 8: Avoid coffee
Not only is coffee a big trigger for tobacco cravings for many people, but it should also be avoided for other reasons during the venture. Coffee tends to make the drinker very jittery. In response, your withdrawal symptoms seem all the greater. If you do without here, you can avoid problems.
Tip 9: Report on the project
If you tell others about your project, you can also get support from outside. You automatically add a kind of control authority. If colleagues praise you for a successful withdrawal during the lunch break or if you receive a worried comment when your hand in your pocket reaches for the pack of cigarettes, this can help you to persevere.
Tip 10: Nicotine Replacement Therapy
Not only do e-cigarettes represent a good nicotine replacement therapy, but one does without the harmful substances in cigarette smoke. At this point, we would like to mention nicotine chewing gum and patches, which represent a real alternative for some people.
Tip 11: Take a deep breath
This tip might sound trite, but we’ve already pointed out that tobacco cravings don’t last forever. Even if you get hit inconveniently, it will be over in a few minutes. Take a deep breath and keep calm.
Tip 12: Reward yourself
Many people respond very positively to rewards. The consumption of nicotine triggers a similar feeling of satisfaction in the body. If you want to get out of this dilemma, you have to look for alternative rewards that cost less money and do not jeopardize your health.
Tip 13: Healthy eating
A healthy diet is essential for quitting smoking. It would help if you had the energy that comes with eating healthy right now. In addition, you can counteract the often feared weight gain in this way.
Tip 14: Avoid stress
Avoiding stress is especially important if you are serious about quitting smoking. For many, stress is one of the main reasons they reach for a cigarette. Here it is important to identify the causes of stress and solve them before they can harm you or endanger the withdrawal.
Tip 15: Get enough exercise
Just like good nutrition, getting enough exercise is very beneficial when giving up cigarettes. A walk or jog can help to overcome cravings. Plus, that little bit of exercise is an instant reminder of why you gave up cigarettes. The stamina increases, and it breathes more freely.
Tip 16: Friends and family
Support from friends and family can also help you quit smoking. If you share with your loved ones, you have a much better chance of success and get some support from outside.
Tip 17: Network online
The Internet also offers many opportunities to seek help. In many cases, an exchange can help you, especially when others are going through the same thing. Especially in the vaping community, many are in the middle of smoking withdrawal and always have one or the other good tip ready.
Tip 18: Clean up
Tidying up is not only a great measure to bridge the short-term craving for a smoke but also really useful if you want to give up the cigarette for good this time. For this purpose, one’s apartment and the car should be freed from the smell of smoke. Often simply airing is not enough, and you have to clean.
Tip 19: Discard cigarettes and accessories
If you are serious and want to quit smoking, you no longer have any use for the one emergency cigarette you keep somewhere. To remove the irritation, discard anything that reminds or facilitates smoking. In addition to cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, and matches should also be thrown away quickly.
Tip 20: Don’t give up
The last tip is perhaps the most important: Even if you only have a few hours on the clock and think you haven’t achieved anything and have to give up, you should always keep in mind that every minute, every moment, you get closer to your goal brings. If you don’t give up, you’re guaranteed to make it sooner or later.
We hope this article can give one or the other useful help that will make quitting smoking all the easier.
