Tips on Stopping Smoking

There are several tips on stopping smoking on a more permanent basis. However, finding the ones that do work is largely dependent on the person who wants to kick the nicotine habit. For example, there are some people who can quit cold turkey; while others rely on quit smoking aids to gradually wean themselves from the nicotine dependence. There are some people who can break off cleanly just once; while others go through several relapses first before being nicotine free permanently. There are some people who can quit in as short as a few weeks; while others try for years before finally succeeding.

Nevertheless, many physicians and quit smoking counselors do agree that there are several tips that can be universal in nature. This means that these tips can be given and used by almost any person who has all the intentions of giving up the tobacco for good – regardless of the person’s current state of health, motivation, or smoking history. Some of these tips include:

1. Seeking the counsel of the experts. It should be noted that any form of addiction (in his case: nicotine addiction) should be done under the supervision of an expert. Ideally, quitting cold turkey is the fastest and safest method of giving up smoking; but very few people have actually done so without relapsing. For others, guidance and supervision is necessary. For a person who wants to kick the nicotine habit, it would be essential to consult experts in many fields in order to make this process as painless as possible. Some of these experts include: a physician (who can monitor the person’s health); a quit smoking counselor (who can advise the person on the gradual process of tobacco rehabilitation); a dietician or nutritionist (who can make sure that the person does not turn to food as cigarette substitute); and a physical trainer (who can help rebuild health through exercise.)

2. Keeping preoccupied during times of stress and boredom. A lot of smokers say that they smoke the most when they feel stressed out or when there is nothing else to do. By simply keeping the mind away from the thought of lighting up during these times, a person can kick the nicotine habit in no time. During moments of stress, quit smoking counselors usually encourage the person to either take up a quit smoking journal (where he or she can write down the stimulus that cause the impulse to smoke), or do something else with the hands (like solving a Rubik’s cube.) For other people, idle time can be filled up with more productive pursuits like learning a new skill or hobby that basically needs to use hands (like cooking or painting.)

3. Telling people around of the person’s goal to quit the tobacco products for real. Having the support and reassurance of loved ones is one of the best ways of motivating the person to quit smoking altogether. Some quit smoking counselors even encourage quit smoking buddies to get together so that the mutual progress of each can be tracked down, compared and talked over.