If you have come to realize that you should probably try and stop smoking for your health, there are a lot of things you might want to consider. You might be getting a lot of conflicting information about the best way to do it. Part of the reason for that is because it’s a little different for everyone, and you will need to work out for yourself what works best. In fact, most people need to try stopping a few times before it really sticks, so try not to be too hard on yourself. Nonetheless, here is a four step solution that just may work for you.
Get Motivated
The motivation is really important, because without that, you are not going to get anywhere. You need to think of a few strong, genuine reasons why you want to stop smoking, and make them as clear as possible in your mind. Are you looking to improve your heart health? Do you want to make sure you are able to get to an old age for the sake of your kids? Whatever it is, make it personal and make it yours. This is going to help you stick with it when it gets tough, which it often does.
Try NRT
A lot of people find that it helps to have some kind of nicotine replacement therapy, as this way you are still getting the element you are addicted to, and that can make the transition to being completely smoke-free as easy as possible. There are all kinds of alternative nicotine products which do not have tar and so on in them, so whether you vape or try e-cigarettes, it’s something that may well help you to stick with it and get through the process much more easily.
Identify Your Triggers
At some point, however, the goal is to be free of the addiction itself, so you might want to think about what triggers tend to lead to you wanting it in the first place. It can be helpful to keep a diary of every time you get an urge or a craving. If you can mark down what was happening just before and how you felt, soon enough you have a pretty solid record of what triggers occur for you. Then you can be more alert to them the next time they appear, and you can make a better choice than the one you are used to making.
Keep Going
Essentially, that’s the whole process. Now you just need to stick with it and to keep going, even when it gets difficult. That means that even if you slip up and have a cigarette, don’t be tempted to write this off as a failure and then start binging again. This is not the way to proceed. Instead, try to be a little gentler with yourself, and consider what you might do better next time, and then revisit your motivation and proceed again from there. Before you know it, you could be smoke free.
