subject: There Are Lots Of Ways To Stop Smoking [print this page] It isn't going to be easy, but there are several ways one can start on the road to cleaner lungs and more energy. First off, try to keep strong and focus your mind on quitting. The following can help you:
Keep a diary of times when the cravings are worst
Try to stay away from smoke-filled places
Refuse the offer of 'just this once' from a friend
Keep busy so you won't be constantly thinking about smoking
Find a picture of lungs that have been blackened by tobacco and keep it nearby
Try some powerful daily affirmations
Don't start biting your fingernails as a substitute
Sweets will not do as a substitute
Make up your mind you have to do this for health reasons
And when you have done all the above, and still can't quit, more drastic measures are called for. The longer the addiction the longer it will take. Give yourself permission to slip once on a while but don't make it an everyday excuse to continue smoking.
What are the physical movements you do when smoking? Do you need to have a smoke to be able to talk on the telephone? Is it absolutely necessary to puff away while having a coffee? Is no meal complete without a tobacco fix afterwards? Find your weak points and try to change your routines.
There are many commercial products out there to help you in your search for a cure. Everything from nicotine replacement therapy which includes:
patches
tablets
inhalers
lozenges
gum
sprays
behavioral support and monitoring
In active treatment groups, nicotine replacement therapy was given to two groups, one getting actual nicotine replacement while the other group received a placebo. The results were encouraging. In the actual replacement group, twice as many quit smoking than in the placebo group.
While these statistics are heartening, there is still a great need to get to people who are slaves to the weed and can't seem to stop. Perhaps someday soon, with all the research that is going on, there will be a quick 'fix' for the desperate person trying to quit smoking. But until that day arrives it is still a mixture of will power, determination, healthy eating, exercise and thought conditioning that will be the best allies we have for quitting the insidious addiction of tobacco. To those who have children: please do not let your child start to smoke, even if it seems 'cool' for them to do so. It can only bring sickness and addiction in the end.
