Tips on Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is a scary prospect. You can psyche yourself out before you even begin. Don't worry about if you will be able to do it, instead focus on how you will try your best to do it.

Some simple ideas can make your attempt much more likely to be successful.

1. Wait until all your cigarettes are gone.
   If there are cigs still around the house you will be tempted to smoke them. To avoid setting yourself up for failure don't start your quit attempt until all your cigarettes are gone.
   
2. Use a stop smoking aid. Gum, lozenges, patches. Different methods work for different folks. If you try one kind and it doesn't work, try another. The right stop smoking aid is crucial to quitting. Curbing the cravings and easing the withdrawal symptoms if a prime factor in your ability to kick the habit. So keep trying until you find the one that works for you.
   
3. Find something to do with your smoking hand. You can twirl a pen or fuss with a quarter. But you need to find something for that lonely cigarette hand to do. Ignoring it will only increase the intensity of the cravings.
   
4. Ignore the instructions. Listen to your own personal needs. The guidelines on many stop smoking aids are rather strict. i.e. Don't eat or drink during, before or after using. No more than this many. Not on a full moon or when the tide is out. If yo are addicted to coffee and cigarettes, just drink coffee while chewing the gum.It's sitll better than having an actual cigarette. Try to use the product as directed, but allow yourself some individual leeway. You're not a machine and those instructions seem to be written as though we all are.
   
5. Put away the remnants and reminders of your habit. Hide away or discard your primary ashtrays. You don't have to go nuts, but stow away any you would see often. You don't want to stare at an ashtray while you're longing for a cigarette. In fact, I think that is banned by the Geneva Convention.
   
6. Be Patient. It might take several weeks of not smoking before the urges begin to fade. Don't let this discourage you. It's perfectly normal. Continue as you have been doing. It's a slow process. Each week the cravings lessen. It may take a few months for total recovery. Eventually, if you are persistant, they will vanish completely.