In my last post I asked you to make a list of all the
reasons why you love smoking. If you haven't done that yet, make your list and then pop back here.
Right, now you have your list you understand why giving up smoking is so hard (aside from any physical addiction), there's a psychological addiction too - or at the very least, habits, pleasure and 'crutches'.
Beating Physical Addiction to Cigarettes
The physical addiction can be a tough one to break - but everyone can do it, especially if you're prepared for it. Undoubtedly the first week is the hardest... You're going to get cranky and irritable, you might get headaches and start coughing. Generally speaking, from my experience at least, you're going to feel quite a lot worse than you did when you smoked. This alone can drive you straight back to the cigs! But it passes. Know before you start that you're going to feel pretty crappy both physically and mentally. Accept this, and after about a week, you will start to notice a positive change. Depending on lots of factors, like how much and how long you smoked, the cough and other symptoms might last a month or two - but that will go and you'll be left feeling so much better. You might still fancy a cigarette (the psychological addiction), but by this time you'll know how much worse you'll feel when you have it.
If you do have any concerns at all, either before of during your 'quit', do seek professional advice from a medical doctor.
Top Tip for Beating Physical Addiction
It's very hard to simply drop a habit (actually, a habit is more of a psychological addiction), which is very much like a physical craving - you want a cigarette NOW. If you can't have your cigarette, then you end up in a kind of turmoil - you just don't know what to do with yourself, and if you've tried and failed in the past, you know that this is the time when you reach for the fag (English colloquialism for cigarette if you're an American reader!). However, if you have something to occupy or distract yourself with, then you can more easily get through that craving - which really only lasts a few minutes. This is one of the reasons why people sometimes put on weight when they quit, they put food in their mouths instead of cigarettes. If you're worried about this, try sugar-free chewing gum instead.
It's best to make your own list, but here are some ideas or distraction techniques to get through those few minutes of cravings that are going to crop up throughout the day when you first decide to quit smoking...
- Make a hot drink, coffee is OK, herbal tea is better.
- Go for a short walk, even 5 minutes round your office block is good.
- Phone a friend.
- Close your eyes and breath slowly and deeply. Can you count 30 breaths without your mind wandering?
- Chew gum.
- Plan how to spend all the money you're saving on cigarettes.
- Make a list of all the health benefits you'll gain. Keep it meaningful to you, e.g. play sport, run with the kids, stop coughing, etc.
- Do some desk exercises.
- If waiting for public transport, really concentrate and listen to the sounds around you - what can you hear near and far?
- If you're stuck in traffic, look at the people around you and make up stories about their life.
Whatever is on your list, try to avoid doing things and going places you normally associate with smoking, at least to begin with.
What is on your list? Whether you've already stopped smoking or are in the process or quitting, share your ideas in the comments - you can really help each other out.
Want more articles like this?
A reader of this blog recently contact me to let me know about and article they'd written - creative and crazy ways to quit smoking. Quitting, whilst a serious topic, can also be a bit 'dry'. However, this article suggests everything from getting pregnant to chewing dog biscuits?!
