Stop Smoking for Good – 4 Steps to Success
Trying to quit smoking will likely take a very large amount of dedication and determination from you personally. At the same there are plenty of problems that you may encounter as well. Knowing what these potential problems are and having a specific plan for your success is important. Knowing exactly what you are trying to do will enable you to plan for success, rather than merely stumble along trying to quit.
Step 1. You need to take the time to create a plan to quit smoking. This means looking at the reason why you smoke, and working to create a plan that will help you to succeed. If you are addicted to nicotine then you need to look at a product to help you slowly curb the nicotine addiction. If you merely smoke because you are bored you should look for thing to do to keep you occupied instead of bored. However, if you are smoking because you are stressed out then your plan should include a way to reduce stress as well.
Step 2. Seek all of the help you can get. With help coming in the form of stop smoking aids, as well as support from your friends and family it will be very important to get anything you can. If you have a lot of problems getting the help that you need, you should work to resolve these problems before you attempt to quit. For example, if you have a very tight budget and cannot afford the nicotine gum that you might need, save up money for a couple of weeks to purchase the gum to start with. Then once you have what you need, start working to actually quit.
Step 3. Log your progress. If you write down your goals, and also how you are progressing towards your goals you are making yourself accountable for everything. For example, if you decide that you are going to reduce your one pack a day habit to only 10 cigarettes each day it is important to write down each cigarette that you smoke. This will allow you to see a specific pattern to your smoking, and also make sure you are aware of how many cigarettes you are smoking each day. You may find that as you are writing down each cigarette you decide to skip a few just so that you do not have to write them down. If you choose this method make sure you are really honest with yourself. Cheating on your log will get you nowhere very quickly since the information is all incorrect.
Step 4. Celebrate your success somehow. If you have managed to go 24 hours without a single cigarette, you should celebrate. This does not mean you need to throw a gigantic block party for each tiny milestone but you do need to do something. If you treat yourself to your favorite coffee, ice cream, book or even the purse at the mall you have been eyeing it will help encourage you to continue on your path of success. Save up a huge party, or even a dream vacation for once you have quit smoking for a longer period of time such as 1 year for example. This will give you a huge incentive to continue the success and you can use the money you save from stopping smoking to fund the trip or party.
Always ensure that you follow these steps and you will find that in no time at all, you will be able to join the ranks of the non-smokers of the world. Taking advantage of all of the help available as well as holding yourself accountable is a huge step in the right direction. Knowing what you should expect from yourself is also helpful because you will be able to anticipate problems before they appear. Merely waiting until problems do occur is asking for a disaster. You owe it to yourself to quit smoking successfully, and these four suggestions will get you there in record time.
