How to Quit Smoking for Good

If you're feeling particularly focused, ways to keep your new years resolution to quit smoking are abundant with some diligence and discipline. I've been thinking of a few ways for some of my clients to keep themselves motivated so they're able to be successful in their smoking cessation goals. With a focused mind, success will be reached, but why not implement some help along the way. These suggestions may help.

Find New Friends

Not to knock your friends, but smokers tend to spend a lot of time with other smokers due to their common smoking habit. It may seem rude, however, just to get you past the time where you are always fighting your urge to smoke, it would greatly help you to be near those that aren't smokers, for the support of a smoke free environment. Once you feel past the cravings and urges to smoke you can reconnect with those that smoke, but to initially become strong against your addiction, you'll want to seriously consider this.

Nicotine Anonymous

With the onset of this twelve step program, smokers can welcome a new way of thought and living to their lives. The twelve steps in general are an effective blueprint for those that are addicted to anything. A design for living that has the ability to permeate those addicted to substances, and guide them into a new effective way of living. I'm a staunch advocate of the twelve step programs and have found them valuable in my own living experience. In fact, one of these steps is always part of everyday of my life.

Exercising

I found this avenue most effective in my own success when I quit smoking. I can't believe I ever smoked, but I do give much of the credit for quitting to running. Once I took up that exercise routine, I quickly found it easy to continue keeping the cigarettes out of my head. It was a matter of noticing how good I felt. I not only felt good inside, but I had a clean feeling on the inside as well. Once you experience that feeling, you want more of it, and the motivation to do more exercise is suddenly there on a regular basis.

Stop Drinking Alcohol

The correlation between smokers and drinking alcohol is huge. The two seem to go hand in hand, and I know my own experience has been parallel to this. For the sake of quitting smoking, be serious about decreasing your alcohol intake as well. You'll be giving yourself a big advantage when it comes to assisting yourself to diminish the need to smoke in a long term way.

Keep in mind that the desire to quit smoking is a key player in all of this, and if you have that, you have a lot of the battle already won. Good luck, be strong, and don't give up!