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Good for you! If you've tried to quit before,
you know how hard it can be. In fact, nicotine addiction can be as
strong as a heroin addiction. No kidding. There's good reason
to quit though. Research suggests that smoking related diseases
claim an estimated 430,700 lives each year. Below are some
tips that might make breaking the habit easier:
· Write down why you want to quit. Share this
list with someone
· Set a quit date. Share that date with family,
friends and coworkers and ask them to help.
· Anticipate and plan for challenges you'll face while
quitting
· Remove cigarettes and tobacco products from your
home, car, and work environment
· Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit
(i.e., nicotine patches, gum, and other pharmaceutical products that make
quitting easier).
· Keep busy and change your
routine. Smoking is as much a behavioral habit as it is a
physical addiction.
· Stay away from
environments or triggers that tempt you to smoke, such as being with
people who smoke, or drinking beer and coffee. Spend as much time
as you can where smoking isn't allowed.
· Do you miss having a cigarette in your hand? Hold
something else. Try a pencil, stressball, a
paper clip, a marble, or a water bottle.
· Drink lots of water and fruit juice. This
helps hydrate your body and flushes nicotine out of your system. If
you want something in your mouth, try toothpicks, cinnamon sticks,
lollipops, hard candy, sugarfree gum, or carrot
sticks.
·Learn to relax by using deep breathing and relaxation
techniques. Do things to reduce your stress. Pamper yourself
and treat yourself with the money you are saving.
· You have the best chance of quitting for good if you
use some kind of a support program. There are many
free programs on the internet and many resources in your
community. This is a tough - You don't have to do it
alone.
· Exercise! It keeps you busy and it's
healthy.
· Stay focused on Now. Don't worry about
tomorrow or next week. Just work on staying smoke free this
minute.
· Remind yourself that you are doing yourself a favor
by not smoking, instead of dwelling on the feeling of being deprived.
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