Best Ways to Quit cigarettes

When you're quitting any vice you're bound to run into problems. The core of all these problems is your own mind.

If you're quitting smoking, it's important to want to quit. Think of all the reasons that you want to quit: your health, the health of the people around you, your breath. Remember those reasons and think of them every time you want a cigarette. Remember that the urge is only temporary and that the health effects will be with you for the rest of your life, for better or for worse.

The food you consume has a major effect on your cigarette cravings. Is your after-dinner cigarette the favourite? Studies show that some foods such as meat make cigarettes more satisfying.

Other foods such as cheese, fruit, and vegetables make cigarettes taste terrible. Swapping your usual steak or burger with a veggie pizza will help you out in quit smoking.

Also, set your routine at or after mealtimes. Get up and do the dishes or settle down somewhere you don’t smoke.

For that you will have to first quit giving up, consistency is the key.

Most smokers (including me) try several times before actually giving them up for good. If you ever light up, don’t be discouraged. Instead, think about what caused you to relapse. Keep in mind the emotions and the settings you were in that made you relapse.

See them as an opportunity to step up your commitment to quitting.

Many smoke because smoking helps to relieve stress. The problem is, quitting smoking is immensely stressful which makes people want to smoke more.

Try using other techniques to relieve stress: exercise, giving yourself plenty of time to rest, taking up a new hobby, or connecting with friends. These are great ways to fill up time, ease stress, and help you to take your mind off of cigarettes. Try also to find a good time for yourself to quit smoking. If you try while you're taking on a big project at work, you're likely to sneak a smoke on your way home.

The Cognitive Behavioral Quitting (CBQ) method involves the removal of the desire of smoking cigarettes from the addicted individual. The method helps change the individual’s viewpoint regarding smoking. This way, it addresses the person’s mental dependence on cigarettes, rather than just focusing on the physical addiction.

It’s a 4-stage process.

Step 1: You need to prepare for your post-quitting life such that you will be able to continue as a happy non-smoker for the remainder of your life.

Step 2: Break your smoking pattern to curb your desire to light up.

Step 3: You will then need to defeat your fear of giving up cigarettes.

Step 4: You will need to make a (firm, lifelong) commitment to yourself that you'll never smoke again.

Learn more about the CBQ method here.

One of the worst parts about quitting smoking is the inevitable nicotine withdrawal. Changes in mood such as sadness and irritability, insomnia, and flu symptoms can all happen as a result of quitting cigarettes.

Consider alternatives such as nicotine gum or patches. Both are readily available without a prescription and can be used to control nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

They are both very effective at helping you to quit smoking, but ensure that you are using them only as directed and be aware of the side effects. Both may cause irritation and nausea if used excessively or incorrectly.