Strategies To Stop Smoking

Why Is It So Difficult To Quit?

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Reducing Withdrawal Symptoms

Keep Yourself Busy And Your Hands Active: On average, it takes a smoker six minutes to smoke a cigarette, which for a pack-a-day smoker, is two hours per day you spend smoking. It is well established that boredom is a common trigger for smoking and now that you are not smoking you have more time on your hands. Therefore, be sure to keep your hands active. You may find that you miss the tactile features of smoking a cigarette so try holding a pencil, straw, stress ball, or even a paper clip, in your hand when and if the need arises. It is very important for you to find new, healthy, and enjoyable activities to do with your newly found time. These activities may be sedentary (e.g., crossword and jigsaw puzzles) or more active (e.g., exercising) — either way, you need to find things that will make it less likely that you will get bored. Besides, it's difficult to smoke when you are swimming laps in a pool.

During attempts to quit, it is not unusual for you to experience increased cravings for food so have some healthy snacks on hand.

Engage In Healthy Snacking: Finally, you may discover that you more regularly develop a case of the “munchies” when you cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke. This sensation may be due to the fact that you miss the oral satisfaction of smoking, but it may also be do to an increase in your appetite now that you no longer have nicotine available to curb it. During attempts to quit, it is not unusual for you to experience increased cravings for food — sweet foods in particular. The problem with this is that you may experience weight gain and use it as an excuse to resume smoking. So have some healthy snacks on hand, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, so that you are not depriving yourself of acting on another craving. Carrots, celery sticks, sunflower seeds, cinnamon sticks, sugarless chewing gum containing Xylitol, and drinking plenty of water are all great ideas that many professionals suggest to their patients. While this is not a miracle cure, it can help in reducing your cravings to smoke. Keep in mind, if you remove yourself from a stressful situation, go to a place where smoking is not permitted, and eat a healthy snack. You will still get a rest from the stress without taking a smoking break.

You Don't Have To Do this Alone

While ultimately quitting is up to the individual, some people value the structure of a smoking cessation group. Groups take on many forms, but the traditional cessation group format is 8 to 10 sessions. Sessions are typically scheduled on a weekly basis but the final group meetings may be scheduled bi-weekly. The first 3 to 4 sessions usually focus on learning as much about your smoking habit as possible and reducing your nicotine intake. The 4th or 5th session is typically designated as the formal quit date, and the final 4 to 5 sessions focus on relapse prevention. In addition to using (or encouraging use) of the strategies already described, groups offer support in areas that quitting alone does not. For instance, group settings foster social support and provide a structured and graduated plan of attack. There is also a clinician available at regular intervals to provide individuals with education and feedback regarding the withdrawal symptoms they may experience. This information can aid group members in understanding the process of addiction and normalizing the experiences they are having. Clinicians can also work to help problem solve for individuals who continue to struggle. Finally, there are several non-specific treatment factors that clinicians provide during group treatment that include discussing and eliciting positive expectancies, being supportive and understanding, and providing a timeline for the quit attempt.

Kicking The Habit

Not all tools work for each person in each situation, so learn many and see which tools work best for you. By no means are the tools noted in this article all-inclusive, so be creative and learn as much as you can about your smoking habit. Ask the people around you for support. And if you slip, do not use it as an excuse to go back to smoking full-time. It isn't easy to quit smoking, but you can be successful!