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Try to stop smoking cold turkey, this method works best for most people. You can also try tapering off by cutting down on your cigarettes only half of each one.
· Destroy all cigarettes and clean out your ashtrays. Use your favorite lighter to light candles or burn incense instead of cigarettes.
· Buy plenty of sugarless gum, lollipops, and raw vegetables to munch on. Hold on to a pencil, some Silly Putty or a small ball or toy, to keep your hands busy and cigarette-free.
· Drink lots of water and fruit juice. Use a straw so you can satisfy the urge to hold a cigarette in your mouth.
· Exercise to relieve stress and tension. Walking, sports, and aerobics will be much easier now that you're smoke-free.
· Change your habits related to smoking. Eat your meals in a different place or in the non-smoking section, watch T.V. in a different chair, study in a library or another smoke-free place, doodle while talking on the phone, hang out with people who support you in your effort to give up cigarettes.
If you are going to a party or bar decide not to smoke beforehand and ask someone you trust to help you stick to your decision. Avoid drinking excessively as this may fog your judgment.
· Whenever you feel the urge to reach for a cigarette, stop and take some deep breaths of clean, fresh air and hold them in for a few seconds. Call a friend to give you support.
· Know before you quit that you may gain a few pounds at first although 2/3 of people who choose to stop smoking do not gain any weight. Decide that a few pounds are not as bad as wrinkles, yellow teeth, and health problems that cigarettes cause.
Save the money you would have spent on cigarettes in a jar and at the end of the month buy yourself something special with it. If you smoked a pack a day you will have saved $832.25 after a year of not smoking, that's $15.75 in your pocket each week.
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