How to Give Up Your Smoking Addiction and Break the Habit
Do you feel like you’re finally ready to quit smoking?
Are you tired of feeling sick, coughing all the time, and bothering the people around you?
If so, you know that you’ll need to develop a serious strategy to quit smoking if you want to be successful.
The good news? No matter how it may feel right now, you can do this. Many people already have.
In this post, we’ll tell you all about four of the best ways that you can beat your smoking addiction for good.
From understanding what’s at stake to taking the time to ask for help when you need it, by the end of it, you’ll be ready to start your own journey.
1. Understand the Risks
If you’re truly serious about taking the required steps to quit smoking, the first thing you should do is ensure that you know what smoking is doing to your body.
Yes, millions of people across the world struggle with an addiction to cigarettes. But that doesn’t make your own smoking any less dangerous.
First of all, smoking has been proven to increase your chance of heart attacks and strokes. As you likely already know, you’ll also be at an increased risk for developing lung cancer.
However, we think that there’s one thing that will help you to stop smoking more than anything else: understanding the risks that you pose to others.
Secondhand smoke can kill just as much as any other kind of tobacco use.
And if you smoke around your children, you should be prepared to see those same risks transfer over to them.
It’s just not right — and you don’t want to have to live with that.
Also, it’s important to understand that, throughout your quitting journey, there may be times when you fall off the train and start smoking again.
It’s ok to make mistakes — it happens to everyone.
The key is to recognize that this isn’t a pattern that you want to pick back up again.
You have to learn to forgive yourself. Just because you slipped and smoked one cigarette doesn’t mean that all the work you’ve already done to end your smoking addiction was for nothing.
2. Join a Support Group
One of the most effective stop smoking tips that we can offer you?
Join local support groups full of other people who are also in the process of quitting smoking.
Sometimes, having someone to help to keep you accountable — and prove to you that it’s really possible to quit — can make all of the difference in the world.
Look for meetings that gather at least once a week to get the best possible results.
Even if you can’t find an in-person support group in your area to help you learn the steps to quit smoking, there are tons of supportive online communities.
You can access these forums any time, any place — and talk to people who know exactly what you’re going through. These support groups will likely encourage you to pick up another hobby to replace smoking.
Things like knitting, creating pottery, and other activities and crafts that you can do with your hands are all awesome alternatives to smoking.
3. Try Vaping
One of the best tips on how to quit smoking is likely also one of the most surprising.
Believe it or not, switching over to vaping is the perfect way to kick your smoking addiction for good.
First of all, many smokers struggle with the thought of not only stopping getting nicotine but also of stopping their smoke breaks or having something in their mouths.
This is where cig-a-like vape pens can come in handy. They look like cigarettes but allow your body to absorb much less nicotine. You can even look into tobacco-flavored options.
You should look for vape juices that have a much lower tobacco/nicotine content than cigarettes. Over time, you should be able to gradually taper off.
4. Give the Patch or Gum a Shot
If you feel like you haven’t yet been able to beat your smoking addiction, then it may be time to call in the big guns.
This means that your body still craves a higher amount of nicotine than is healthy or normal.
The good news?
By slowly tapering off of the amount of nicotine that you take in, you’ll be able to tackle your smoking addiction once and for all.
One of the best stop smoking tips is to give the patch or nicotine gum a try. This way, instead of inhaling the smoke directly into your lungs, a small amount of nicotine is given to you by the patch or through chewing gum.
Over time, you can slowly start to wear it or chew the gum less and less.
Soon, you’ll likely find that you no longer need it at all.
Ready to end your Smoking Addiction?
We hope that this post has helped you to understand that breaking your smoking addiction is possible, even though it certainly doesn’t always feel like it.
Remember that you have more control than you think you do. Sometimes, you just need to right tools and support to make it happen.
Try vaping, using the patch, connecting with others in your area, and really reading up on the risks of smoking.
Looking for more advice on how to live a healthier, happier life? Need a distraction when you’re seriously craving a cig?
We can help.
Spend some time on our website and blog to access all kinds of tips on how to live your best life.
