Smoking is one of the more commonly seen addicting habits but many fail to realize the financial toll it places on your lifestyle let alone the physical side effects. The nicotine in cigarettes is what keeps smokers wanting more and from a mental standpoint they feel comfortable and relieved of any stress they had before which makes quitting smoking that much harder.
On the bright side, quitting smoking has never been as easy with all of the methods and tools provided in this day and age. But as you continue to think about quitting, your addiction grows stronger so take a glance at the number of ways to kick your bad habit and still function properly.
Be Honest With Yourself
The first step towards quitting your habit is to confront yourself. Sit down and break out a piece of paper to write down everything you like and dislike about smoking cigarettes. Write your likes on one side of the paper and your dislikes on the other side.
When doing this exercise you must be honest and jot down the truth about what you like and do not like about your daily habit. Once you are done with your list, let it sit and think about what you've written down for a few days. If you feel differently after some time then you are allowed to change your answer.
It is also beneficial to get another party to take a look at your list and give constructive criticism. After a week look at your list again, if your negatives to smoking outweigh your likes then you have completed the first step and you are ready to quit.
Make a Second List on Your Thoughts of Quitting
Your list of dislikes is where you will start and again you will make a list but of how you will conquer each obstacle or dislike that you've listed. Going down this self-reflective list may be a little discouraging but think in a positive way about how you can overcome each obstacle that comes with smoking.
For example, if one of your dislikes is "seems irresistible" on this second list your solution would be "try a nicotine alternative." Most of your answers will amount to finding alternatives that give you the same result and even though it may seem tough, it is for the better.
Once you have done this then you have essentially created a plan about how you are going to quit your habit and conquer all of the urges that comes with withdrawal.
Find an Alternative
As you begin to weed yourself off of your daily cigarette usage, start to look into alternatives which will also help with the process. Alternative nicotine sources help break the routine of actually smoking a cigarette.
A smokeless cigarette is a great option because it produces vapor but still allows users to live as if they are smoking so they aren't quitting cold turkey. Nicotine patches work by releasing a decreasing amount of nicotine throughout the patch life which is also a good method when trying to ease yourself out of a cigarette habit.
Set a Firm Quitting Date
Write down a firm date and on that date you will make a binding contract with yourself that you will quit smoking. Sign your name under the date and stand by your word and when you do you will see how much self-control you have.
After you’ve set a date, write all of your reasons for breaking your nicotine habit on a small card and keep it close. This method gives you that extra boost when you start to feel the effects of withdrawal. Above all keep the faith that others are supportive because you aren’t in this alone. Each day that you are working towards breaking your habit you may face obstacles but just remember that you are working towards building more positive lifestyle.
Noam says
Thanks for the refreshing and positive article reminding me to try out those new ULTRA Electronic Cigarettes. You’re right that the cost is often overlooked. At least for myself, and they say finances are the number one cause of chronic stress, which of course is the number one killer, so at least in my case it’s safe to say that the high cost of traditional cigarettes is killing me more than the negative health effects! So I guess that’s going to be more my motivation for switching to ULTRA ecigs!