Having to quit smoking can be a drag… literally; and it is fairly easy to fall into one or more forms of relapse. There are a fair number of people who can simply quit cold turkey, but there is also a greater population of people who need more help along the way. There are lots of quitting smoking tips floating about the World Wide Web, and not all of these are applicable to the person who wants to kick the nicotine habit. However, for the person who is more than determined to be rid of tobacco dependence altogether, here are some of the tips that sound both reasonable and doable at the same time.
1. Consult the expert. A trusted physician or a quit smoking counselor can help the person reach his or her goal to break the cigarette habit faster but via a safer route. Naturally, once the person undertakes this “mission” there will be major changes in lifestyle and physiology. A physician or quit smoking counselor can explain in detail exactly what will happen (or what is currently happening) to the person during the rehabilitation period. Also, an expert can advice whether or not quit smoking aids (like nicotine gums, inhalers, lozenges, patches and nasal sprays) are safe to use, considering the present state of health of the person in question.
2. Create a quit smoking journal. This is especially helpful to people who are urged to smoke due to stress or out of the need to do something because of sheer boredom. A quit smoking journal is something to keep a person’s hands and thoughts preoccupied with something (anything) else, rather than reaching for a cigarette and lighting up. It is important that the person keeps this journal (and a pen) on him or her at all times. At the end of a certain time period, the person trying to quit smoking can go over these with the physician or the quit smoking counselor in order to pinpoint exactly what stimuli trigger’s the impulse to smoke. Here, it would be easy enough to find alternative ways to combat the impulse or find ways to remove the stimuli permanently.
3. Create a diet and exercise plan. Smoking can literally rob a person of good health. The lungs go out of the window first (figuratively speaking, of course) and then the skin, the nails, the hair, the mouth which includes the breath, the gums, the teeth and the lips. Etc. A heavy smoker can have the yellowish pallor of the very sick; not to mention the perpetual bad smelling breath and the lingering stench of stale smoke on the skin and the hair. Additionally, smoking wrecks havoc to the person’s appetite and digestive system.
Once the tobacco is removed from the person’s daily existence, the body goes into a form of “resistance.” It is true that the body yearns for the nicotine, simply because it had become accustomed to its presence. Gradual weaning from the substance allows the body to crave for nicotine in smaller amounts. At the same time, the body is rehabilitating itself to its former pre-nicotine state. Needless to say, there will be a lot of adjustment periods for the ex-smoker.
This is why a diet and exercise plan is essential. A diet plan can help the ex-smoker develop better eating habits, so as to eliminate the need to substitute food for tobacco products. Also, a diet plan is essential in controlling the levels of insulin in the body which nicotine usually suppresses. Exercise helps keep the person active and occupied. Cardiovascular workouts help build up lung power, and promote overall health.