Every plan is directed towards aims and objectives. The plan of quitting smoking is a good one and should be targeted towards things to do in order to achieve this aim.
On the other hand, there are things you should avoid which are provided below in this article so as to help you quit for good.
1. Don’t Stop Abruptly
No matter how fast you want to quit smoking, the transformation can’t happen overnight.
In this case, the method you use to start is how you will also quit, though it may be faster owing to your determination.
When starting to smoke or getting yourself involved in any activities that lead to addiction, the process is always from slow to steady.
Probably, you started with one stick of cigarette, advancing to 2 sticks, three, one pack and more, when trying to quit, you don’t have to stop abruptly, you will have to go in the opposite order, through gradual reduction or changing of your smoking pattern and then the final stop.
Because if you quit abruptly, it will lead to relapse, which means that after a while you thought you have stopped smoking, you will go back to it again because you get sickened or have deteriorating health for not taking it.
2. Nicotine Products
Nicotine is the main cause of addiction when it comes to smoking, whether it is smokeless tobacco or smoking tobacco, both are carriers of nicotine and it has an adverse effect on the body which can lead to lung cancer, mouth cancer, and other chronic health conditions.
Nicotine that is contained in the cigarette has an effect also on appetite suppression and increased metabolism.
Research has shown that smoking addicts who quitted smoking are at risk of eating too much food because their metabolism has slowed down to normal making them feel hungrier after quitting.
This implies that when you smoke, the nicotine makes you less hungry, but when you stop smoking, your appetite comes with a full force.
This is also one of the reasons, abrupt quitting of smoking is not advised, when you try to quit, do it gradually to allow your body to grow conversant with your new pattern, but avoid nicotine related products which might make all your efforts in vain.
When you feel hungrier than you did before when in the process of quitting, it is advised not to overeat rather take a small portion of healthy square meals three times daily.
When you miss any square meal, it will make you feel hungrier and can make you eat more than enough of an unbalanced diet which can cause you to become overweight.
Therefore, to quit smoking to avoid or FLEE from any nicotine related products no matter the benefits the product might offer.
Surprisingly, there are other food plants that contain nicotine such as eggplant, potatoes, cauliflower, green pepper, and even tomatoes, though it is contained in small quantities and offers no adverse reaction to health.
3. Unhealthy Habit
Smoking is an unhealthy habit that is linked to several other bad practices. Once you are on the track of quitting, other bad habits that encourage smoking should be stopped as well.
Such practices include alcohol intake, coffee, associating with your friends that smoke, or doing anything which might trigger the hunger of smoking again.
Make new friends other than those friends you smoke while on an outing. This is helpful if actually, you want to stick to your new habit of quitting smoking. Similarly, do not hang around other smokers as well so that you won’t keep inhaling the smoke which may tempt you to fall back to the habit.
If you know the occasions involving situations that normally cause you to smoke, avoid them. Activities that increase your desire for smoking should be stopped when you are trying to quit. For instance, if you usually smoke when you are at the bar or drinking with your friends you can search for important TV programs and replace them with such activities in the meantime.
Once you are at the mission of quitting smoking, you have to incorporate healthy habits such as exercises, adequate sleep, no skipping of meals and much more.
So when every chain habits that encourage smoking in your life are cut off and replaced, gradually, it will become a part of the new you.
4. Don’t Blame Yourself
When you progress and fall back when on the mission of quitting smoking, do not blame yourself, rather encourage yourself and move forward. Let your drawback be a stepping stone to your improvement.
When you blame yourself, beat yourself up or count yourself as a failure just because you slipped, it might discourage you or even give you a false reason why you have to continue smoking.
Just know that it is not easy to quit smoking and it is normal to fall back. When you find out that you have taken one or more sticks in the quitting process what you should do is to stop again immediately.
Remember your main purpose for quitting; try to observe what made you slip and then avoid it. You can fall on several occasions, don’t border because most people do before they finally quit for good.
5. Negativity
95% of smokers know its health implications and how dangerous it is on health but can’t be able to abstain from such practices because of addiction.
In your course of quitting smoking, it will be of more benefit to you and your health, if you think positively.
As much as there might be an underlying health condition when trying to quit, still, believe that everything is going to be okay and know that you are working towards that by trying to quit in the first place.
This will provide you with a platform to stay motivated and determined to quit smoking, as negative thoughts or feelings can makey your success and deteriorate your health as well.
Do not look back on the years you have wasted smoking rather smile that you now have a better future ahead, do not lament on the harm you have brought upon yourself, instead encourage yourself by thinking about the positive changes which you are creating in your life.
Remove every thought of negativity and let positivity take over.
6. Hesitation
When you need help when quitting smoking, do not hesitate to ask for one.
Having the feeling that you are not in this alone will help you in fighting more, knowing that there are friends and families around you who are willing to help you recover and be better.
You can as well get online support from various addiction programs and online forums that can provide you with the consultation/advice that you need to stay motivated.
Online support programs can as well provide you with the platform to read stories of people who have quit, how they quitted and the motivation behind their quitting.
This will make you know also that some other people have gone through the journey of quitting smoking just as you are doing and have emerged a conqueror. So if they can do it, YES! you can as well.
Conclusion
You have been presented with things to avoid while trying to quit smoking, play your part keeping to them.
Though it is not easy, determination is the key to achieving your aim.
Once you are determined, do it with courage and see the result within a period of time.