How to Stop Smoking On Your Own? Here are the Tips to Quit Smoking

July 18, 2019 Posted by Jyotirmay
how quit smoking

According to WHO, Tobacco kills up to half of its users. Smoking is the major reason for lung cancer and other heart-related disorders. 8 million people die every year because of tobacco. Every addict knows that smoking is harmful, yet they keep inhaling the cancerous fumes. If you are one of the smokers among billion, and you think to quit from time to time then you are not alone. You can stop smoking by making small changes to your lifestyle that will help you resist the temptation to light up. In order to quit your addiction successfully, you need to set goals and learn from the experiences of former smokers. It is never easy to walk away from anything which was once a part of your daily life.

The ugly truth about smoking is the fact that it helps you in no way. There are no advantages of smoking. It doesn’t make your life easier or better in any way. There is nothing to give up, you are not sacrificing anything by making a choice to not smoke. If you look for reasons to quit smoking, it would make it harder to quit because you would subconsciously think of it as some sort of sacrifice you are making. Instead, look for real reasons why you smoke in the first place.

Here are 7 myths and facts that will help you quit smoking for good

Myth 1- Smoking is a way to relieve stress and anxiety

Fact-There are healthy and effective ways for you to relieve stress and anxiety, such as exercising, meditation, yoga, traveling, spending time with your loved ones, and enjoying hobbies such as painting, dancing, and music. Smoking is in no way going to help you relieve stress and anxiety. On the contrary, research has proved that smoking increases stress and risk of anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders It is just an excuse smokers believe in order to not feel like something’s missing.

Myth 2- People smoke because they are bored

Fact– You will get bored, even when smoking. The cigarette does not relieve boredom in any way. The craving for nicotine is due to their habitual routine and has nothing to do with boredom. For example, many smokers light up cigarettes after finishing cooking, cleaning, or running errands, not because they are now bored after finishing the task or are idle, but because of the habit they have developed over time. Once you adopt a healthy lifestyle and break the routine, the cravings due to boredom subside.

Myth 3- Smoking increases the concentration levels

Fact- Smoking is a big distraction. The cravings and nicotine withdrawal make smokers light up. Cigarettes don’t help concentrate; smoking ruins it due to strong nicotine pangs. It is an excuse that smokers use to blame everything that goes wrong in their life. People who don’t smoke can concentrate equally well.

Myth 4- Smoking helps to relax

Fact– Most smokers think smoking cigarettes relax them. The truth is nicotine never lets you feel relaxed. Temporary feelings of relaxation quickly end and are replaced by further anxiety and stress. It is difficult to quit because smokers believe they’re giving up a genuine source of pleasure. It is critical to understand that you are not giving up on anything.

Myth 5- Smoking helps to socialize

Fact- Smoking creates isolation. It creates a barrier between smokers, their family, loved ones and non-smoking friends. The constant smell of smoke and bad breath makes people stay far away from smokers. Smokers are more likely to lose their patience and get angry out of proportion.

Myth 6- Giving up smoking will lead to weight gain

Fact– Nicotine does suppress the appetite, but if you have the confidence and self-respect to control your eating habits and lead a balanced lifestyle, there is no reason to worry about weight gain. The health benefits of quitting any day surpass short-term weight gain, if any.

Myth 7- Monetary incentivizing will make it easy to quit smoking

Fact– Giving up smoking does save a lot of money, but it should not be used as an incentivizing factor. It never leads to successful results. It is a false incentive because smokers would rather choose to smoke than save money on future gifts or vacations. Such financial incentives heighten the sense of deprivation, and smokers fall for the smoking trap again after the novelty wears off.

Want to improve your looks? Quit smoking

Smoking can add years to your looks and reduce your athletic ability. Smokers have visible changes in their skin tone, teeth, and hair. The negative effects of smoking on health range from cancer, ED, cataract, psoriasis, osteoporosis, early menopause, and reproductive health to diseases related to the heart, lungs, and bones. Apart from saving tons of money, quitting cigarettes will save you from below health hazards of smoking. Each time you resist a nicotine craving, you will get one step closer to being totally smoke-free.

  1. Smoking makes you look old

Smoking regularly is a surefire way to make yourself look older. Your skin is deprived of essential oxygen and nutrients, which results in poor skin tone. It makes your face appear pale and unevenly colored. Your appearance deteriorates over time if you continue smoking.

  1. Smoking results in sagging skin, age spots, and deep wrinkles

The chemicals present in cigarettes trigger the destruction of collagen and elastin. These are the fibers that give your skin its elasticity and tightness. Smoking degrades the building blocks of the skin. The consequences include sagging skin and deeper wrinkles. Loss in the elasticity of skin also leads to sagging inner arms and breasts.

  1. Yellow teeth are a sign of smoking

Damaged teeth, gum disease, persistent bad breath, and other oral hygiene problems are common among smokers. According to studies, smokers are twice as likely to lose teeth as nonsmokers.

  1. Smoking ruins your fingernails

When you hold cigarettes, fingernails and the skin of your hands absorb toxic chemicals. When you quit smoking, these effects are quickly reversed.

  1. Smoking causes premature gray hair and hair loss

Smoking can accelerate the process of hair loss with age. Studies even suggest that people who smoke are more likely to go bald.

Want to quit smoking on your own? Here is the easiest way to quit smoking

Step 1- Decision to quit smoking

The first step to stop smoking starts with the decision to quit. Once the decision is made, prepare yourself mentally and zero down a date on which you would quit. Pick a date when you are relatively stress-free from your job or other household duties. You need to decide whether you want to go cold turkey or reduce the number of cigarettes gradually and finally quit.  Quit gradually. For some smokers, gradually decreasing the number of cigarettes they smoke each day is an effective strategy to quit. But this strategy doesn’t work for everyone. You may find it’s better for you to go “cold turkey” and stop smoking once and for all.

Keep a diary with you and note down your smoking patterns, triggers, and high-risk times. Make a journal of the moments and times of the day when you crave a cigarette.

Tip- Set your date and time to quit and carry on smoking as usual, albeit with lower intensities if you are a chain smoker. Don’t try to cut down significantly beforehand, that would just make cigarettes seem more precious.

Step 2- Gather Support System

Inform your friends and family about your decision to quit. Always start your day with positivity. It might be a picture, a book, or a person. Try meditation, yoga, or exercise in the morning. Meditation helps to control your emotions and fight your way to be a better person. Positive energy and a good mood will be very helpful for you to fight the rest of the day, which can be stressful. Remove all the cigarettes from your wardrobe, kitchen, apartment, or office desk. A clean environment free from cigarette smells is important. Once you prepare your feelings and environment, it will be easier for you to quit smoking.

Tip- While sharing your goal to quit smoking, do not fall into the trap of initial validation. When everyone praises you for your efforts to quit, you will feel validated. However, this kind of validation can be counterproductive. Once you feel validated, you no longer want to pursue your goals.

Step 3 – Manage nicotine withdrawal symptoms with these tips and tricks

Nicotine withdrawal symptoms range from irritability, anxiety, loss of energy, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and food cravings to restlessness, difficulty sleeping and sweating. It takes your body 72 hours after your last cigarette to flush out the nicotine. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms usually reach their peak 2 to 3 days after you quit smoking and vanish within 1 to 3 months as your brain chemistry return to normal. You will start to feel better at the end of the first week. Doctors recommend gradually removing dependence on nicotine with nicotine replacement therapy.

Simple Tips & Tricks to help you quit smoking for good

  1. Get up and indulge in physical activities in a public space where you can’t smoke

Indulge in physical activities which will help you to distract yourself from nicotine cravings. You can try going out for a walk to get a breath of fresh air. Go jog or sprint. Staying physically active serves as a good distraction, plus it helps you keep yourself healthy and boost your energy levels. So next time you feel the craving for a cigarette, engage in some sort of physical activity, be it running, jogging, cycling, biking, hiking or swimming.

To successfully quit smoking, you must break the daily routine that acts as a trigger. If you are at home or the office at times when you normally smoke, you can reschedule your timetable to try push-ups, pull-ups, or squats instead of lighting up. Break the link. If you smoke when you drive, hire a cab, use a cycle, walk, or take the bus for the initial few weeks so you can break the smoking routine. If you crave to smoke after meals, go talk to a friend or call your loved ones. Don’t go to places where you tend to smoke. Keep yourself busy. The more distracted you are, the less likely you’ll crave nicotine.

  1. Make Cigarettes unavailable

If you are trying to cut down, the most dangerous thing you can do is buy a pack of cigarettes. Depending on the place you live, try not to buy the entire pack of cigarettes. Take help from family, friends, or helpful neighbors. If your plan is to go cold turkey, stay away from places where you can buy cigarettes.

  1. Remember the time when you were non-smoker

If you have memories of the time when you were a non-smoker, try to relive them. Get yourself into that phrase of life again. Feel the good times. Believe firmly that you are now a non-smoker. Act and live like you have never smoked in your life and won’t do it ever. You are what you believe and act like in daily life. Start behaving like the non-smoker that you are, and it will be your future. Congratulate yourself that you’re free, and now you can enjoy your life as a non-smoker for the rest of your life.

  1. Avoid other smoker’s influence

If you have family, friends, or colleagues who smoke, explain to them that you are trying to quit. Request them not to light up in your presence. You can’t be with them during times they smoke. Other smokers’ influence is the most common reason for slip-ups.

  1. Develop strategies for a bad day

Stress and anxiety are major triggers for smoking. Create a strategy for bad days when you feel burnt out. Take some time off to rejuvenate. Wear your hiking boots, grab a fishing rod, and head to the countryside.  You can go to the cinema, gaming parlor, bowling alley, or any other place where you can relax and not smoke.

  1. Break hand-to-mouth habit

Smokers develop the habit of moving their hands from cigarette to mouth. When you quit smoking, you will feel the need to do something with your hands. Substitute something else for cigarettes, try to hold a pen, cinnamon stick, peppermint stick, carrot stick or toothpick between your fingers. Initially, getting used to not holding something or not having a cigarette in your mouth would take time, but it would get better with each passing day.

  1. Go for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

NRT gums are another way to keep your mouth busy. You can go see a doctor and take proper sessions and prescriptions. They will also guide you to avoid cigarettes. Some of the common examples are nicotine gum and lozenges. These help most of the smokers who want to quit smoking. Nicotine gum and lozenges provide short-term relief from nicotine withdrawal symptoms. They also help keep your mouth busy and reduce nicotine cravings.

  1. Develop new hobbies to occupy yourself

Try to spend more and more time with people you love and hobbies you enjoy. If you love painting, then paint more, join dance or singing classes. Learn to play guitar. Explore yourself and find happiness. Get passionate about your interest and hobbies. It will motivate you, inspire and distract you long enough to keep you away from smoking.

  1. Avoid Alcohol

Try to avoid alcohol if you know you will end up having a cigarette while drinking. Stick to non-alcoholic drinks or drink only at waterholes where smoking inside is prohibited. Keep some snacks and cocktail sticks with you to distract you from smoking.

  1. Eat healthy food

Keep your mouth busy with chewing gums or fruits like carrots, apples, etc. Avoid junk food and opt for healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein bars. This will keep your body full of nutrition. Don’t try to diet and quit smoking together. For some smokers, ending a meal signals to light up a cigarette. Switch your end-of-meal routine with having fruits, a healthy dessert, and a stick of gum. Go for a walk after the meal, read the news, talk to a friend, meditate, or listen to your favorite songs.

  1. Give yourself short-term rewards

You can try rewarding yourself at the end of every week. Take yourself out on a fancy dinner or go with your loved one. With the money saved from not smoking for a week, buy yourself a new video game, new tools for your hobby, or anything fun which makes you happy. Notwithstanding all the health advantages, one of the major benefits of quitting cigarettes is all the money you will save. There are online apps and calculators, which can calculate daily, weekly yearly savings if you stop smoking.

  1. Get Vitamin C

Home remedies to quit smoking, such as eating citrus fruits rich in Vitamin C, can help you quit smoking. Citrus fruit, along with dairy products, makes smoking cigarettes taste bad. Buy Vitamin C drops or drink lime juice to endure the nicotine cravings. Studies have revealed that smoking seriously depletes the levels of Vitamin C in your body, and it is consumed much faster in smokers. Smoking one cigarette can make your body deficient by 25 mg of Vitamin C. Smoking causes oxidative stress on the body, which results in an increased metabolic turnover of vitamin C.

  1. Exercise and HIIT Workout

Fill the gap with exercise and workouts to regain your athletic ability and youthful appearance. Regular exercise has multi-pronged health benefits, including weight loss, healthy heart, lungs, and bones and reduced risk of high cholesterol, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Exercise and HITT workout can suppress nicotine cravings and cleanse the body of toxins. It would energize you, boost your mood and make you feel relaxed. While you are spending your time and focusing on your workout, you will be distracted away from thoughts of smoking. It would help you quit smoking naturally.

  1. Mindful Meditation and Yoga

Mindful meditation reduces psychological stress and anxiety and promotes a calm state of mind and a feeling of well-being. Positive emotions and energy help you to focus and concentrate on positive aspects of life and shed away harmful habits and toxicity. Meditation can alleviate insomnia and help cope with psychological nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Seek Advice from Doctor

Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about key resources which can help you to live smoke-free. Your doctor can guide you on what medication will work best for you based on your medical history and put you in touch with local resources such as support groups and quitline. Draft your own quit plan according to the guidelines provided by your doctor.

If you decide to quit, then just quit. It will not only help you, but it will benefit so many people around you. Bring a smile on the face of your loved ones and lead a happy, healthy smokefree life. Be patient, the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal will pass in a week. Try not to give in to your urges and sneak cigarettes. Minor slip-ups happen but stick to your quit plan to lower the duration of the withdrawal phase. Always believe in yourself and never lose hope. You Can Do It!

Resources to Help You Quit Smoking-