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Tips To Help You Quit
Smoking is the most serious risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and lung and other cancers, yet it is totally controllable. All you have to do is quit. Simple, right? Wrong. If anyone ever told you that quitting smoking was easy, don't believe it. It's not easy, but it is worth it. Fortunately, when you understand why it's hard to quit smoking, you can begin to develop ways to make quitting easier and help you stay off cigarettes for life.
Understand Withdrawal
Smoking is addictive, both physically and psychologically, and when you quit, you will go through withdrawal. You may experience mood swings, lightheadedness, fatigue, or restlessness, among other symptoms. These physical symptoms last for approximately one week. Knowing what to expect beforehand and understanding that your symptoms will get better in just a few days can help you get through nicotine withdrawal.
Prepare Substitutes
Smoking is as much a behavior as it is an addiction. Get ready to substitute other behaviors when you quit: brush your teeth instead of reaching for a cigarette; chew sugarless gum to keep your mouth "satisfied;" keep your hands busy; take up a hobby like sewing or model-building during leisure times or fiddle with a paper clip, worry beads, a straw or pencil when you're at work.
Seek Support
It always helps to have other people's support for any behavior change and quitting smoking is no exception. Tell your family, friends, and co-workers that you're quitting. Ask for their encouragement; particularly while you're going through nicotine withdrawal and may be a bit on edge. You might also encourage someone else to try to quit with you and offer each other support.
Ask Your Doctor
Some people who are highly addicted to nicotine have been helped through cigarette withdrawal by chewing a nicotine-containing gum. (You gradually chew less and less of the gum each day until your withdrawal is complete.) This gum is available only by prescription. Your physician may also be able to prescribe other drugs that can curb your urge for nicotine and help you quit.
Don't Give Up
Many people who have successfully quit smoking got off to several false starts; but they eventually reached their goal. If you have a relapse, and start smoking again, don't give up. As the old saying goes: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"
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