One of the hardest habits in the world to break is smoking. Not only does one have to quell the nicotine addiction, the need to have something in your hand also is harder to crack than one would imagine. With a few tricks up your sleeve, the first, and ultimately hardest, week can be a success!
1. Keep Cigarettes Handy
Many people believe if they have no cigarettes, they will not smoke. But our brains are a complex machine and a lot of the times the opposite is true. When we feel the forbidden is unavailable, we tend to want it more. Then the panic sets in and the thought works on your mind, until you can’t stand it and you make a trip to the store to buy cigarettes. Once you have gone that far, you will smoke them since you made a special trip to get them. If you simply have them in the house, it is easier to control your mind.
2. Keep a Tally of Your Savings
Keep some type of log of when you don’t smoke and add up the savings. Every time that you want a cigarette, instead of lighting up, mark it down! Tally it up on paper, in your phone on a notepad type of app, or anyway you wish. This will help you accomplish your goal two ways — one you will empower yourself at the end of the week when you see how many times you said NO to nicotine. Plus you can figure up how much each cigarette would cost and then add up all the money you did not spend on hurting yourself! You will be amazed and inspired to save more than just your life.
3. Avoid Certain Circles
It is much easier to want to light up when everyone else is. If you go to a Bingo parlor or a bar where smoking is allowed, or even a family member’s home with the same option, it will be much harder for you to say no. The smell will entice you to remember what you think you are missing and so if you stay away from the places that allow you to smoke, you will have less of an opportunity to do so.
4. Reverse That (Later)
By the same token, if you do choose to go to a place where smoking is going on, you can actually smell and taste the horrible way it makes YOU smell when you give in. Save this for later on, as a kind of cherry on top of your progress, since this is much more effective the longer you have gone without cigarettes. Your senses will start to come alive more the longer you are without nicotine. Once your body rids itself of the toxins, you will be amazed at how you can no longer tolerate the smokey smells, the effect it has on your eyes, the smell that will permeate your clothes and hair, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how you do not want to have that on you any longer.
5. Have a Support System
Arrange ahead of time some people that can help you by being your go-to person when you crave a smoke. Everyone will look at you with disdain, make comments etc. while you ARE smoking, but you will be amazed how people truly don’t notice when you DON’T smoke. So you need people to congratulate you, pat you on the back, support you and remind you not to smoke when you want to cave.
You will be on your way to healthier lungs, better tasting tastebuds, more money in your pocket and increased energy before you know it when you put down the packs and pick up some healthy habits.
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