Quit Smoking Tips and Advice - Common and Uncommon Sense

by Ken Derow

There are many sources that offer tips and advice on how to help yourself quit smoking via actions you can take and a mental attitude you can adopt that aid the process and increase the likelihood that you successfully quit. This posting offers a summary of such tips and advice, many of which you may have some awareness of, but some of which may surprise you and offer you some advice for which you were not previously aware.

The text of this posting is kept to the minimum required to communicate the many tips provided here. We simply list them to better convey the message. The sources of these tips are also shown along with the tips and advice that they offer.

From the website, “quitsmoking.com,” comes the following:

   * dedicate your will and resolve to quit for life and focus on what you will be gaining from not smoking, not on what you feel that you may lose

   * go to smoking cessation forums to get messages of encouragement and to help reinforce your will to quit

   * keep a journal of all the positive benefits you will get from quitting smoking, and, after you have stopped on what you have noticed since you stopped

   * talk to your inner self, your emotional self to internalize the attitude and the resolve that you want to, and, will quit smoking

   * stay busy, stay well-rested and well-hydrated

   * have a support system in place to help deter or quell a strong urge to relapse and re-start smoking after you have initially quit

The website, “patient.co.uk/health/smoking” offers the following advice:

   * write a detailed list of reasons you want to quit
   *set a specific quit date and stick to it
   *tell friends and relatives you are going to give-up smoking
   *make cigarette accessories less available-get ride of ashtrays, lighters, all cigarettes
   *expect some discomfort, some withdrawal symptoms like irritability, anxiety, cough, headache and general malaise
   *avoid obvious situations where you would have typically smoked
   *minimize alcohol and coffee consumption and stay hydrated
   *mark off each day without smoking as a new milestone
   *be positive, appreciate all of the immediate benefits of not smoking, e.g. you smell better, food tastes better, you save money to cite a few
   *if you are not successful, just try again until you do succeed for good

Another good source of tips and advice is found on, “mydr.com.au.”

*set a date and keep it
   * solicit family/friends/colleagues to provide support
   * remove smoking implements and dry clean your clothes, completely clean your car and remove all odors related to smoking
   * plan ahead to avoid common situations where you normally would light-up
   * create a card to carry with all at all times with the most critical reasons you chose to quit smoking
   * if you have a craving try the following:
         * delay
         * breathe deeply
         * drink a lot of water
         * distract yourself
         * recall why you want to quit and the positive impact on your health, appearance and finances that quitting will bring

A few more tips can be found on, “asmoking.com”

;   * learn all of the dangers and negatives to smoking
;   * find and experiment with smoking cessation methods best suited to you personally;
   * go to quit smoking forums and chat rooms to find encouragement and sustained support to your will and resolve to quit

The website, “helpguide.org,” was the source of many good tips and sound advice.

;   *be aware of both the nicotine dependency and the psychological dependency issues associated with smoking and their impact on your ability to quit smoking
;   *engage in more exercise, meditation,  yoga and/or deep breathing, to better relax and deal with the stresses due to trying to quit smoking
;   * list all the reasons you want to quit
;   * identify your own personal psychosocial cues that prompt you to smoke
;   * be aware of and use the “START” plan to help you quit: ;   ;   ;   * S = set a date
;   ;   ;   * T = tell others you are quitting
;   ;   ;   * A = anticipate and plan for challenges to quitting
;   ;   ;   * R = remove all cigarettes/lighters/ashtrays from house/car/office
;   ;   ;   * T = talk your  doctor on he/she can help you to quit
;   * drink more juice to satisfy a likely craving for more sugar
;   * stay active, distract yourself when you are thinking about smoking
;   * find oral substitutes like sugar-free gum or candy
;   * drink lots of water
;   * keep a journal to note and document your cravings to smoke
;   * seek support from others
;   * plan ahead for a possible weight gain by increasing your exercise or being more careful about eating high calorie snacks

Another interesting source of tips and advice is,”everydayhealth.com/stop-smoking.”

;   * engage in more exercise to both minimize stress, burn-off added calories and as a distraction
;   * use oral gratification aids such as low-calorie snacks, sugar-free candy
;   * spend more time with your non-smoking friends/colleagues
;   * use meditation to relax and reduce stress
;   * read books on how to quit smoking
;   * remember you are stopping for yourself and for your family, kids or grandkids
;   * adopt a one-day-at-a-time orientation
;   * pick an important milestone date as your quit date like a birthday, an anniversary, new year’s day or whatever
;   * keep busy, stay distracted

Some of these websites offer the same tips and advice, and, some offer some original thinking that you might not have thought of on your own, all of them have some information that a smokers might find useful when they are ready to finally quit smoking for life.