How to Stop Smoking For Yourself

How to Stop Smoking for Yourself

Some miracle cases exist where a person just decides not to smoke. For example, one day a man bought five packs of cigarettes and then all of the sudden decided he did not want to smoke anymore. That was even after he consume drinks such as alcohol and coffee, and engaged in sexual activity-all former smoking triggers for him. However, that is not the case for most people.

For most smokers not having the desire to smoke, even if that person tries is nothing more than a pipe dream. Most people have the opposite problem, they attempt stop smoking, but could not put the cigarette out even if they tried. The reason for this is they have not decided to quit for themselves. This could be also the case with you.

Think about it for a second. You are probably the kind of person who thinks you "should" quit smoking because your wife, husband, son, daughter or best friend says you should. So, you follow their lead, and even sometimes their outright nagging, but to no avail. You continue to give it to the pull of the nicotine you can't seem to live without.

The question is why do you light yet another deadly smoke stick? The answer is that people like you listen to people who may not even smoke themselves and not know how difficult it is for you. In turn, you may feel a bit of a rebellious attitude, thinking no one has the right to tell you what to do, because they do not know how hard it is for you to stop. Therefore, either out of feeling misunderstood, or a feeling of not wanting to be told how to live your life-or both-you light up another cigarette.

Feeling misunderstood, or wanting to be rebellious are not always the reason, however. Sometimes people just haven't really thought about what is really important to them, and what the benefits of quitting smoking are. In addition, they might not even know why they would want to quit, other than for the reasons other people tell them they should quit.

Now, that is not to say that prevention of lung cancer, having a cleaner smelling home, and protection of the children are bad reasons to stop smoking. It's just that these reasons, plus others have to come within you, not from other people. What are the reasons you want to quit?

Once you have thought of the reasons that are important to you, you may want to keep record of them. You can either keep a handwritten or computer journal of the reasons you think of. If you are not sure, you can brainstorm with a friend, but be sure that you eventually think of the reasons on your own. The reason why, is the list is supposed to be reasons that you believe in to help you quit smoking for no one but yourself.

To help you get started thinking of reasons to quit smoking, you can refer to sample reasons to quit smoking mentioned in this paragraph. Some of the reasons you want to quit smoking might be that you want to live to see your children graduate college, or that you want to be healthy enough to see the world when you retire. Another reason to quit smoking is so you can produce better on your job.

Furthermore, You may have thought of a reason to quit smoking that no one else has, such as the fact that you do not want yellow or rotten teeth. Additionally, an incentive that would be important enough to make you want to quit can be as simple as not having smoker's breath, or having to freeze your bottom off while standing outside on break. Whatever your personal reasons are for quitting smoking, they have to be reason enough to want you to quit for yourself.

Once you decide that you really do want to quit, and you know the reasons that you want to quit, then begin a realistic plan. A realistic plan is one with small goals. For example, instead of telling yourself you are not going to smoke for a whole week, set a goal that you are not going to smoke for the next fifteen minutes. Then, you can increase that amount of time to a half hour, an hour, a day and so on, until you no longer smoke.

Along with this, you may want to temporarily refrain from other activities that would make you think of smoking, such as making a cocktail, or drinking a cup of coffee. In addition, you would be better off avoiding places where excess smoke saturates the air because smoking is permitted there. Examples of places where smoking is allowed are bars, restaurants, bus stops, and employee break rooms. Remember, keep your goals to stop smoking realistic.

Of course it may be impossible to avoid the temptation to smoke altogether, so you may have to find assistance from a counselor, or accountability from a friend who is also dedicated to quitting. You also may want to consider finding a nicotine patch program that is right for you, or take up a new hobby, such as chewing gum. Some other people actually find it helpful to place an object in the mouth that resembles the shape of a cigarette. This object could be a pretzel stick, celery stalk, carrot wedge, or similar shaped item.

The method for quitting smoking is different for everybody. Therefore, do not give up if you do not succeed right away. Furthermore, if you need extra incentive, refer back to the reasons that you want to quit smoking. These reasons are different for everybody, and no two smokers are alike. Therefore, do not try to follow someone else's regiment for quitting smoking, but instead follow your own.

More importantly, know that deep down inside you really do want to stop smoking, and it is for you, not anyone else. Knowing that you want to quit for yourself, and no one else increases your likelihood of success.