Tips that Can Help You Quit Smoking

Now, coming from a smoker, an article on how to quit smoking probably seems like completely useless filler space. But I have been earnestly attempting the big Quit during the last couple of months, and have noticed some trends in my behavior when it comes to my smoking. By identifying these, I have been able to cut back drastically, so maybe they'll help you, too.

1. Identifying your partner in crime- there's always one person that really brings out the worst in you when it comes to smoking. It may be the person that you're in a relationship with, a co-worker, or a friend. For me, it's a friend who is a smoker. We have bonded over late night cigarettes. Some of our best conversations have taken place during smoking breaks. We are kind of a nameless smoker's club. For some reason, every time that I'm around her, it leads to chain smoking - and I trigger the same thing in her. We are also very competitive, which can work both ways. I seriously think there have been times when we've tried to "out-smoke" each other during late night gripe sessions, but when I committed to cutting back, she was not to be left in the dust, and did the same. And that has really helped.

If you really want to quit, then you should probably figure out who the people are that are around you the most when you are lighting up. And you may need to make yourself scarce when they are smoking, until you are at the point when you can exercise some self control. Surrounding yourself with nonsmokers also contributes to quitting, (particularly if they are the particularly judgmental and vocal kind. It'll be irritating to be the object of their critique, but also can be very effective.)

2. The Mass Conglomerate of Bad Habits-Most people start smoking by having a cigarette with drinks, which leads to a cigarette with coffee, ect. Soon, you're left with a big bad habit hybrid, composing of many small components. Cigarettes are my equivalent of eating the entire contents of the cookie jar- I want them more when I am already in the process of screwing up my health. When I am drinking, when I have a lot of coffee, when I am eating junk food, or when I am sitting around being lethargic, I am also actively trying to give myself lung cancer. Instead of throwing in the towel and participating in mass health destruction, try and keep it all separate. Don't smoke when you are drinking, or eating potato chips, (or use smoking as a mechanism to keep from eating the entire bag of potato chips.) Divide and conquer, as they say.

3. Plan strategies for dealing with family members. Nothing - I repeat, nothing - makes me want a cigarette more than talking to my mother. I can't give you the advice to simply stop talking to your mother, or the family member that is your bane. But I have found that if I talk to my mother while I am on a walk without any money to stop and buy a pack, I am able to get through these telephone conversations with no more harm to my body than my fingernails digging into my palms. (And sometimes sore feet, because I have to walk a long time before I calm down.) If I visit her, I never carry cigarettes in my purse. Family can be stressful, and most smokers won't think twice about lighting up when they're stressed out. It feels instinctive, but it's not- no one is born with the natural instinct to smoke. Knowing that you are going to want to smoke after you talk to certain people can help you mentally prepare to deal with it.

(I also had to accept the fact that I may be even more inclined to smoke after I talk to my mother because I know that she wouldn't like it - a kind of retro-teenage rebellion or something. (It never really goes away, don't fool yourself.)

4. Force yourself to calculate the cost of your smoking (hint- this is especially effective if you're dirt poor.) You already know that you're spending a lot on smoking, you know, you know…but if you don't do the math, then you don't really know. It's easy: take the price of one pack of your brand of choice, and multiply that by the number of packs that you smoke in a week. Then multiply that by 64. Odds are that you can't or won't want to afford the sum that you come up with. That will at least be motivation to get you headed in the right direction.

This being said, you might want to take that money, and invest in the patch, especially if you experience intense nicotine withdrawal. I couldn't bring myself to invest in the patch, which is idiotic, because I would spend money on the cigarettes, but not on the thing that may keep me from smoking them. However, I have found that by cutting back, my nicotine withdrawal isn't that bad, and I hope to gradually wean myself off of it altogether. But a lot of people really do benefit from nicotine substitutes.

5. Make your own "no-smoking" zones. I started by not allowing smoking in my car. I then stopped smoking in my apartment. Eventually, I committed to no smoking during a shift at work, not even on breaks. Which meant that I was usually sprinting outside when my shift was over, but that was still eight hours or so that I had gone without lighting up. It helps to set small, enforceable rules. Some people claim that quitting cold turkey works best. I know that I have never been able to do it. I might go a few weeks, but I always end up back where I started. It seems that a lot of people have to reduce first.

6. Start jogging. And see how quickly you're out of breath when you first start. If you commit yourself to physical activity like jogging, your smoking will have to cut way back. It is kind of cool when you go for a mile, and not feel like your lungs are about to rupture. You may be inspired to push it further, daunted by the idea of doing something good for yourself for once. You'll see.

7. Buy fluoride. This is a small thing you can do when you feel really desperate. People will tell you to brush your teeth, but that's not strong enough, and I personally like the taste of peppermint and tobacco sometimes. Buy the serious, taste bud scalding, nasty red fluoride that the dentist used to make you swish around in your mouth for sixty seconds when you were a kid. Don't ask me why, but tasting that stuff makes you forget all about smoking. It also has numerous positive side effects, such as helping to prevent that weight gain that people fear when they quit smoking. NOBODY wants to graze on snacks when they've just gargled fluoride. Oh, and the healthy teeth and gums are nice, too, and they will appreciate being exposed to something positive, for once.

8. Be prepared for the weight gain. Even if you drink a bottle of fluoride per day. Statistics say it happens, and it usually happens because you don' think it through. People typically break the habit by replacing the cigarette with whatever snack is handy. Try and fill your fridge with fruits and vegetables, and don't trust yourself with the cookies for awhile. Especially during the first month, your nervous system could feel like it's taking a roller coaster ride. And nothing could be more counter effective to wanting to quit than gaining a whole bunch a weight the first couple of weeks. If you do gain weight, never fear: once things start to stabilize, your cravings will be less intense, and you will feel less out of control.

And it's better to be a few pounds heavier than to suffer from emphysema, anyway. Check your priorites.