Everybody is more than well aware that smoking is bad for you. The people who smoke are about thirty times more likely to develop lung cancer than the people that don’t. Furthermore the habit brings along a whole host of other baggage like increased chance of heart attack and stroke.
Along with the stench you and your clothes will carry (and if you smoke indoors your home) smoking slowly destroys your quality of life by decreasing the amount of physical activity you are able to take part in.
Thanks to all the drawbacks most people who take up smoking eventually try to quit. No one wants to ruin their life because of a bad habit. However, quitting is unusually hard and there are many that do not succeed.
Often people may have started smoking because they believed that it was a way that they could relax. In the moment, smoking felt good. But now that problems are starting to catch up with us, it’s not worth it. Yet, the problem remains; it’s hard to stop pursuing a behavior that is so rewarding in the moment and chemically addicting. So what can we do to make quitting smoking a little easier?
Sort Out Your Diet
One of the things that smokers usually neglect is their diet. Nicotine in cigarettes takes away the desire to eat as much food, or to seek out that food which is healthy.
But if you started reaching for cigarettes because of your mood, changing your diet can actually help. Nutrition scientists have now gathered evidence to suggest that eating green leafy vegetables helps mood. People who eat the leafiest vegetables tend to have the lowest levels of inflammation throughout their bodies. And low levels of inflammation throughout the body means less inflammation in the brain. This, in turn, can lead to low moods and a desire to remedy a low mood with a cigarette.
Changing your routine around mealtimes can also help offset the drive to fall back into your old habits. Preparing food from scratch means you’ll be keeping your hands busier before the meal. And it means that you’ll be busier afterwards when you come to clean up the mess in the kitchen.
Change Your Social Circle
One of the reasons why cigarette smoking, as an activity, is declining in developed countries, is that it’s no longer sexy. Most people actively don’t want to spend time around a smoker. They tend to smell bad and their habit interrupts social occasions.
But if you are a smoker, it’s likely that you spend a lot of time with other smokers. Doing this actually helps to reinforce the habit. As humans, we’re naturally inclined to copy and mimic each other’s habits. That means if you’re trying to give up smoking, the last thing that you want to do is spend time with other smokers.
Consider instead, moving over to the other side. Find people who will be actively against smoking and spend time with them. They will often be quite vocal about the habit and how it rarely leads to a good outcome. And they’ll spend as much time as they can discouraging you from starting smoking again.
Immersing yourself in an environment that’s hostile to smoking is the best antidote to the urge to smoke. As social animals, we really care about the opinions and prejudices of others.
Try Alternatives
There are now all sorts of alternatives from vaping to patches. One of the most exciting new developments is the smoking of flavoured E liquids. Quality E liquids from Flavour Factory come in a variety of flavours, including berry and melon. So far, these products have escaped excoriation in the press and look to be far safer than smoking tobacco.
Plus, they have some rather positive benefits. The first is that, from a social perspective, they are actually a lot more considerate. Most people that don’t smoke find the smell of tobacco offensive. But the smell of E liquids is actually very pleasant.
Ultimately, you want to move to a place where vaping is just something that you do recreationally. You don’t want it to be something that you feel compelled to do.
Come Up With A List Of Reasons Why You Want To Quit
Having goals in any area of life gives you focus. Having a goal in business allows you to keep track of your progress and ensure you aren’t being sidetracked. Having a goal in a relationship can make it more fulfilling. And having a goal to live a more fulfilling life can keep you see the positives of quitting cigarettes.
A list of reasons for why you want to quit smoking forces you to focus on the things that matter to you. Perhaps you want to quit because you want to be able to watch your children and grand-children grow up. O perhaps you want to have the fitness to go into the great outdoors and have a genuine adventure. Maybe you’re terrified of getting an awful disease and want to stop smoking now to minimise your chances.
Sometimes it can be hard when you’re really craving to remember why you’ve stopped. But having an aid, like a photo of a child or a grandchild can really help keep you motivated during your darkest hours.
Bank On A New Type Of High
Quitting smoking doesn’t mean that you have to feel miserable forever. It just means that one simple pleasure in your life has to be replaced by another.
One perfectly natural and safe way to improve your mood is simply to move more. This doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym and do some sort of prescribed weight regimen. It just means that you find a way to incorporate regular movement into your life. Movement results in the release of chemicals in the brain that improve your mood.
And improving your mood is a major driver of the urge to smoke. Once you’ve incorporated some of these lifestyle changes into your life, you’ll finally be able to become the person you want to be.
Lena P.
March 25, 2016Helpful information! I’m not a smoker but my boyfriend has been having a hard time quitting. Thanks for the tips.
Linda Manns Linneman
March 26, 2016You are so right about smoking. I started smoking at 45 years old when I was going through a terrible divorce and we were going through our state survey at work. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I started doing this. I have been working on stopping though. Thank you so much for this great article
clojo9372
March 27, 2016Great article! I never smoked but I have relatives that have and some still do. Those who’ve quit said it was a struggle to do so but they were glad they overcame. Then there are some who just can’t seem to kick it, the addiction has such a hold on them. I’m glad I never started, and I encourage anyone who is curious to smoke, to not bother with it. It’s not worth it. Put your health first before “looking cool”. 😉
Tatum
March 29, 2016Really interesting information.
Rebecca
April 3, 2016Great tips. I find diet really helps and can help improve your mood, which can then in turn help in other aspects.
Dotty J Boucher
April 17, 2016I use to be a smoker for way too many years, Thank GOD , he gave me the love and streangth to stop smoking, I have been smoke free for 3 1/2 years now…