Stop Smoking Pages

Here are some tips that may help you if you are thinking of giving up smoking. First of all, decide on the actual day that you are going to stop – pick a specific date and stick to it. A good way of stopping yourself from sneakily changing this date is to tell family and friends about it, they will be only too keen to remind you of it if you don’t put your plan into action - family and friends are like that!

When that day comes throw away not just any remaining cigarettes, but also any other smoking paraphernalia that you may have, such as lighters, ashtrays, cigarette rolling equipment, tobacco and cigarette papers.

Brace yourself for the fact that you are not going to enjoy this, but remind yourself of why you are doing it. Leave on the coffee table any anti-smoking literature and pamphlets that you may have, such as those from the NHS, or the UK charity Quit – glancing at these will help you keep in the frame of mind for stopping smoking.

Use patches, or some other form of nicotine replacement therapy to help you overcome the initial cravings brought on by nicotine withdrawal.

To counteract any feelings of withdrawal that you might be experiencing, buy yourself some special treats such as nice food, or magazines, or a trip to the cinema. Remind yourself that you are using the money that would otherwise be spent on cigarettes!

Don’t be tempted to drink alcohol however as a way of treating yourself. If you have been a smoker, and enjoy the occasional drink too, it is most likely that you used to enjoy the two together – a pint in the garden at your local pub, along with a cigarette. So having an alcoholic drink may well make you start to yearn for a cigarette, and, unfortunately, alcohol does significantly weaken resolve, increasingly so the more that you imbibe.

In my next post I will run through a few more tips that will help you to stop.

Filed under: Ways to Quit