How To Stop Smoking
For most people, quitting smoking will not be easy. Some people do not seem to get as physically addicted as others so quitting, for them, is relatively easy. For the rest of us, a good “exit strategy” will be essential.
The first and most important step in developing an exit strategy from the habit of smoking is to find a serious reason to quit. Your “motivation to quit” will be the foundation of your exit strategy.
The more serious, more personal and more emotional your motivation, the more likely you will be to succeed. Quitting because your spouse, friends, relatives, doctor want you to is often not motivating enough to keep you going. The motivating reason must be yours and not from someone else.
Once motivated to quit, you will need a plan of attack. How are you going to do it. Will you ease off, go cold turkey, use a nicotine patch or gum, or use hypnosis, acupuncture or Zyban? Each one of these has proven successful for some people and unsuccessful for others. I personally quit using my hypnosis CD that I sell at my online store and I also used Zyban to help break the physical dependence. Using both, I quit easily and with no side effects. Make a solid plan and put it in writing so you can review it when needed.
Step three is to “take action”. Put your plan into effect. Do not procrastinate. Your life depends on it.
Keep in mind that no matter how much or for how long you’ve smoked, your lungs begin healing within 24 hours of your quitting. Within a couple years of your quitting, your chances of getting lung cancer are reduced. After 15 years of not smoking, your chances of getting lung cancer are reduced by 95 %. This is great news because it means that your chances of getting lung cancer are only 5 % more than someone who never smoked. Personally, these are odds I can live with.
Do yourself a favor. Get started now.
The first and most important step in developing an exit strategy from the habit of smoking is to find a serious reason to quit. Your “motivation to quit” will be the foundation of your exit strategy.
The more serious, more personal and more emotional your motivation, the more likely you will be to succeed. Quitting because your spouse, friends, relatives, doctor want you to is often not motivating enough to keep you going. The motivating reason must be yours and not from someone else.
Once motivated to quit, you will need a plan of attack. How are you going to do it. Will you ease off, go cold turkey, use a nicotine patch or gum, or use hypnosis, acupuncture or Zyban? Each one of these has proven successful for some people and unsuccessful for others. I personally quit using my hypnosis CD that I sell at my online store and I also used Zyban to help break the physical dependence. Using both, I quit easily and with no side effects. Make a solid plan and put it in writing so you can review it when needed.
Step three is to “take action”. Put your plan into effect. Do not procrastinate. Your life depends on it.
Keep in mind that no matter how much or for how long you’ve smoked, your lungs begin healing within 24 hours of your quitting. Within a couple years of your quitting, your chances of getting lung cancer are reduced. After 15 years of not smoking, your chances of getting lung cancer are reduced by 95 %. This is great news because it means that your chances of getting lung cancer are only 5 % more than someone who never smoked. Personally, these are odds I can live with.
Do yourself a favor. Get started now.
posted by Dr. Yarnell at 1:03 PM
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