How to Start a Healthy Home: Quitting Smoking
How to quit smoking cigarettes can be a difficult task if you don’t use the proper tools. After all, if you can’t find the motivation to stop, then how in the world are you supposed to get rid of the smell that comes from having smoked too much? But once you find the will to get rid of this nasty habit, you’ll find that it’s easier than you think.
Quitting on your own is possible but it takes some work. Most people will go the easy way out and try to quit by taking multiple medications to combat the withdrawal symptoms. And many will fail miserably at quitting because of the strong craving hits they’re experiencing after they quit. It’s hard to fight these intense cravings when you’re not even sure if you’ll ever be able to have another cigarette again. But there’s a method that will help get rid of that terrible smoke craving.
A recent study found that smokers who tried and failed to quit were actually doing their bodies a disservice by using gum and other products to fight off the cravings. There’s nothing more harmful than a person who is addicted to smoking yet has to deal with the fact that he or she needs to breathe in smoke to calm down. When a person is unable to breathe in smoke due to gum or some other device, that person is at an increased risk for developing cancer and heart disease. That’s because when smoke isn’t completely removed from the body, it converts to fat, increases risk for diabetes and heart disease and clogs up the arteries.
So how to stop smoking cigarettes by gradually weaning yourself off them? By understanding how smoking affects your body, you can avoid smoking in certain situations. For example, when you need to be more aware of your surroundings and you feel the need to smoke, try to find a quiet spot to sit and focus on something else. Also, be sure to keep to the rules set forth by your doctor. Make sure that you don’t have any cigarettes when driving, are going to the bathroom or any other activity where you might be tempted to light up.
The best way to fight the urge to light up is to start gradually. That means that when you start to notice nicotine cravings, don’t start puffing away. Instead, take small, slow steps toward quitting. For instance, if you are thinking about smoking when you’re thinking about lunch, try going to a public place like the mall and simply put one cigarette in your mouth. Then, after putting in your share of cigarettes, start taking gradual, smaller amounts of cigarettes.
One of the easiest ways for people to fight off the cravings for cigarettes is to think about their mental responses to cigarette smoke. For example, smokers who realize that they start feeling anxious and irritable after smoking a few cigarettes feel more inclined to pick up the habit again in the future. The smoker’s mental reaction to the taste of cigarette smoke can often be the key to successfully quitting. By focusing on these mental reactions, smokers may be able to get over their addiction faster than if they were to simply dwell on the physical act of smoking.
