They’re nasty. They stink, leaving behind an utterly detestable smell on your clothes, skin, and anything surrounding you. They kill.
Still, knowing all this doesn’t change the fact that quitting cigarettes for good is one of the hardest things an addict will ever do.
Even when compared to quitting more serious drugs like heroin or amphetamines, saying goodbye to cigarettes can prove more difficult simply because they’re available just about everywhere!
The good news though, is that people CAN quit. Regardless of how difficult it may be to stop all on your own, there are many things you can do to make it easier on yourself.
Below are 7 tips to quit smoking that have been sussed out from the rest.
Get started with these ideas that have been proven to help actual smokers kick cigarettes in the butt…for good!
1. Mentally Prepare for the Upcoming Battle
Yes, we said battle. Making your mind up to quit is definitely the first step, but it’s also one of the easiest. It becomes much more difficult as you have to deny yourself your habitual routine.
WebMD suggests you prepare yourself for this by creating a list before quitting of what motivates you to stop smoking. Include goals you could only achieve if you were to stay free of cigarettes. Keep your list with you and pull it out whenever you want to give in.
A fresh reminder can help keep your motivation alive and kicking.
2. Pick A Date
Take a tip from the folks at the Truth Initiative and pick a date to quit. Mark the day on your calendar, and as the date approaches track your smoking habits and try to dwindle them down.
Where do you always want to light up? Do you always smoke after certain foods or drinks? Being hyperaware of the “triggers” that make you want to light up will allow you to make changes in how you deal with them.
For instance, if you always want to smoke with your morning coffee, try decaf or a differently flavored caffeinated drink, such as Chai Latte. This will make it easier to disassociate smoking from your daily routines.
3. Toss Tools Of The Trade
Once you have reached your quit date and you’ve put the cigarettes away, all of your ashtrays and nifty lighters are nothing more than memorabilia.
Being that you never want to go back to smoking, it’s safe to say that these are memories you can toss. Clearing your space of any smoking paraphernalia will reinforce your decision to quit by not allowing for a comfortable place to smoke.
The more it becomes a chore to hunt down a lighter, ashtray, or cigarette, the less likely you’ll be to keep wanting the experience. This is how you win the mental battle!
4. Track Your Savings
Reader’s Digest suggests keeping track of all the money you’re now saving from cigarettes by keeping it physically in front of you.
Put the same amount of money in the jar that you would spend on a pack of smokes with the same frequency you would buy them. It won’t be long before that money starts to add up.
When you want to smoke, take a long look at the jar and think about that vacation you’ve always wanted to take or the new car you’ve been wanting. This will help keep your eye on the prize.
5. Keep Life Spicy
One underrated smoking cessation aid is Cayenne Pepper. The fiery red powder we see in stores is actually a very powerful plant medicine.
By speeding up your circulation and stirring up your digestive juices, cayenne can actually kick start your nicotine detox.
It will also keep you from the dreaded weight-gain that comes with quitting by speeding up your metabolism, and eliminate your cravings while curing your symptoms of withdrawal.
All in all, it’s quite the miracle drug for those trying to quit. See one now non-smoker’s testimony here.
6. Use Ginger In Your Diet
Much like cayenne, ginger has been touted as a miracle drug for millenia. That’s no small feat for such an unimposing herb.
In fact, the use of ginger is known throughout the world. According to Herbal Legacy, its medicinal properties have been known at least as far back as 5,000 years, if not longer.
While ginger has been reported to have a wide array of uses (including as an aphrodisiac), it is mostly known for its effectiveness in aiding digestion.
This is helpful for overcoming nicotine withdrawals, as the symptoms are often nausea, headache, fatigue, and moodiness. Ginger is a well-known remedy for all of these ailments as it increases circulation and improves many bodily functions at once.
7. Use Oat Seed Extract To Nourish The Body
People often turn to cigarettes as a form of stress-relief. There is just something about inhaling all that poison that can somehow make you feel like you’ve got your sh**! together. No joke.
Oddly enough, smoking actually taxes your nervous system which in turn causes more anxiety and stress.
Since your mind has been trained to think that smoking helps relieve these symptoms, the whole nervous system goes haywire when you quit.
You can avoid this by using Oat Seed Extract (found online and in health-food stores). Also known as Avena sativa extract, this tincture provides nourishment to the nervous system on a cellular level, replenishing exhausted nutrient and mineral supply in the body.
This has the effect of calming the mind and body and, in turn, reduces cravings as you’re no longer feeling “stressed out”, which was the reason for your desire to smoke in the first place.
Hopefully, these tips have helped you realize that quitting smoking for good is just a decision away and that YOU CAN do it!
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H/T: Remedy Daily
