Here are some strategies used by people who have successfully quit smoking: commit to changing and sticking with it, take control, reassess the risks, seek support from those around you, manage cravings, control triggers, use non-combustible nicotine, and reflect on your own behavior.
Commitment to change
You need to be fully committed to making a change: set a date to quit smoking and stick to it; tell yourself that you’re tired of being dependent on cigarettes, that you’d be in better physical shape if you quit, and think about the benefits you’ll gain by quitting.
Taking control
To avoid the temptation to smoke, you should stay away from places were people smoke. You should ask other people not to smoke in my home or in your presence. You can try to spend a whole evening without smoking, after meals, you should keep yourself busy rather than smoke, and you should wait as long as you can before you light your first cigarette for the day.
Risk assessment
You should reassess the risk of smoking: tell yourself that smoking will shorten your life, consider that smoking may give you lung cancer, think about the effects of smoking on your lungs and heart, seek and read information on the risks of smoking and take time to reflect about it.
Search for and get help
You should tell others about your effort to quit smoking, ask friends and family for support to help you quit smoking, and seek help from a doctor, nurse, or psychologist who specializes in nicotine addiction, or from a helpline.
Managing the urge to smoke
To deal with your craving for cigarettes, you should take non-combustible nicotine, and you can concentrate on other things and keep busy to overcome the urge to smoke.
Obtaining nicotine from non-combustible sources
If your brain doesn’t get enough nicotine, you’ll experience very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. You should obtain a sufficient dose of nicotine from non-combustible sources for at least 3 months after quitting smoking, and if necessary for several years—whether through nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum), e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, snus, or heated tobacco.
For ex-smokers:
Self-reassessment
You can be proud of yourself for quitting smoking and feel a sense of accomplishment. You may feel stronger than those who continue to smoke.
Commitment to maintain change
You should promise yourself never to smoke again, tell the people around you about your efforts to quit, think of ways to overcome the urge to smoke, and try again if you fail.
Please use the ‘Comments’ field below to share your experience and to suggest improvements to this article.
Leave a Reply