Maybe you have a smoking habit and are trying to quit. You may not want to take it, but you are constantly surrounded by people who smoke. In both cases it is difficult to avoid smoking, especially at social events. You will need to find good reasons not to smoke and matter to stick to your principles - even if others don't respect your choice. However, it will get a little easier for every cigarette you manage not to smoke.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Quit Smoking
Step 1. Determine why you want to quit
Make a list of all the reasons you want to quit. This will help you clarify your decision. Refer to this list whenever you are tempted to smoke.
- Consider how smoking affects various important areas of life: health, appearance, lifestyle, and loved ones. Ask yourself if they would benefit if I quit smoking.
- For example, the list might say something like: I want to quit smoking so I can run around and keep up with my son during soccer practice, have more energy, live long enough to see the youngest grandson's wedding, and save money.
Step 2. Stop out of the blue
Throw away your cigarettes. Wash your underwear and clothes to get rid of the smell of smoke. Eliminate cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays scattered around the house. Make a commitment to yourself: you will not smoke another cigarette.
- Remember your schedule and bring a written copy with you or keep it on your mobile. It's a good idea to review the list of reasons why you want to quit often.
- If you're not ready to quit right away, consider doing it gradually. Fewer cigarettes are better (in some ways) than many cigarettes. Some think they can only quit if they do it at once, but others have succeeded through a gradual tapering off. Be honest with yourself: what will work for you?
Step 3. Be prepared for nicotine withdrawal symptoms
Cigarettes are very effective in delivering nicotine to the whole body. When you stop smoking, cravings, anxiety, depression, headaches, feelings of tension or restlessness, increased appetite and weight, and problems concentrating may increase.
- Be aware that quitting smoking may take more than one attempt. About 45 million Americans use some form of nicotine and only 5% of users are able to quit on the first try.
- Try to avoid starting over as much as possible. But if you do, make a commitment again to quit smoking ASAP. Learn from your experience and try to better face the future.
- If you have a relapse and smoke for a whole day, be kind and tolerant of yourself. Admit the day has been tough, remind yourself that quitting is a long and difficult journey, and resume your resolutions the next day.
Step 4. Get help
Family and friends can help you keep your commitment. Know your goal and ask them to help you by avoiding smoking around you or perhaps offering you cigarettes. Ask for their support and encouragement. Ask them to remind you of your goals when temptation is strong.
Step 5. Learn about the triggers
For many people, the desire to smoke is triggered by specific situations. You may crave a cigarette after coffee, for example, or feel the urge to smoke when you're trying to solve a problem at work. Identify when it can be difficult not to smoke and make a plan for when you find yourself in those situations. If possible, avoid them.
- Get used to automatic responses when they offer you a cigarette: "No thanks, but I'll have another tea" or "No, thanks - I'm trying to quit."
- Control your stress. Stress can be a pitfall when trying to quit smoking. Use techniques such as deep breathing, exercises, and slow down to help deal with stress. Make sure you get plenty of sleep, as this helps reduce stress.
Step 6. Download a quit smoking app
There are various iPhone and Android applications designed specifically to keep you away from smoking. These apps provide a foundation to help you keep track of desires and moods, identify triggers, track your progress towards achieving your goals, and to survive times of stress. Search for "quit smoking apps", read descriptions and reviews and choose the one that best suits your needs.
Step 7. Consider using e-cigarettes
Recent studies have suggested that using them while you quit smoking can help reduce smoking or quit. Other studies advise caution, because the amount of nicotine varies, the same chemicals are taken as cigarettes, and these can trigger the habit of smoking again.
Step 8. Consider getting professional help
Behavior therapy, combined with medications, can improve the odds of quitting. If you've tried it yourself and are still struggling, consider getting professional help. The doctor may suggest drug therapy.
Therapists can also help you along the way. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help change your thoughts and attitudes about smoking. Therapists can also teach you how to resist or new ways to quit
Step 9. Take some Bupropion
This drug does not actually contain nicotine, but it helps reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Bupropion can increase the odds of staying away from cigarettes by 69 percent.
- Usually, it is best to start taking Bupropion 1 to 2 weeks before quitting smoking. It is normally prescribed in one or two 150 mg tablets per day.
- Side effects include: dry mouth, sleep disturbances, restlessness, irritability, fatigue, indigestion and headache.
Step 10. Use Chantix
This drug curbs nicotine receptors in the brain, which makes smoking less pleasant. It also reduces withdrawal symptoms. You should start taking Chantix one week before quitting. Make sure you take it with meals. Take Chantix for 12 weeks and you could double your chances of quitting smoking.
- Your doctor will ask you to increase the dose during therapy. For example, take a 0.5mg pill in the first 3 days. Then take it twice a day for the next four days. You will then take a 1mg pill twice a day.
- Side effects include: headache, nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbances, unusual dreams, gas, and taste changes.
Step 11. Try Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
NRT includes all types of transdermal patches, gums, lozenges, nasal sprays, inhalers or sublingual tablets that deliver nicotine to the body. You don't need a prescription for these products which can reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. NRT could increase the odds of quitting smoking by 60 percent.
Side effects of NRT include: nightmares, insomnia, and skin irritation from patches; mouth irritation, difficult breathing, hiccups and pain in the jaw from chewing gum; mouth and throat irritation and cough from nicotine inhalers; throat irritation and hiccups from taking nicotine tablets; irritation of the throat and nose, and runny nose if nasal spray is used
Part 2 of 3: Avoid Starting Over
Step 1. Consider asking for help
If you're trying to quit smoking, or avoid getting into the habit, you may need to ask a non-smoking parent, sibling, teacher, or friend to help control you. Ask him to keep an eye on you and warn you if you engage in dangerous behavior. Ask him if it is possible to text or call in case you have trouble resisting the negative influence of others. Don't be afraid to actually use this resource - smoking is very addictive and you may need all the help you can get.
Step 2. Consider spending more time with friends who don't smoke
If you are really serious about quitting smoking, then you can try to avoid people who smoke habitually. You can always say no, but you still run the risk of inhaling secondhand smoke when spending time with smokers. If you don't want to cut these people out of your life, try stepping away when they smoke - or ask them to smoke outdoors.
- When you breathe in secondhand smoke, you ingest all the toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that get into the air when cigarettes burn. You can inhale secondhand smoke by breathing in the smoke that smokers exhale, as well as that released from the end of a lit cigarette, pipe or cigar.
- If you get used to being around people who smoke, you may gradually become more permissive towards smokers - and you may increase your chances of starting over. If you regularly listen to people saying that smoking is okay, it could affect your will and determination.
- It's not easy to leave friends behind, but it can be the right choice if you want to prioritize health. Be honest with friends. Tell them, "I'm not okay with you guys because you push me to smoke and I'm afraid if I keep hanging out with you, I might really get started. I need to be on my own to get my priorities right."
Step 3. Don't keep cigarettes around you
Get rid of all the ones you own, and don't buy any more. As long as you have cigarettes on hand, you are recognizing that smoking is a possibility. When you get rid of cigarettes, you will start a long way that takes you away from the idea of being able to smoke and makes it much easier to avoid smoking.
- You may be tempted to say to yourself, "I only smoke the cigarettes left in this pack so they don't go to waste and then I won't buy any more. I stop when I run out of these cigarettes." Some manage to follow this plan, but it's safer if you can avoid temptation. The "just another package" reasoning can turn into years of non-stop smoking.
- You can throw the whole pack away for a dramatic effect, or you could give the cigarettes to someone else if the waste makes you uncomfortable. The important thing is that you keep the smoke away as soon as possible.
Step 4. Distract your mind with productive activities
Cultivate habits and hobbies that reinforce your commitment to avoid smoking, and try to get involved in communities that work to discourage smoking. Whenever you feel like smoking, channel that energy into something else - go to the gym, play something, or take a walk to clear your head. It is easy to allow cigarette smoke to become your first impulse - so try to stop this mechanism.
- Have a regular exercise program, such as running, hiking, playing sports, or going to the gym. The more you invest in health and fitness, the less likely you are to want to destroy everything.
- Join a group of hikers, a sports team, or any group of people doing outdoor activities. Many active groups have a stigma against smoking, especially during group activities - so you may want to take advantage of this to keep yourself away from the temptation to smoke.
Part 3 of 3: Never Start Smoking
Step 1. Refuse by saying no
If you spend time around people who smoke, there's a good chance they'll offer you a cigarette. If you don't want to smoke, just say no, and most people will respect you for sticking to your principles. If someone tries to trick you into smoking, don't consider it - just keep saying no and eventually they'll stop bothering you.
- If people don't respect your decision not to smoke, the odds are that they are somehow jealous of your discipline. They can try to get you to try: "A little cigarette won't kill you …" If you're really interested in trying a cigarette, it's okay to experiment and understand what it is - but don't light one just because you think you will be misjudged.
- Some people manage to smoke a cigarette from time to time without the habit turning into a one pack a day addiction, but it's hard to tell what kind of smoker you will be if you haven't actually dealt with smoking addiction first. If you have an addictive personality - if you have a hard time controlling your consumption of things like soda, coffee, alcohol, or sweets - there's a good chance you have a hard time smoking too.
Step 2. Avoid secondhand smoke
Smoke emanating from the lit end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar has higher concentrations of toxic, carcinogenic (carcinogenic) agents than smoke inhaled by smokers. Passive smoking can be almost, if not equally, as harmful to your health as active smoking. Also, if you are trying to quit, the sight of other people smoking could be very tempting. If you have friends or relatives who smoke and don't want to cut them out of your life, politely ask them to go outside or step away when they smoke.
Step 3. Read about the dangers of smoking
Constantly remind yourself how harmful the habit of smoking can be, and you will find that reading strengthens the will to stay at a distance. Quitting can add years to your life and greatly reduces the risk of several smoking-related diseases. Pass the information on to friends and loved ones who smoke habitually - don't give sermons, just inform.
- Cigarettes contain carcinogens (chemicals that cause cancer), and when you smoke, you inhale those chemicals directly into your body. Most lung cancer cases result from regular smoking.
- Smoking causes strokes and coronary heart disease, which are among the leading causes of death in Europe and the United States. Even people who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day can show early signs of cardiovascular disease.
- Smoking is responsible for the majority of cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also resulting from chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Also, if you have asthma, tobacco can trigger an attack and make symptoms worse.
