HOW-TO Quit Smoking!

By The DivaGals | September 10, 2015 | Dish!

Hey DivaGals! It’s #HowToThursday, and we’re giving up a major vice! There are many reasons people want to give up smoking ΓÇô for health, appearance and financial gain, or as a favor to someone we love.

No matter how good or honorable the reason, quitting smoking can be incredibly hard to do, especially if itΓÇÖs a habit youΓÇÖve had for a long time. ItΓÇÖs important to make sure you ask for and get the support from those around you, and donΓÇÖt be disheartened if at first, you donΓÇÖt succeed.

Quitting smoking is a bit like learning to write with your non-dominant hand, difficult at first: frustrating, annoying and possibly a bit messy. But eventually your perseverance will pay off, and youΓÇÖll be better for it.

In the meantime, here are some top tips to help you make that all-important transition.

Avoid trigger products and situations that might encourage you to relapse. Avoid trigger products and situations that might encourage you to relapse. If you tend to smoke at the pub, then try enjoying drinks at home for a few weeks. If you associate certain drinks or foods with smoking, then try alternative drinks and foods, certainly at the beginning. Where you canΓÇÖt avoid triggers, for instance, if youΓÇÖre in the habit of having a cigarette after every meal or as soon as Scandal finishes, then try to find another activity to do instead; can you walk the dog or load the dishwasher? Just get your mind off smoking.

Electronic cigarettes can help smokers cut down or quit tobacco altogether. Electronic cigarettes are proving popular with smokers in helping them to cut down or quit tobacco altogether. They look, feel and work in much the same way as traditional cigarettes, but instead of producing smoke, e-cigarettes produce vapor by heating a vial of e-liquid or e-juice. E-liquids are made up of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, nicotine, water and flavorings. The amount of nicotine in the e-liquid can vary depending on your choice, allowing you to cut down gradually, and there is an astounding range of flavors to choose from such as apple, strawberry, cookie dough, aniseed, chocolate and custard. TheyΓÇÖre widely available online and on the high street.

Try a nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). There are several nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products available on the market, such as gums, patches and inhalers. These provide your body with a small amount of nicotine in order to stave off the cravings your body would develop once you stopped smoking. Their aim is to offset the negative side effects of quitting, such as headaches, difficulty sleeping and irritability, all of which are caused by nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This means smokers can stop smoking the tobacco and chemicals that pose such dangers to their health, without enduring too much discomfort. NRT products are usually available at chemists and supermarkets without a prescription.

Find something else to do with your hands. If you find that your hands or mouth are missing the physical aspects of smoking, such as the feel of it in our fingers or the sensation of your mouth around the cigarette, then try giving your body something else to do when your cravings kick in. For hands, try a stress ball or and old-fashioned RubikΓÇÖs Cube, which not only gives you something to do but also distracts your mind from your cravings at the same time. If its your mouth thatΓÇÖs missing out, try eating sweets or gum, although try not to overdo the sugar intake, otherwise youΓÇÖll be swapping one health hazard for another.

Use a personal event. Got a specific reason for quitting? Maybe youΓÇÖve lost someone close to you due to a smoking-related illness, or maybe because your family have asked you to quit out of concern for your health. ItΓÇÖs often a good idea to keep a picture of them with you at all times. When your cravings kick in and youΓÇÖre tempted to reach for a cigarette, look at the picture instead and remind yourself of all the reasons why youΓÇÖre doing this.

Think of the savings. If you need additional motivation, take a few minutes to work out how much money youΓÇÖre saving each week, month or year by quitting. Then think about what you can do with that money instead. It might be treating your boo to dinner at a nice restaurant once a week, or saving up for a holiday somewhere special once a year. You might decide to buy a house and those savings can contribute to the deposit or to buying essential items to begin a new independent life. These hopes for the future are sometimes the little extra boost you need to get you through.

Choose your social crowd with care. When possible, spend time with non-smokers who wonΓÇÖt give you the opportunities to give in to temptation and who will almost always automatically discourage you from smoking. If all your friends are smokers, ask if any of them want to try quitting with you. Moral support is often the key to success, and if there is a group of you all with a common goal, youΓÇÖll be able to motivate and encourage each other more effectively.

If at first you donΓÇÖt succeed… ItΓÇÖs an old adage, but one that has lost none of its veracity. Quitting smoking isnΓÇÖt simply a case of choosing not to smoke, in the same way people choose not to eat meat. ItΓÇÖs a decision that often entails negative side effects ΓÇô after all, after heroin nicotine is the second most addictive substance, equal to cocaine. So donΓÇÖt be disheartened if your first few attempts at quitting donΓÇÖt work. Try one method, and if you donΓÇÖt meet with success, evaluate where you think things went wrong, and next time try a different approach. Eventually youΓÇÖll find what works best for you.

photo credit: gameanna/FDP.net