I was planning to quit smoking as soon as possible. I read some blogs and this is what I saw:
How to quit smoking, Ask yourself this follow:
- Do you feel the need to smoke at every meal?
- Are you more of social smoker?
- Is it very bad addiction (more than a pack a day)? Or would a simple nicotine patch do the jobs?
- Do you reach for cigarettes when you're feeling stressed or down?
- Are there certain activities, places, or people you associate with smoking?
- Is your cigarette smoking linked to other addictions, such as alcohol or gambling?
- Are you interested in getting into a fitness program?
Start your stop smoking plan with:
S=Set a quit date
Choose a date within next 2 weeks, so you have enough time to prepare without losing your motivation to quit. If you mainly smoke at work, quit on the weekend, so you have a few days to adjust to the change.T=Tell your Family, Friends and co-workers that you are quitting
Let your friends and family in on you plans to quit smoking and tell you need their support and encouragement to stop. Look for a quit buddy who wants to stop smoking as well. You can help other get through the rough times.A=Anticipate and plan for the challenges you'll face while quitting
Most people who begins smoking again do so within the first 3 months. You can help yourself make it through by preparing ahead of common challenges, such as nicotine withdrawal and cigarette cravings.R=Remove cigarette and other tobacco products from your home, car and work
Throw away all of your cigarette (no emergency pack), lighters, ashtrays, and matches. Wash your clothes and freshen up anything that smells like smoke. Shampoo your car, clean your drape and carpet and steam your furniture.T=Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit
Your doctor can prescribe medication to help with withdrawal and suggest other alternatives. If you can't see a doctor, you can get many products over the counter at you local pharmacy or grocery stores including the nicotine patch, nicotine lozenges, and nicotine gums.Identify your smoking triggers:
Keep a craving journals- What time was it?
- How intense was the craving (scale 1-10)
- What were you doing?
- Who were you with?
- How were you feeling?
- How did you feel after smoking?
Do you smoke to relieve unpleasant or overwhelming feeling?
- Stress
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Common reasons of adult smokers
Tips for avoiding common smoking triggers
- Alcohol. Switch to non-alcoholic drinks or drink in place where smoking inside is prohibited.
- Other smokers. Your social circles must know you are changing habit so talk about your decision to quit (Family, Friends and co-workers)
- End of meal. replace the moment after meal with something such as piece of fruit, dessert, chocolate, or a gum.
Coping with nicotine withdrawal symptoms
~Once you stop you will experience a number of physical symptoms as your body widraws from nicotine. Nicotine withdrawal begins quickly, (30 mins to 1 hour of last cigarette and peaking about 2-3 days to several weeks and differ from person to person.Common signs and symptoms:
- Cigarette craving
- Irritability, frustration or anger
- Anxiety or nervousness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Restlessness
- Increase appetite
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Tremors
- Increased coughing
- Fatigue
- Constipation or upset stomach
- Depression
- Decrease heart rate
I will try step by step starting OCTOBER 30, 2013 I will quit. and let's see how everything goes. I will keep an everyday post for this.