10 Proven Strategies To Quit Smoking For Good

Thanks to the huge range of research, the dangers and problems that smoking causes are well known. Findings show that the most prominent problems shown below may come from smoking:

Many types of health risks including pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer and all sorts of degenerative diseases.
High financial costs
An impact on those you love

To prevent these issues, quitting smoking is the best approach; it’s challenging but achievable. So, to help, we’ve come up with a list of strategies proven to be effective. Let’s take a closer look.

Learning the Advantages of Being Smoke-Free

Before quitting smoking and while you are still contemplating, learn the advantages of being smoke-free. There are so many advantages of being smoke-free, and knowing about them can help you make up your mind to take the action, also keep you on the right track with your smoking cessation goals.

For instance, premature death risks are greatly minimized and you can even gain 10 years in terms of your life expectancy. There are also immediate advantages to quitting smoking. You will find that blood pressure reduces within just 20 minutes of quitting, while carbon monoxide levels drop to normal within just 12 hours after that last cigarette. What’s more, you may notice that food tastes better and your breath smells fresher.

Picking a Date to Quit

When you are ready, the process all begins with picking a date to start. The key is to consider a date that’s likely to be stress-free. The last thing you need is extra worries to make you feel tempted to smoke while trying to stick to this date.

What’s equally important is choosing a date that isn’t too far away yet not too close to the present day; this can mean that you have time to change your mind or have insufficient time to prepare. We recommend setting a date no more than two weeks from the present day as your quitting day.

Noting Down any Triggers and Avoid Them

Triggers are the things that may tempt you to smoke and harm your success rate. They include:

Emotional triggers, such as feeling stressed or anxious, sad or bored.
Social triggers, like going to a bar or attending a party where you see others smoking.
Environmental triggers, including secondhand smoke

When you are ready to stop smoking, avoiding triggers like these can increase your chances of success.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Managing withdrawal symptoms is crucial to your success when you start your quitting smoking action. You may have heard of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and even prescription medicines to help you become smoke free. Now, there are a few NRT options like nicotine gum, patches, lozenges, inhalers, and Health-Canada-approved medicines such as varenicline (Chantix^TM) and bupropion (Zyban^TM). These can help with cravings and nicotine withdrawal effects.

Yet, if you’ve found that NRT or medications haven’t worked well for you, and that you prefer a NATURAL AND CHEMICAL FREE SOLUTION, a more effective treatment is soft laser therapy.

Soft Laser Therapy

Soft laser auricular therapy can effectively help you with your smoking cessation goals. In simple terms, it’s a low-level laser treatment based on acupuncture theory. The gentle but effective soft laser stimulation of acupoints on the outer ears and the head as well as certain body parts generates biological effects to the neuro-endocrine system of the body. It regulates the production of certain neurotransmitters and helps to reduce and even eliminate the cravings for smoking.

Soft laser auricular therapy physically helps you to ease the cravings and makes smoking cessation journey a lot smoother. The treatment is effective and helps with quitting not only cigarettes but also pipe smoking, cigars, chewing tobacco and vaping.

Considering Behavioral Therapy

Alongside soft laser therapy, you might also consider professional counselling, such as behavioral therapy and life coaching, and/or support groups. It helps you spot the triggers and develop other behaviors and coping strategies.

Behavioral therapy teaches relaxation techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, and strategies that minimize stress. Joining support groups such as the Canada-based Nicotine Anonymous (NicA) may help you gain support as you work towards becoming smoke-free.

Replacing Smoking with Healthy Habits

Replacing smoking with healthy habits like exercise, meditation, or hobbies is important while you quit smoking. Making lifestyle changes can go a long way to helping you manage stress in a healthier way.

In the early stages of quitting smoking, there are some tips you may use to make it easier for you to achieve your goal. For instance, chewing sugarless gum is ideal if you miss the feeling of having something in your mouth; Deep breathing exercises can help you relax if you find yourself in a stressful situation; Plus, holding a pencil or pen instead of a cigarette can work if you miss the feeling or sensation of holding a cigarette.

Throw away your crutch and use healthy methods to help you handle stress and emotions in your daily life. Be confident and truly smoke free!

Holding Yourself Accountable

Quitting smoking alone is challenging; therefore, informing your friends and family about your goal is important. They’ll provide additional support when you really need it and help to keep you on track.

Technology can be used to help you during the quitting process as well, you’ll find that keeping focused on the goal is easier with mobile apps. A quit-smoking app is a tool you can use to jot down any successes or challenges you face along the way; it’ll help you track your progress and notice any patterns as you progress, giving you greater chances of success.

Rewarding Yourself for Your Top Achievements

When you achieve a milestone, it is an achievement that you should celebrate. For example, if you go one week without smoking or stop smoking for an entire month, it is the time to treat yourself. A pleasant way to celebrate is using the money you saved from not smoking to buy yourself some gifts or take your family out for a nice dinner. As well as marking your milestone, spending the money you have saved is an important reminder of the financial benefits you gain along the way.

Never Giving Up: Focusing on Lessons Learned From Relapses

If you experience a setback, it is normal; It is part of the process and presents a chance to learn lessons. There are ways to bounce back and get yourself back on track. We recommend quitting again straight away after a relapse and staying away from locations where you might feel tempted to ask for a cigarette.

Reminding yourself about your motivations for quitting smoking and reflecting on the factors that made the process challenging, you’ll be ready to face similar scenarios in the future with greater success.

Stop Smoking: Choose Stop Centres to Quit for Good

Have you been wondering whether there’s a place to ‘quit smoking near me?’ Stop Centres has four convenient locations to serve you. We offer soft laser treatments to help with nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and ensure you to quit smoking for good.