How to Stop Smoking

Living a Healthier Life Free of Tobacco

Tips and Tricks to Help You Quit Smoking

When you want to quit smoking, it is a very personal experience. One thing that helps someone may not help you, it's all about finding what works best for you. Here are some things you'll want to do:

• Get Yourself Ready: Start by choosing a specific date, and think about all the ways that quitting smoking will improve your overall life and health. Consider what you learned from past attempts.
• Support and Encouragement are Key: Ensure you have yourself a support system when quitting. The odds are a lot better when you have support from others. Let your friends, family, and coworkers know about why you want to quit smoking and the importance of it. And make sure you tell them to keep tobacco out of sight; if you can't see it, it will help conquer those desires.
• Start Learning New Skills and Behaviors: You may not think so but quitting tobacco is a skill, it takes a lot of effort to succeed, like anything else. Plan for your urges; find ways that you can distract yourself when they start to appear. You can also find some fun activities that don't include tobacco; there are tons to choose from!

What to Expect

The quitting experience is very difficult for everyone. While there are a small number of people who simply quit cold turkey, an overwhelming number of individuals will relapse. Instead of trying to stick to a strict schedule, do what works for you.

Smoking cessation is not an easy journey. It can be incredibly difficult to find your footing and get yourself on track for a smoke-free life. While you can feel free to take inspiration from the journeys of others, try not to compare yourself to them. Like many other things, quitting is easier said than done.

Try not to be discouraged and be prepared to go in that this is no easy feat. Smoking is incredibly addictive, and you should expect to have cravings and withdrawal symptoms at first. This can include an overwhelming desire to smoke as well as intense, moody behavior.

You should not go into this just expecting the negative, though. There are many positive aspects of smoking you can experience rather quickly.

• After 20 minutes: Your blood pressure beings to return to normal.
• After 8 hours: Half of the chemicals associated with cigarettes (nicotine and carbon monoxide) leave your body. This allows oxygen levels to return to normal.
• After 24 hours: Lowers your chances of experiencing a heart attack.
• After 48 hours: Sense of taste and smell enhance. Nicotine is out of your body, and your body starts to cleanse.
• After 3 days: Breathing and lung capacity start to improve.
• After the first couple of months: You can start to notice your activity levels and performance improvements.

Stop-Big-Tobacco

Tobacco use is one of the main risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs); this includes heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes. So what is there to do about it?

With the Quit Big Tobacco campaign, their goal is to ensure that all advertising for Big Tobacco is put to a stop. Ad and PR agencies, along with brands that care about health, are pledging not to work with Big Tobacco or agencies that do. You can pledge today to be a part of the movement.

Why You Should Quit Smoking

Smoking has several negative impacts on your health. It raises your chance of having a heart attack, stroke, lung problems, and many types of cancer. With all the reasons why you should not smoke stacked up against you, it can be difficult for a non-smoker to understand why anyone picks up a cigarette. As any smoker will tell you, smoking is much more than a simple habit. So let's help you learn how to stop smoking.

Smoking is biologically addictive. After you smoke, most people’s brain becomes wired to develop a dependency on nicotine.

Pros and Cons of Smoking Cessation

Dependency on anything is hard to kick, and you should expect a difficult journey ahead of you if you decide to quit smoking. Aside from the con of difficulty, quitting smoking can only benefit you.

Overcoming the difficulties of smoking is not something you have to do alone. Many people go through the process, so finding others in similar situations should not be hard if you need someone to talk to.

Different Smoking Cessation Products

If you want to learn how to stop smoking, there are several different smoking aids to help you get through the difficult journey of quitting smoking. Essentially, these aids can be broken down into three categories:

• Pills: Some prescription tablets can help curb your habit. Prescriptions such as Champix and Zyban can be very helpful to many patients.
• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): NRT is another very popular option when trying to quit smoking. Essentially, it helps you knock the habit of smoking by providing the addictive substance, nicotine, through other means. These things can include products such as patches or gum. Just remember, it is possible to get hooked on these as well.
• E-cigarettes: If you are looking for a healthier vice, you could opt to try some of the newer cigarette substitutes. Just remember, these newer inventions do not come without health complications.

Final Notes on How to Stop Smoking

Now you have learned about how to stop smoking, and we hope you found our tips to be helpful. As these weeks turn to months, and months turn to years, you significantly improve your health altogether. While you cannot completely undo the damage of smoking, this helps knock you out of vulnerable groups and greatly lower the chances of experiencing the long-term negative health problems associated with smoking.

If you need more guidance and tips on how to quit smoking, you can always consult your physician. Taking this small step today can help maintain your health for years to come.