First of all you need to have a strong desire to quit. Develop or fortify that desire by reviewing information and facts about the dangers of smoking and contemplate the consequences of continued smoking on you as well as on your loved ones who stand to suffer not only because of your ill health and possible premature death, but also the because of the ill-effects of exposure to secondhand smoke on their health.
Create short notes of why you want to stop smoking such as the desire to feel better, to look better, to live longer, to spare your family the effects of secondhand smoke on their health and to save money. Record your notes in writing or on a digital drive and read them at least once a day.
Next, develop a quit plan and set a date you plan to quit smoking altogether. Document your plan in writing or digitally, realizing you might have to adjust the quit date depending on your progress and circumstances.
Notify your family and friends of your decision to quit smoking and solicit their support. Explain to them that you may become irritable or even irrational at times as you experience some of the withdrawal associated with quitting smoking.
Recognize and document what your smoking triggers are and devise a strategy for eliminating them, such as removing all ashtrays and cigarettes from the house and washing or steam cleaning all fabrics such as clothing, linen and draperies which contained third-hand smoke. It might also be necessary to shampoo the carpeting to get rid of recently coined third-hand smoke, which health experts feel is medically harmful, particularly to children and infants.
Consult your doctor about quitting, especially if you plan to use nonprescription or prescription smoking cessation aids, so as to increase the safety of your smoking cessation endeavor and to increase the likelihood that it will be successful.
Research any smoking cessation aid(s) you plan to use, evaluating both their effectiveness and safety. You might consider visiting the website of the Food and Drug Administration as well as seeking the opinion of your healthcare provider.
Following the approval of your doctor, begin exercising three of four times per week once or twice per day as a starting point. Engage in anaerobic exercise such as walking is the best type in the beginning. It helps to relieve stress, rid the body of the toxins produced by smoking and promotes healing of the damage caused by prolonged cigarette smoking.
Once you actually begin your quit smoking endeavor cutback on your smoking daily according to a set goal including the rate at which you will decrease the number of cigarettes per day smoked, unless you feel that cold turkey is the best approach for you.
Drink plenty of water to help flush the nicotine and other harmful chemicals in tobacco that have accumulated in your body from cigarette smoking.
Change brands of cigarettes periodically while cutting back on your smoking because the flavor and chemical differences between brands tend to make smoking less automatic and less enjoyable, thus, making you more aware of the fact that smoking is a habit.
Diminish your cravings for nicotine with chewing gum, mints, toothpicks, flower seeds nicotine replacement aids, prescription drugs prescribed by your doctor, or other methods that seem to work. Remember however, nicotine replacement products are not intended for long-term use and that prolonged use of them essentially substitutes one nicotine habit with another.
Make a genuine effort to find another smoker who is also trying to quit smoking and support one another by discussing the positive strides you are making.
Write down or record via computer how your smoking cessation plan is going. Acknowledge your successes and failures and record encountered or anticipated.
Recognize and document the health rewards you experience from quitting smoking such as an improvement of shortness of breath and lowering of blood pressure. It is a good idea to monitor your blood pressure with a home monitor prior to, during and after quitting smoking. Oftentimes review the positive information, particularly if you are tempted to resume smoking or you are stymied in your efforts to cutback on your smoking.
Monitor the amount of nicotine in your body and the decline in the level as you quit smoking by using a quantitative nicotine test kit, and correlate the declining levels with differences in the way you feel, such as improved exercise tolerance and decreased coughing.
Reward yourself during and after you have successfully quit smoking in a way that is most encouraging to you and most likely to be incentive not to resume smoking. The reward could be something as extravagant as a vacation to the Bahamas or something as simple as a strawberry sundae. Recognizing anniversary dates of your release from the bondage of tobacco, and continuing to reward yourself at those times can also provide significant incentive to not resume smoking.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purpose only and is not intended to be a substitute for consulting a healthcare professional. The author encourages users of the Internet to be careful when utilizing medical information obtained from the Internet and to consult a physician if you are unsure about your medical condition or have any concerns about your health.
Via : http://www.proactivehealthoutlet.com
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