Tips for Giving Up Smoking

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Giving up smoking is a very difficult thing to do. There are many places that you can get help and it is a good idea to look at these before you actually start.

There is a selection of websites which will tell you about different methods of giving up smoking that could be very useful. They will explain what different techniques you can use and how they work. This will help you to decide which seems the best for you.

You may also find it useful to discuss things with your GP. They might be able to give you some information but also discuss with you what might help you. They may even be able to prescribe tablets for you if you both think that this will be the best help for you.

It is worth making sure that you time things right. You do not want to give up smoking at a time when you are particularly stressed because it could mean that you will find the cravings harder to resist. You may find it better to do it at a busy time though as boredom can sometimes cause you to smoke.

Only you know when you smoke the most and you need to consider this when thinking about how to stop. If you smoke when you go out with friends then stop going out for a while until you are confident you can resist. If you smoke most in the day time, then find something to occupy you at that time to help distract you.

It is worth writing down your goal. Write down the date when you want to no longer be smoking and put it somewhere prominent and look at it every day. You might decide to cut down each day until then or just stop smoking completely on that particular day. Whatever you decide to do, write that down as well, so that you are clear as to your goal and you can see it frequently.

Setting a goal will help you to remain focus and having coping techniques should help you to deal with the cravings you get once you give up.

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Who to Get Help From When Giving Up Smoking

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If you are giving up smoking it can feel like you are battling alone. It can therefore be important to find support whether this is from friend and family or perhaps online.

You GP could be a good person to start with as they will be able to help discuss with you tools to use to help you give up. However, it is support once you have given up that you will need.

If you know people who have given up themselves, then they could be very helpful. They will be able to understand what you are going through and might be able to give you tips with regards to things they found helpful when they gave up.

If you know people that still smoke and do not think you should give up, then try to avoid them if you can. They are the ones that are likely to tempt you to start smoking again and you do not need that. Smokers can be jealous of the willpower of those who try to give up and may try to make themselves feel better by encouraging you to start smoking again.

Close family and friends need to understand that you will need their support and so you need to tell them what you intend to do. Make sure they know that you might be moody and find things tough for a while and that you will need them to help you to resist temptation.

You may also find it extremely useful to find an online message board or forum where people support each other when they are giving up smoking. It can sometimes be easier to speak to strangers about your feelings or just useful to read that other people are going through the same as you. There also could be useful tips for you to pick up.

It is important to think about where you will get support from so that when you do give up, you can quickly get help. You may need someone quickly if you are tempted to smoke and if you haven’t thought about who to go to, it could be too late.

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Avoiding Smokers to Help You Give Up

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One thing that can make giving up smoking very difficult is if you are around people that are smoking. It is the same as being on a diet and watching everyone eat chocolate cake.

If you can avoid being around smokers then this is the best thing to do. This will keep you away from some of the temptations. People who smoke tend to be generous and will probably offer you a cigarette and this could be a lot more tempting than when you want one at home, but you do not have one.

People tend to smoke outside most of the time, as it is banned from inside public buildings and so avoiding places where they might go to have a smoke could be wise. There are often little areas outside offices and pubs where people might go and so it is best to avoid these. If you know people that smoke inside their homes or cars, it could be worth not going there for a while. If you get too near to the smoke it could easily tempt you to go back to smoking again.

Obviously you cannot avoid people smoking forever, however much you might want to, you are always going to be in contact with people who smoke and so you will need to get used to it. But when you are finding cravings are really bad, it is best to avoid it if you can. Once you give up, you may find there is a pattern when cravings are at their worst, perhaps at a certain time of the day or when you are doing certain things. These will be the times to avoid being around smokers. There may not be any consistency to it though.

If you cannot avoid smokers then make sure that you have some mechanisms in place to cope if you find you get cravings. Whether you find that an electronic cigarette, some gum, lozenges or other things help, then have those with you to use if you need to.

Remember to stick to the recommended dose and if you are using several different things, make sure that you do not overdo it. Speak to your pharmacist or GP if you are not sure how much of each you can take.

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Finding Supportive Websites for Giving Up Smoking

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The Internet is a valuable resource for many things and giving up smoking is one of them. It has a lot of useful information on things like tips for coping mechanisms when you get cravings, methods for giving up and things you can take as nicotine replacements.

It can be really useful to find out lots of information about the sorts of problems that you might encounter when you are giving up and this will help you to cope with them if you encounter them. You will find that some websites are advertising products like nicotine replacement therapies or electronic cigarettes and so they may be biased in their information, but they will still be informative. It can be useful to read them anyway as part of your research as it may be something that you will find to be extremely useful to you.

Informative sites can be a really good source of information, but there are also personal sites where people write about their own experiences. Although these are specific to them, they can be extremely useful if you are having the same symptoms as them.

Sometimes you can feel very alone if you do not think that what you are suffering or how you are feeling is normal, but if you can find evidence that other people are the same then this can help a lot. It can be even better if they explain how they coped with it.

Forums and message boards with a giving up smoking theme can be really useful as well because you can always post details of how you are feeling and see if anyone can provide any help for you. It is surprising how useful this can be, especially if you are using a popular website.

So by looking around online, you will find that there are all sorts of websites, blogs and forums that you will be able to use to help you. They can be an extremely useful source of information and support when you are giving up smoking and therefore well worth looking for.

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When to Give Up Smoking

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It may seem silly to think too hard about when to give up smoking. You may feel that if you have made up your mind, then you should just do it. However, this may not be the most sensible option for you.

You need to start by thinking about how you will cope once you give up. You may feel good about it at the moment, but there will be times when you get cravings and so you may need to think about what to do then. It might be wise to go to your GP for help with this.

If you tend to smoke when you are feeling stressed, then it is wise not to give up when you are particularly stressed as it could make it far more difficult. We all suffer from some stress and so it is wise to find an alternative way of coping with it. It might take time to find something that works and so it can be worth having a think about what that might be.

If people you know are giving up, then it could be good to give up at the same time as them. You can then help and support each other. If they are doing well then it should encourage you to keep going with it and if they are finding it tough, you might be able to help. They may be able to support you if you are struggling as well.

It can be a good idea to have a friend or family member willing to be at the end of a phone and talk to you if you get bad cravings. Then instead of turning straight to a cigarette, you can call them and ask them to tell you all the reasons why you should not have one.

Keep a written record for yourself as well of the reasons that you wanted to stop smoking and remind yourself of them when you are wavering. It can really help to remember that you want to be around longer for your children, have a healthier old age or be able run faster without getting out of breath.

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Replacing Smoking

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Sometimes it can really help, when you are giving up smoking, to replace it with something else. Some people choose things like electronic cigarettes to replace both the nicotine and the sensation of smoking. Others prefer to replace the nicotine with a patch, gum or lozenge and do not replace the sensation with anything.

Some people find that they need something to do with their hands once they give up smoking. Doing a craft activity could help like sewing, knitting or drawing perhaps. You may find that playing computer games or typing on a keyboard could help. It will take time to find something that works for you, if you feel that something is missing.

When you have completed a meal, you may normally go out for a smoke and you may miss it. This is not unusual but it is wise to find something to replace that with. Maybe go for a walk instead, suck a mint or wash up. There are quite a few things that you could try.

The comfort from a cigarette is something that can be hard to replace. You could try having a cup of tea or coffee, although if you normally had one with a cigarette, then this could make things worse. You might find comfort from eating a square of chocolate, but be careful not to form another habit! It might be better to look to watching your favourite TV show, playing your favourite game, having a chat with a friend or going for a run for comfort as these would be healthier options.

You do not need to replace smoking with anything of course and you will get used to managing without it. However, you do need to think about how you will manage while you are adjusting to not smoking and whether you will need to think of coping mechanisms to get you through the difficult times.

It can even be worth thinking about this before you quit, because you may just cave in to temptation if your cravings get too big otherwise. If you have something to do, to take your mind off them, you will have more chance of resisting.

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