Steps That Will Help You Quit Smoking for Good

If you're like thousands of other smokers, you may have made a New Year's resolution to quit your harmful habit in order to help your body and your wallet at the same time. Alternatively, perhaps you just woke up one day and decided it wastime to live a healthier life. However, it's famous difficult to give up smoking in the long term, as saying farewell to cigarettes is both physically and mentally challenging This eight step guide will help you to stay strong and succeed at putting an end to your smoking.

Look into smoking cessation medications

As you may be aware, there are drugs and other products that can make the process of quitting much easier. For example, nicotine replacement therapy comes in the form of gums and patches, and these aids can be highly effective (as they provide you with very small amounts of nicotine that can curb cigarette cravings without exposing you to the health risks that come with smoking). However, you can also approach your family doctor about short-term prescription drugs that are designed to reduce the pain of withdrawal without the use of nicotine. Zyban and Chantix are common examples.

Fully accept the health problems caused by smoking

Before you decided to quit smoking, you may have tried to avoid some of the gruesome information about what cigarettes can do to the body. However, this information can be a real asset now that you are trying to stick to your new year's resolution. In truth, every cigarette exposes your internal organs to more than four thousand hazardous chemicals. For example, DDT (an insecticide) is known to cause breast cancer and raise the risk of diabetes, while arsenic is highly toxic and has been connected to cancers of the kidneys, bladder, prostate, nose, liver and skin. A quick online search on the dangers of smoking can really help to boost your motivation to stay away from cigarettes.

Replace smoking with other ways to combat stress

Almost all smokers find that cigarettes help to induce a sense of calm when anxiety strikes or life gets stressful, so you may find that your ability to hold onto your resolve begins to waver when you start to worry about something. You can pre-empt this problem by looking at new ways to deal with stressful situations. For some people, exercise is the answer, while for others it may be more effective to indulge in a hobby like knitting or to learn howto do basic meditation exercises.

Encourage yourself to focus on your reasons for quitting smoking

It is generally easier to stick to a difficult goal if you surround yourself with clear reminders of what you stand to gain by succeeding. For example, you might want to %write a list of the reasons why you want to stop smoking, and pin this up in your kitchen or next to your mirror. There are dozens of reasons why you would be better off without cigarettes in your life, ranging from an increased life expectancy to a more youthful appearance.