Good Tips on How to Quit Smoking

Ask yourself. Why do you want to quit smoking? Is it for your partner? Is it for your family? If you're not doing it for yourself, I'll tell you right now, it's not going to work. Like other things, you have to want it for yourself. You have to quit smoking for yourself. So, if you don't want to quit smoking for yourself, don't bother reading the rest of this. It won't work and you'll soon find that out if you haven't already.

However, if you are trying to quit smoking for yourself, here are a few helpful tips to help you along the way.

Inform people of your choice to quit smoking. If some of the people you inform smoke, politely ask them to avoid smoking around you. Obviously, being around people who smoke is not going to help you quit smoking, especially if they're lighting up right in front of you. You must get rid of all temptation.

Another part of getting rid of temptation is cleaning up a little. Get rid of those ashtrays and get rid of your lighters. You're not going to need them anymore, so why have them? If you have zippos that you really don't want to toss out, see if a good friend will store them for you until you've quit. Also, if you use the lighter in your car, take it out and put it in a safe spot so you'll have it if you ever sell your car. If you use the ashtray in your car, clean it out. Get rid of anything that you use when smoking. In addition, invest in some good air freshener or odor neutralizer. Get rid of as much of the smoke smell in your house or car as possible. To quit smoking, you have to get rid of the things that help make it possible, including any cigarettes you may have stored or still have.

When dining out, ask to be in the non-smoking section. Again, being around people who are smoking is only going to make you want the nicotine more. If you find it impossible to resist and find yourself saying "smoking, please," simply don't dine out. This may be difficult for some people, but if you know you're going to ask to be in the smoking section, you have to avoid going out to the restaurants. If you are serious about quitting, this shouldn't be a huge sacrifice. Think of the reasons you want to quit. Those reasons are worth some sacrifice.

When going to fill up your tank with gas, try as much as possible to avoid going inside the building. Use your credit card if you're able to or start buying pre-paid gas cards. Gas cards are easy to get and you can even get them online. If you don't go inside, you can't get that certain pack of cigarettes that you ask for all the time. If you want a candy bar or drink, stop somewhere else after getting gas. You know that convenient stores charge higher than other places anyway. Even though this might take away from the 'convenience,' it's another sacrifice you must be willing to make if you really want to quit smoking.

The three aforementioned tips are the best 'quit smoking' tips I have, but another important thing in order to stay motivated is rewards. The money you save from not buying cigarettes you should hold back to reward yourself later on. To quit smoking is no easy task, particularly if you've been smoking for many years. If you haven't smoked in two weeks, use the money you've held back and buy something with it. Maybe buy a new DVD player or a couple of new books. Perhaps you have something bigger you'd like to buy, keep saving up that cigarette money and take the time to calculate how long it'll take before you've reached the goal amount. Then take that money and reward yourself. After you feel like you can finally say, "I quit smoking, really truly quit smoking," stop the rewards. You no longer have anything to reward yourself for and can now enjoy the health benefits, a reward within itself.

With these tips, you may find that you could have quit smoking years ago. When you put your mind to something and set yourself up to win, you'll find that you can achieve your goals a little easier than you originally thought. If by chance you end up relapsing, don't give up, you can still do it, just don't give up hope or your desire to quit smoking.