| The Canadian Lung Association |
Friday September 3rd 2010 |
It is not easy to answer this question; all of us have had doubts about
the success rate of quitting smoking; here are 12 suggestions to help you be successful
and never return to smoking:
1. Choose a realistic "quitdate";
2. Order "CigArrest" so you will have it handy at your quitting date morning;
3. Choose 2 or 3 persons (friends/family/co-workers) who are non-smokers, that you can call all the time and are willing to listen to you... you need a support group; you can tell them when you are having a craving for nicotine and they will talk to you until the craving goes away ( a craving lasts no more than 2 or 3 minutes);
4. Get a nice pair of walking shoes and as soon as you wake up put them on and go for a walk; enjoy the fresh air and take long deep breaths.
5. If you are a coffee drinker, try to moderate your intake in the morning; you can have one cup or you can switch to tea;
6. Be gentle with yourself; when you come back from work try not to do too much; Take a nice hot bath --- reward yourself with ice cream or your favorite dessert!
7. A lot of people are so afraid to gain weight when they quit smoking and it is very sad, because they are more concern with their outside appearance than their inside organs crying for help..do not worry about gaining a few pounds; you will shed them after about 3 to 6 months, if you walk a little every day;
8. Call your local "Lung Association" and ask when they have meetings for support;
9. You can also attend the meetings of "Nicotine Anonymous"; they are very helpful; you can find a meeting list at : nicotineanonymous.org.
10. Do not postpone your quit date; it is an addiction of denial; once you stop looking at what it does to you, a year will go by and you will come to the same conclusion that you have to quit.
11. Keep a journal everyday and write how you feel and how happy you are to be breathing better;
12. Last but not least : write a "Good-bye letter to your cigarette"; it is very powerful; read it every day to remind you that cigarettes are not your friend they are your enemy!
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