Introduction
There are two factors that will determine your success:
1.You must have the desire to give up your habit.
2.You must have the confidence to know that you can do it.
Stopping smoking is, for most people, an uncomfortable experience as cigarettes have given you something to do for a long time. Therefore, it is only natural to think about the ups and downs of giving them up. Many people who have already tried to quit, have failed to do so and will have to try several times before they succeed. Should you have any doubts about giving up smoking, put it off until you are determined to do so. Motivate yourself by writing the benefits and disadvantages of giving up; you will find that your 'disadvantages' list will be very small.
How and when do you want to quit smoking?
There are two ways to effectively quit smoking, immediately, or gradually. When you quit gradually, you use various methods to reduce your nicotine intake before you have that last cigarette. Niether way is better than the other; you have to find the one that works for you. Pick the one that you feel fits your temperament. Either way, a nicotine patch is a good way of helping you to to quit, especially if you are a heavy smoker, but the main ingredient you need is will power.
Nicotine as a chemical
Nicotine creates a biochemical reaction in your body that has an immediate effect on your mood, your ability to reason, and your metabolism. The more that you smoke, the higher level of chemical dependency will be reached. Light smokers can also become just as dependent on cigarettes because of nicotine's psychological impact. In this way it can affect moods and feelings in certain situations.
It is only a matter of seconds after that first puff that nicotine starts to have an effect on your central nervous system, and the rest of your body. Certain areas of the brain, when stimulated by nicotine, help you think more clearly. Other areas of the brain, when stimulated, can make you feel more relaxed and less anxious.
Nicotine also affects the hormones produced by the body, which creates a chemical dependency to nicotine and the accompanying craving. Heavy smokers have become dependent on heightened levels of hormones, stimulated by nicotine, which can have an addictive quality. They need a cigarette at certain intervals of time. After the stimulation of the hormones starts to fall, they need another cigarette to bring them back into the comfort zone. If they do not get that cigarette, the craving begins.
Displacement and Physical exercises
Many people find that including physical activity in their program helps tremendously in the process of giving up.
There are many reasons for this:
With increased activity, the smell of tobacco actually becomes offensive. Whenever you feel the need to smoke after you have decided to quit, get up and move around instead. A brief physical activity can provide you with the lift that you may have received from nicotine. These techniques are also displacement activities; they take your mind away from your craving and give you something to do (other than smoking) until the urge to smoke goes away.
You may use one, all, or a combination of several to achieve your goal. The urge to smoke is immediate, and usually lasts for five minutes. If you can resist for that period of time, you can resist cravings repeatedly and therefore, through this process, cut cigarettes out from your life.
Take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and exhale as if you had just taken your first puff on a cigarette. Part of the feeling you get from smoking is a direct result of taking a deep breath. A deep breath allows you to take in a maximum amount of oxygen, and exhaling lets out large quantities of carbon dioxide. This results in a feeling of relaxation. Try it, you'll see.
Take a sip of water several times during this five minute period. It can help to diminish the need to smoke, and gives you something to do with your hands. The extra water will also help to flush the nicotine out of your body.
Put something in your mouth that has no calories, such as a stirrer, toothpick, or another substitute for a cigarette.
Get busy with something, anything, to keep you busy for the next five minutes.
As long as it does not lead to a craving, chew a piece of gum or a piece of hard candy.
Get up and move around for five minutes. It will help the urge to smoke to pass.
Use a nicotine patch as replacement therapy.
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