How to Quit Smoking?
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| No Smoking-Pixabay |
Why it is difficult to Quit Smoking?
We are all aware of the dangers of smoking, but this does not make quitting any easier. Quitting smoking, whether you're a once-a-week teen smoker or a lifetime pack-a-day smoker, is difficult.
Tobacco smoking is both a physical and a mental addiction. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which gives you a high Addiction. When you stop using nicotine on a daily basis, your body goes through withdrawal symptoms and craves. You may turn to cigarettes as a quick and reliable way to improve your mood, relieve stress, and unwind because nicotine has a “feel good” effect on the brain. Smoking can also be used as a coping mechanism for depression, fear, and boredom.
It is also ingrained as a daily ritual to smoke. Smoking a cigarette with your morning coffee, during a break at work or school, or on your commute home at the end of a long day may be an automatic answer for you. Perhaps your friends, family, or coworkers smoke, and it's become ingrained in your interactions with them.
To effectively attain status of No smoking, you must address both the addiction and the associated behaviours and routines. But it is possible. Any smoker, even though they've tried and failed before, will kick the habit with the right support and quit strategy.
How to Develop a Quit Smoking Timeline
While some people are effective at stop smoking by using abrupt method, most people do better with a personalised strategy to stay on track. A good quit strategy takes into account Two Main Challenges.
1- Short-term challenge of quitting smoking
2- Long-term challenge of avoiding relapse.
It can also be customised to your individual requirements and smoking habits.
Self-examining Questions
Take some time to consider what kind of smoker you are, as well as when and when you need a cigarette. This will assist you in determining which tips, strategies, or treatments are most appropriate for you. Ask yourself the following Questions.
- Are you a daily smoker who consumes more than a pack of cigarettes? Or do you want to smoke in public? Is it possible to get by with just a nicotine patch?
- Do you have any actions, places, or people in mind that you equate with smoking? Do you feel compelled to smoke after each meal or whenever you have a coffee break?
- When you're stressed or depressed, do you reach for a cigarette? Is your cigarette smoking connected to other vices like alcohol or gambling?
START-IT Strategy for Cessation of Smoking
Here is given the START-IT Strategy to help stop smoking.
S = Set a quit date as the first step of your quitting smoking strategy.
Choose a date within the next two weeks so you can prepare without losing incentive to quit. If you smoke mostly at work, try quitting on the weekend so you have a few days to adapt. Here is given the START-IT Strategy.
T = Tell your family, friends, and coworkers that you want to stop smoking
Tell your friends and family about your plan to quit smoking and that you'll need their help and encouragement. Look for a quit friend who is still trying to quit smoking. You should assist each other in getting through difficult times.
A = Anticipate and prepare for the obstacles you'll encounter while quitting.
The majority of people who re-start smoking do so within the first three months. You can make it easier on yourself by anticipating common problems like nicotine withdrawal and cigarette cravings.
R =Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car, and place of business.
All of your cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, and matches should be thrown away. Anything that smells like smoke should be washed and freshened. Your car should be shampooed, your drapes and carpet should be cleaned, and your furniture should be steam cleaned.
T = Talk with your doctor about quitting aid.
To assist with withdrawal symptoms, your doctor may prescribe drugs. If you can't see a doctor, several over-the-counter medicines, such as nicotine patches, lozenges, and gum, are available at your local pharmacy.
I= Inclined to it
Inclined to your strategy no matter what temptations yo face.
T= Tell others the milestones you achieved
Tell your loved one about all the milestone you achieved, so that you may get more encouragement.
Find out what makes you want to smoke
Identifying the things that make you want to smoke, such as special scenarios, actions, emotions, and people, is one of the better things you can do to help yourself quit.
Keep a Diary of your Smoking Cravings
A craving diary should aid in the identification of trends and triggers. Keep a smoking log for the week or so leading up to your quit date. Keep track of the times during the day when you want a cigarette:
- What time was it, exactly?
- On a scale of one to ten, how strong was the desire?
- So, what were you up to?
- Who were you with at the time?
- What were your thoughts at the time?
- After you smoked, how did you feel?
Do you smoke to get rid of bad feelings?
Many people smoke to cope with negative emotions like stress, depression, loneliness, and fear. When you're having a bad day, cigarettes may seem like your only friend. However, as relaxing as cigarettes are, it's important to remember that there are healthier and more efficient ways to manage negative emotions. Exercising, meditating, relaxation techniques, and quick breathing exercises are examples of them.
For many people, finding alternative ways to deal with difficult feelings without turning to cigarettes is an important part of quitting smoking. Even though cigarettes are no longer a part of your life, the painful and unwanted emotions that drove you to smoke in the first place will linger. So it's worth devoting some time to pondering how you plan to handle stressful circumstances and minor irritations that would usually set you off.
How to Manage Most Common Smoking Triggers
Alcohol is a main trigger to smoking. When people drink, many of them smoke. Switch to non-alcoholic beverages or drink only in locations where smoking is not permitted inside. Snacking on nuts, chewing on a cocktail stick, or sucking on a straw are other options.
Seeing Others Smoking: It's even more difficult to quit or prevent relapse when your friends, relatives, and coworkers vape. Tell people about your decision to stop smoking so they know they won't be able to smoke with you in the car or during a coffee break. Find nonsmokers to chat with during your breaks at work, or do something else, like go for a stroll.
At the End of a Meal: For some smokers, finishing a meal entails lighting up, and the idea of quitting smoking can be intimidating. You will, however, substitute something else for that time after a meal, such as a piece of fruit, a nutritious dessert, a square of chocolate, or a stick of gum.
How to Manage the Effects of Nicotine Withdrawal
When you stop smoking, your body will likely experience a variety of physical symptoms as it adjusts to the lack of nicotine in your system. Nicotine withdrawal sets in immediately, usually within an hour of the last cigarette, which lasts two to three days. Withdrawal symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the individual.
The following are some of the most common nicotine withdrawal symptoms:
- Cravings for cigarettes
- Having trouble sleeping.
- Irritability, irritation, or indignation
- Nervousness or anxiety
- Concentration problems
- Appetite rise
- Aches and pains
- Tremors
- Increased Coughing
- Tiredness
- Constipation or a stomach ache
- Depression
- Heart rate is lower.
It's important to remember that these withdrawal symptoms, as unwelcome as they are, are only temporary. As the poisons are flushed from your body, they will improve in a few weeks. Meanwhile, inform your friends and family that you will not be your normal self and beg for their patience.
Control your Cigarette Cravings (Triple "C" Strategy)
While avoiding smoking triggers will help decrease your desire to smoke. You are unlikely to be able to completely avoid cigarette cravings. Cravings, fortunately, don't last long—usually 5 to 10 minutes. If you're tempted to smoke, remind yourself that the urge will pass quickly and try to resist. It is beneficial to plan ahead of time and have methods in place to deal with cravings.
Distract yourself from the situation: Dishwashing, watching TV, showering, or calling a friend are all options. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you're not thinking about smoking.
Remind yourself why you wanted to leave. Concentrate on your reasons for quitting, such as the health benefits (for example, reducing your risk of heart disease and lung cancer), better appearance, money saved, and increased self-esteem.
Occupy your hands – Squeeze balls, pencils, and paper clips are all excellent options for satisfying that tactile stimulation need.
Get yourself out of a sticky predicament: The craving will be triggered by where you are or what you're doing. If that's the case, a change of scenery can make a world of difference.
Reward yourself for your efforts: Make a point of reiterating your successes. Give yourself a reward if you defeat a craving to keep yourself motivated.
Read a book or magazine, listen to music you enjoy, solve a crossword or Sudoku puzzle, or play an internet game to keep your mind occupied.
Find an oral alternative – Keep a stash of other foods on hand to satisfy your hunger pangs. Mints, carrot or celery sticks, gum, or sunflower seeds are all good options. Alternatively, suck on a drinking straw.
Brush your teeth: The fresh, clean feeling will help you resist the urge to smoke.
Drink water – Sip a big glass of water slowly. Staying hydrated will not only help you get rid of the craving, but it will also help you avoid the unpleasant side effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Light something else instead of a cigarette – a candle or some incense will suffice.
Enter a public house, supermarket, mall, coffee shop, or movie theatre, for example, where smoking is prohibited.
Take a stroll, do some jumping jacks or pushups, try some yoga stretches, or run around the block to get some exercise.
Relax by doing something relaxing, such as taking a warm bath, meditating, reading a book, or practising deep breathing exercises.
Dealing with Weight Gain Problem after Cessation of Smoking
Because smoking suppresses appetite, many of us worry about losing weight when we quit smoking. It's possible that you're using it as an excuse not to quit. While it's true that many smokers gain weight in the first six months after quitting, the gain is usually minor—about five pounds on average—and the weight gain gradually decreases over time. It's also worth remembering that gaining a few pounds for a few months won't harm your heart as much as smoking. However, losing weight after quitting smoking is not a given.
Because smoking dulls your senses of smell and taste, food will actually seem more attractive after you quit. If you substitute the oral gratification of smoking with unhealthy comfort foods, you may gain weight. As a result, rather than mindless, emotional eating, it's critical to find alternative, healthier ways to deal with uncomfortable emotions like stress, anxiety, or boredom.
Take care of yourself: Learn new ways to easily soothe yourself instead of turning to cigarettes or food when you're stressed, anxious, or depressed. For example, listen to uplifting music, play with a pet, or drink a cup of hot tea.
Consume a variety of nutritious foods: Consume a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. Sugary foods, sodas, fried foods, and convenience foods should all be avoided.
Learn to eat with awareness: Emotional eating is usually unconscious and automatic. While zoning out in front of the TV or looking at your phone, it's easy to eat an entire tub of ice cream. It's easier to concentrate on how much you're eating and tune into your body and how you're really feeling if you remove distractions when you eat. Is it true that you're still hungry, or are you eating for another reason?
Make sure you have plenty of water: Drinking at least six to eight 10-ounce glasses of water will help you feel full and prevent you from eating when you aren't hungry. Water also aids in the removal of poisons from the body.
Take a stroll: It will not only help you burn calories and keep the weight off, but it will also help you cope with the stress and anger that comes with quitting smoking.
Snack on desserts that don't make you feel bad. Sugar-free gum, carrot and celery sticks, diced bell peppers, and jicama are all good options.
Medicine for Cessation of Smoking
There are a variety of tools that have proven to be effective in helping people quit smoking. While you may find success with the first method you try, it's more likely that you'll need to try a variety of methods or a combination of therapies to find the ones that work best for you.
FDA Approved Smoking Cessation Drugs
Smoking cessation drugs can help with withdrawal symptoms and cravings. They work best when used as part of a detailed quit-smoking programme overseen by your doctor. Discuss your options with your doctor to see if an anti-smoking drug is right for you. The following alternatives have been reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
1- Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Nicotine Patches
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| Nicotine Replacement Therapy |
Nicotine Replacement Therapy is a method of removing nicotine from the body. Nicotine replacement therapy entails using nicotine substitutes such as
- Nicotine Gum
- Nicotine Patches
- Nicotine lozenge
- Nicotine Inhaler
- Nicotine Nasal Spray
These all method are used to “replace” cigarettes. It helps to alleviate some withdrawal symptoms by providing small, consistent doses of nicotine into your body without the tars and toxic gases contained in cigarettes. This type of therapy allows you to concentrate on breaking your psychological addiction while also learning new habits and coping skills.
2- Non-Nicotine Based Therapy:
Without the use of nicotine, these drugs help you quit smoking by lowering cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Certain medications are used for this purpose like
- Bupropion (Zyban) and
- Varenicline (Chantix, Champix)
However these are only meant to be used for a brief period of time.
Electronic Cigarettes (Vaping)
While some people discover that vaping helps them quit smoking, the FDA has not approved it as a smoking cessation method. Vaping has even been linked to serious lung disease in recent news reports, raising concerns about its safety. Vaping is “not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women, or adults who do not currently use tobacco products,” according to the FDA.
E-cigarette products
It's difficult to always know what's in e-cigarettes. Nicotine is present in the liquid used in some e-cigarettes, which has a number of negative health implications. It can cause high blood pressure and diabetes, and it's particularly harmful to children's and adolescent's developing brains.
There is no data on the long-term health impacts of vaping. Federal and state officials advise against vaping until more information is available.
Smokeless Tobacco or Spit Tobacco
Smokeless tobacco or spit tobacco is not a healthy substitute for smoking. Smokeless tobacco, also known as spit or chewing tobacco, is a dangerous substitute for cigarettes. Nicotine, the addictive chemical found in smoke, is present in it. In fact, the amount of nicotine absorbed from smokeless tobacco can be three to four times that of a cigarette.
Quit Smoking through Hypnosis
This is a popular alternative that has helped many smokers who are trying to quit. Forget what you've seen from stage hypnotists; hypnosis works by lulling you into a profound state of relaxation in which you're open to ideas that will reinforce your resolve to quit smoking and increase your dislike for cigarettes.
Acupuncture as Smoking Cessation Method
One of the oldest known medical methods, acupuncture is thought to work by causing the body to relax by triggering the release of endorphins (natural pain relievers). Acupuncture should help manage smoking withdrawal symptoms as a smoking cessation aid.
Behavioral Therapy for Smoking Cessation
Nicotine addiction is linked to smoking's habitual behaviours or rituals. Learning new coping skills and breaking bad habits are the main goals of behaviour therapy.
Motivational Therapies for No Smoking
There are a variety of self-help books and websites that can help you quit smoking. Calculating monetary savings is a well-known example. Calculating how much money they can save has helped some people find the incentive to quit. It should be enough to cover the cost of a holiday holiday.
How to Manage your Relapse to Smoking
Don't be too hard on yourself if you slip up and smoke a cigarette. Most people try to quit smoking several times before finally succeeding. Instead, learn from your mistake and turn your relapse into a rebound. Examine the events leading up to your resumption of smoking, identify the triggers or trouble spots you encountered, and devise a new stop-smoking strategy that removes them.
It's also critical to stress the distinction between a slip and a relapse. It doesn't mean you won't be able to quit if you start smoking again. You can either learn from your mistake and use it to inspire you to try harder in the future, or you can use it as an excuse to resume your smoking habit. However, you have the final say. A slip does not have to become a full-fledged relapse.
If you make a mistake, you are not a failure. That isn't to say you can't quit for good. Allowing a slip to turn into a mudslide is not a good idea. The rest of the pack should be discarded. It's critical to return to a non-smoking lifestyle as quickly as possible. Take a look back at your quit log and be proud of how long you were able to go without smoking.
Find the source of the problem. What prompted you to pick up a cigarette once more? Make a plan for how you'll handle the situation the next time it arises. Take notes on what you've learned. What has been the most beneficial? What didn't go as planned?
Is there something you're doing to help you stop smoking? If you start smoking again, contact your doctor. If you're smoking, you won't be able to take those medications.
How to Assist Your Friends to Quit Smoking
It's important to remember that you can't force a friend or loved one to quit smoking; they must make their own decision. If they do decide to stop smoking, you will provide support and encouragement while still attempting to alleviate the stress of quitting. Investigate the various treatment options and discuss them with the smoker; however, never preach or pass judgement. You can also assist a smoker in overcoming cravings by engaging in other activities with them and having smoking replacements on hand, such as gum.
Don't make a loved one feel bad if they fall off the waggon or relapse. Congratulate them on going without cigarettes for a period of time and inspire them to try again. Your support will make all the difference in your loved one's ability to finally kick the habit.
Assisting Adolescents in Cessation of Smoking
Around the age of 12, most smokers try their first cigarette, and by the age of 14, many are hooked. In recent years, the use of e-cigarettes (vaping) has also increased markedly. While the health effects of vaping aren't fully understood, the FDA warns that it's not safe for teenagers, and we do know that teens who vape are more likely to start smoking cigarettes. Parents may be concerned, but it's important to recognise the special problems and peer pressure that teenagers face when trying to quit smoking (or vaping). While the teen smoker must make the decision to quit on his or her own, there are still many things you can do to help.
Role of the Parents:
Find out why your teen is smoking or vaping; they may be trying to fit in with their peers or wanting your attention. Rather than issuing threats or deadlines, discuss what changes can be made in their lives to assist them in quitting smoking. If your child chooses to stop smoking, be patient and supportive during the process.
Set a wonderful example by refusing to smoke. Smoking parents are more likely to have smoking children. Find out whether your children's buddies smoke or vape. Discuss how to reject a cigarette or e-cigarette with them. Explain the risks to their health as well as the negative impacts smoking can have on their appearance (such as bad breath, discoloured teeth and nails). Create a no-smoking policy in your house. At no moment should anyone be allowed to smoke or vape indoors.
Ending Note:
Smoking is definitely not good for your health and well-being. Its kind of temporary relief you sought in order to overcome or overlooked your shortcomings or failures. Therefore there is a dire need to adopt healthy lifestyle and combination of various aforementioned techniques should be used to get rid of this bad habit.
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