Quitting smoking is not an easy process, but the health effect involved makes it necessary that you learn how to stop smoking.
Understanding that smoking poses a great danger to your health is the first step to quitting smoking but quitting the habit is where the real work lies.
Smoking is an addictive disorder that multifunction as a habit and addiction making it very difficult for an individual to detach from the act. However, if you love your health and want to live long with functioning organs, you will take the giant leap to quit smoking at all costs.
Reuters reports that over a 7.5million people were speculated to be killed in 2021 as a result of smoking and Tobacco-related intakes. The death rate attached to smoking and the use of Tobacco is assumed to be 480,000 deaths each year in the United States of America, and a global death toll of eight million.
Aside from the fact that smokers are liable to die young, smoking exposes the user to a lot of diseases. Smoke related diseases include; Lung cancers, chronic respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Some smokers justify their reason for smoking to the cold weather or climatic environment; little do they know that the fun activity as it was has grown into an addiction with strong bonds of attachment that might remain unblockable if strong measures are not imbibed.
Can a person stop smoking?
To stop smoking wouldn’t be an easy task but anyone can quit the habit of smoking if we commit ourselves to do so.
For a person to stop smoking, you need to understand the cause of the habit, the trigger points of the addiction, and draw a plan to compensate for the quitting process.
How can I stop smoking on my own?
The only way you can stop smoking on your own is by designing a rehabilitation process for yourself and sticking to its course consistently.
This will ensure that you break lose all stages of the addition-which includes; dependence, tolerance, and reinforcement.
Different ways can help you stop smoking, but some methods have proven more effective than others.
Five ways to stop smoking
• Seek the help of a doctor
Engaging the services of a doctor might include booking you for counseling sessions, or placing you on nicotine replacement therapy. There is a strong attachment between smokers and cigarettes making it seem near impossible to put a stop to the addiction. In this scenario, a doctor might suggest nicotine supplements that will come in handy when the urge arises.
These nicotine replacement supplements might include nicotine gums, inhalers, or sprays. They are usually used under the strict guidance of a medical practitioner. The essence of this therapy is to provide a short-time supplement that will replace the addiction to traditional smoking.
• Take note of trigger points:
Certain factors arouse your desire to smoke, light a stick, and pop the smoke. You must be thorough enough to discover situations or activities that increase the urge to smoke or take in Tobacco. This might be a club dance, a wild party, a cup of coffee, or a feeling of fatigue and migraine.
Some people have indicated that fear and low self-esteem are their trigger points. They smoke when they want to feel ‘high’ and boost their morale.
In this scenario, you will extra work to do-embracing self-love and independently building your self-esteem. You should also make sure you stay far from anything that will trigger the need to smoke.
• Get Busy
Fix yourself on something all day. Build your life to a non-stop activity. Idleness and free periods are dangerous times for smokers as these are moments when your body yearns for those things you take pleasure in.
Always be in the company of friends that do not smoke, stay far from private and secluded corners, and remove your mind from anything that will draw you back to smoking. Fit yourself into a daily routine that will suppress the craving for tobacco.
• Involve friends
This might make you feel some level of shame, but trust me, one of the best ways of quitting a habit like smoking is to get an accountability partner.
You must inform your friends about your decision to quit smoking and the plans you have at hand for the process. You must ensure that your friends are non-smokers. This will keep you in a ‘pure’ circle that is committed to your change.
• Consistency
Quitting the habit of smoking might take as long as six months, so you must be committed to the entire process till the cravings are gone.
You will be tempted to take a stick. Just one stick of cigarette!
But one stick will always lead to another and another till the cravings come back.
Always remember the reason why you started and see to it that you achieve your goals.
What is the most effective way to quit smoking?
There are no fixed rules to quitting smoking but you must choose flexible methods that are built on firm decisions to achieve maximum results.
The most effective way to quit smoking is to set a goal, define your goals, set a deadline, work hard to meet it, make it a gradual process, seek extra support from friends and a medical doctor.
What can I replace smoking with?
To successfully quit the habit of smoking, you must replace the habit with another engaging activity. Your brain has grown fond of the act so effectively cut ties with it, you should follow a psychological strategy by introducing a replacement for your brain.
You can replace smoking with chewing gums, fruits, or an exercise routine.
The process of stopping smoking is a patient task and you shouldn’t rush or force yourself to see swift results. Stopping your addiction to smoking will open up opportunities to learn a skill, or get a new hobby. The entire process might seem tiresome during the beginning days but its results are worthwhile.
Have you ever gotten addicted to smoking?
How were you able to conquer it?
