What is the best way to quit smoking?
Answer:
To quit smoking, you can do the following things:
Write down the reasons why you smoke.
Know in which situations you like to smoke best.
You should know these situations very well (for example, when you are having a good time) and start to think of a solution for how you want to deal with that situation. More.
- Determine the day you will stop. That can be tomorrow, but you can also wait for a more favourable moment.
- Tell the people around you that you are going to quit. Possibly with somebody else.
- Take away everything that reminds you of smoking.
- Stop radically; it gives you the best chance of success.
- Change your eating and drinking habits. Drink a lot of water, eat a lot of fresh fruit and be aware of 'pleasure drinks' like coffee, tea and alcohol.
- Take care of enough physical relaxation. Go for a walk or a ride or go swimming.
- Reward yourself. Do nice things or give yourself something, like a cd or clothes.
- If you fall back, don't give up. Find out in what situation it happened and try to find out with what (alternative) behaviour you can react in the future. If you manage to come through the same situation next time, you have become stronger.
The desire to smoke is one of the first things you notice when you stop smoking. Such a moment lasts a few minutes. It comes, stays for a while and then goes. If you have stopped smoking recently, you will have that desire more often than after a few weeks. After a while, the periods between 'wanting to smoke' get longer and longer. Ultimately, the desire to smoke diminishes. Nicotine patches, self-help books and your doctor can help you to stop smoking. Also, health care centres usually have special "quit smoking" programs.