by Ingolf Ymer

The subsequent methodologies include a lot of those most popular with ex-smokers.

Keep in mind that victorious ways are as different as the people who use them.

What may seem unreasonable to others may be just what you need to stop – so don’t be awkward to try something innovative.

These techniques can make your own special efforts a little more effortless.

Single out the tips that make sense to you – whether it be a quit smoking pill like Chantix, quit smoking hypnosis or something else. And then follow through – you’ll have a much better chance of victory.

PREPARING YOURSELF FOR QUITTING SMOKING…

Make your mind up that you want to quit smoking. Try to avoid unconstructive beliefs about how difficult it might be.

Begin to condition yourself physically: Start a modest exercise program; drink more fluids; get plenty of rest; and avoid fatigue.

List all the causes for why you want to quit smoking. Each nightfall prior to going to sleep, run through one of the grounds 8 times.

Build up strong personal motivations in addition to your health and duty to others. For example, weigh up of all the time you waste taking smoking breaks, hastening out to obtain a pack, hunting for a light, etc.

Set a target date for quitting – perhaps a special day such as your birthday, your anniversary, or the Great American Smokeout. If you smoke heavily at work, stop smoking during your vacation so that you’re already committed to quitting when you return. Make the date sacred, and don’t let anything change it. This will make it easy for you to keep track of the day you became a nonsmoker and to celebrate that date every year.

KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT…

Have realistic expectations – quitting isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible either. More than 3 million Americans quit smoking every year.

Understand that withdrawal symptoms are TEMPORARY. They usually last only 1-2 weeks.

Know that most relapses occur in the first week after quitting, when withdrawal symptoms are strongest and your body is still dependent on nicotine. Be aware that this will be your hardest time, and use all your personal resources – willpower, family, friends, and the tips in this booklet – to get you through this critical period successfully.

Know that most other relapses occur in the first 3 months after quitting, with situational triggers – such as a particularly stressful event – occur unexpectedly. These are the times when people reach for cigarettes automatically, because they associate smoking with relaxing. This is the kind of situation that’s hard to prepare yourself for until it happens, so it’s especially important to recognize it if it does happen. Remember that smoking is a habit, but a habit you can break.

Realize that most successful ex-smokers quit for good only after several attempts. You may be one of those who can stop smoking your first try. But if you’re not, DON’T GIVE UP. Try again.

About the Author:
by Amber Eamen

The fact that every smoker who wishes to quit smoking has to know is that breaking the habit would require a lot of personal dedication and determination. Additionally, you will encounter a lot of problems as you go along. Recognizing these potential problems and having a specific plan of how to solve them are important if you want to succeed in your efforts. Having an exact idea of how to approach the process of quitting will enable you to pick yourself up and not just readily stumble when you meet obstacles in your path.

Step 1. You need to give yourself time to make a concrete plan of how you are going to approach the challenge of quitting. This would mean looking at the motives why you smoke and looking for ways by which you can get rid of these motives so you have less reasons to smoke. If one reason is that you have been addicted to nicotine then examine products with nicotine contents, to help you more knowledgeable about its sources. If the reason which causes you to smoke is because of boredom, then you should look for activities that would get you preoccupied. However, if you smoke because of stress, then better include in your plans ways to beat stress.

Step 2. Obtain all the help that you would need. There are available support available around you. There are stop-smoking aids and the support of your family and friends. If you have a problem getting the help you need, to begin with, then better resolve this problem first before starting to quit. For instance, if you are hard up for the moment and cannot afford to buy a nicotine gum, then save up for a couple of weeks to be able to buy some. Once you have what you need, then start quitting as soon as you can.

Step 3. Monitor your progress. If you put your goals in writing, as well as the progress you are making in connection with your goals, you are making yourself accountable of the whole task. Like, if you decide to decrease your one pack a day habit to ten cigarette sticks a day, you should write down this new plan. This will make you see explicitly a new pattern of your smoking, and make you conscious of the sticks you have each day. You may find that as you track each of these cigarettes, you want to skip a few just so you would not anymore have to write it down. You have to be very honest though with yourself if you choose this method. Cheating on your log will not help you at all since the information you made is false.

Step 4. Celebrate your success. If you are able to complete the 24 hours without smoking a cigarette, then you should celebrate. Of course, it does not have to be a big village party for every target you accomplished in your plans but you have to do something creative. You can probably treat yourself to that favorite coffee or ice cream of yours, or buy that book or purse you have been eyeing in the mall. Doing so will certainly encourage you to persist in your goals. You can surely have that huge party and even your dream vacation once you have completed your goals and been out of the habit for a year or so. This will give you a strong motivation to finish your goal since you have also saved much from not anymore buying cigarettes to fund your trip or party.

Make sure that you follow each step wholeheartedly, and in no time, you are guaranteed to be able to join the league of those who become non-smokers in the world. Taking advantage of the help that is in your environment as well as making yourself accountable would head you to the right direction. You should also be specific of your expectation of yourself because this will help you be able to anticipate problems before they even appear. Simply waiting until problems come out is expecting a disaster. You owe it to yourself to be free from this habit. These suggestions would surely get you there in the soonest time.

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How to Stop Smoking

by charlie reese

Anyone who’s ever successfully quit smoking can tell you it’s not an easy task. Most people fail several times before they finally succeed. There’s not ever a convenient time to quit. You can’t afford to lose your job because you exploded at your boss. Biting the head off your spouse over nothing most often results in a fight, followed by you lighting up. Who wants to use their vacation to quit?

Let’s face it. You need all the help you can get. Family members, especially if they are lifelong non-smokers, may not be able to be very helpful. On the other hand, the quit smoking forums are filled with sympathetic people who know just what you’re going through. The ones who have broken the habit can be especially helpful. Best of all, these quit smoking forums are peopled with individuals from all over the world, at all hours of the day and night. So, if you find yourself jumping out of your skin over desires for a little puff, unable to sleep in the wee hours, you can get online and find one of your quit smoking forum buddies to chat with and get you through the moment.

To gain maximum benefit from the quit smoking forums, you’ll want to first locate one in which you feel comfortable, ahead of your quit smoking date. Let the other members know of your upcoming quit date. You’ll find these people to be highly supportive. Some have already quit, but stick around the forum nonetheless, just to be able to be a success story. The quit smoking forum members often have some ingenious tricks and tips you might never think of on your own, to help you out.

The most difficult obstacles to quitting occurs in the first few days. This is when your body is flushing nicotine through your body, with no replenishments in sight. It’s all you can do to stop thinking about smoking. You are experiencing withdrawal from a substance you’ve had in your body for, probably, many years. Other unpleasant symptoms include sweating, sometimes profusely and at the most inopportune time, a hair trigger temper and sensations of toxins racing through your bloodstream. Insomnia and irrationality can also pose a considerable problem.

While the majority of the nicotine and other nasty chemicals contained in cigarettes is flushed from your system in the first 72 hours, your next obstacle is overcoming the psychological desires. Many smokers have triggers which cause them to automatically light up. For example, some people always have a cigarette with their morning coffee. Others, when thinking through a problem, light up to enhance their concentration. This process can be quite a bit more manageable if you join a quit smoking forum.

According to Narcanon, many former heroin addicts claim that quitting smoking is more difficult than kicking heroin! In large part, this is probably due to the fact that cigarettes are legal and readily available, 24 hours a day. Nonetheless, you can see why so many people fail many times before they meet with that glorious success.

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