We’re all aware that quitting smoking is a difficult task, but if you’re reading this article, that means you’re already taking the first steps by looking into ways to make it that little bit easier to quit, which is great! Whether your reasons for quitting are health-related, for your family, or for yourself, this helpful guide will share some tips that first-time quitters will be able to rely on.
Set a date to quit
Waking up one morning and spontaneously quitting cold-turkey may sound like an ideal situation, but it often results in bailing only a short while later. It’s often much more helpful to go through a preparation phase – both mentally and physically, before you decide to quit. Set a date that is around a week away and give yourself that week to fully prepare for quitting. As long as the date isn’t too far away, you can gain momentum within your ‘last smoking week’ to have proper motivation to quit.
If you want to quit gradually, for example quitting at home but not at work, setting calendar dates for quitting and alarms for times of the day when you tell yourself to stop can also work incredibly well in order to prepare yourself for the task. This is called compartmentalising, and is an effective tool for getting into a routine where you are smoking less and less.
Hold yourself accountable
A huge factor that causes people to give up on their journey to quitting is keeping it to themselves. You should never be on this journey alone, that always makes it so much more difficult. On the flip side, telling your family and friends that you plan on quitting on X date can be a really effective method to make sure you’re holding yourself accountable.
The more people who are aware of your situation, the more understanding and helpful the people you surround yourself can be. More people knowing you are trying to quit is also a great incentive to stay motivated on your quitting journey. Let’s be honest, your friends would definitely give you a hard time if you gave up after all that bragging.
Plan for cravings and withdrawals
You know your triggers better than anyone else – all those times in your routine or places you go where you’ll crave a cigarette. There’s no point in denying that these triggers will continue to occur as you go about your daily life smoke-free. It’s so important to plan ahead for those times, so that you can have methods in place to distract you and catch you when you’re not feeling super strong.
A good way to plan for cravings is to always have quit smoking aids on your person, especially in those first few weeks. If you’re using nicotine patches, make sure you put them on consistently to remove the cravings. Another way to plan is to develop tricks in your mind of things you can do to distract yourself from smoking, such as having games on your phone (Candy Crush is GREAT) that you can open for 5 minutes whenever you get a craving.
Figure out what works for you ahead of time, and incorporate them into your routine to replace the times where a cigarette would be.
Remove signs of your smoking habit
Smoking is such a sensory addiction, and it can leave little traces and hints all over your life that make it incredibly easy to forget. Get rid of anything and everything that you would associate with your smoking habit: From your cigarettes or tobacco products, to ashtrays and lighters. Spring clean your house of all of these items and do a nice clean to make your house smell fresh at the same time.
It may even pay to go on a little shopping spree and buy some new clothes that you can keep smelling smoke-free. At the very least, wash all your items (jackets especially will cling to the smell of cigarettes) as you may not even notice until your smoking habit isn’t around, but the smell will be everywhere.
Ease out of the addiction with nicotine replacement products
You’re probably already aware that nicotine is highly addictive, but you may not even realise the true extent if you haven’t tried to quit before. Nicotine replacement therapy is an excellent way to ease out of a smoking habit, without having to deal with all the nicotine withdrawal symptoms at once. You can’t lock yourself in a dark room and wear a straight-jacket until the cravings go away, you have to keep on living your life! Nicotine products help you to do this while you’re getting yourself into a routine that no longer involves smoking. Find out which nicotine replacement product will work the best for you, and stick out the process with a little bit of help.
Nicotine replacement products that work
At Kea Health, we care about your quit smoking journey. We’re here to guide you every step along the way with products such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum that can ease you out of a smoking habit successfully. To shop online, visit our store today!
I always have plenty of Habitrol at my house. Thanks