10 Essential Steps to Quit Smoking

According to global research, people who want to quit smoking often make at least 10-12 attempts before successfully quitting. Experts believe that each attempt helps us learn new things about smoking, so these trials are essential. Even if we don't succeed, we shouldn't get discouraged and should believe that we can succeed in the next attempt. Quitting attempts are usually made with the help of medications or products designed to aid in quitting. This is a correct approach, as alleviating nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be beneficial. We want to share 10 tips that can help you quit smoking. 

YOU CANNOT QUIT SMOKING BY REDUCING IT.

1- Make a List: Think about why you want to quit smoking and write it down on a list. Mention the harms of smoking, calculate the money you spend, and include everything that smoking negatively gives you on this list. As you start writing, you'll realize how long the list is. Don't hesitate to add even the smallest details that come to mind. Keep this list with you at all times. When the urge to smoke arises, reread this list. If new points come to mind, add them to your list. Don't be embarrassed by this list; perhaps your friends or acquaintances will laugh at you, but it's better than them crying behind your back. Therefore, the list is important. Don't neglect the list; make sure to do it. You will see its benefits. 

2- Quit Smoking Cold Turkey, Don't Reduce It: Perhaps someone you know has succeeded this way, but you might not. Quitting by reducing smoking is torturing yourself. Reducing it means withdrawal symptoms lasting for days. Just one cigarette a day is enough for your addiction to continue. This will satisfy your body's nicotine need, and you'll experience withdrawal for no reason. 

3- Destroy Your Cigarettes: Do not leave cigarettes anywhere you can reach them. Throw all your packs in the trash; even break the cigarettes inside before throwing them away. Your willpower is stronger than you think. A single cigarette smoked in a moment of weakness will drag you back into the same mire. So don't be afraid, be determined, and destroy your cigarettes. 

4- Inform Your Circle: Let the people around you know about your decision to quit smoking. Ask them to support you during this process. Nicotine withdrawal can make you irritable and tense. You might not be able to concentrate because you're not smoking. These situations are temporary. You can ask them to bear with you for a week or two until they pass. If they don't, then remove those people from your life. 

5- Change Your Environment: Every smoker knows that cigarettes are consumed heavily with alcohol. If you don't drink alcohol, coffee or tea can have a similar effect. Therefore, stay away from such triggers for smoking as much as possible. Be patient. Avoid everything that reminds you of smoking for just about 2 weeks. After that, you can do whatever you want again. Instead of going to a bar, go to the gym. Exercising will greatly help you overcome your habit. Moreover, your body will recover in a short time. After quitting smoking, your chances of gaining weight will increase. You can prevent this by exercising. 

6- Practice Deep Breathing: The first few days without smoking will be very difficult. The urge to smoke will come and go constantly. When this urge arises and you can't resist it, take 5 deep breaths. This will do you good. Taking deep breaths allows our bodies to take in plenty of oxygen, which activates happiness hormones and relaxes us. 

7- Consume Plenty of Fruit: Eating fruit provides our bodies with the vitamins they need and helps us get rid of the negative effects of smoking more quickly. When we feel the urge to smoke, we can suppress this desire by eating fresh seasonal fruits. It's also very healthy as it doesn't cause weight gain. 

8- Money is a Good Reason: Health problems are one of the biggest harms of smoking, and they are also among the most important reasons for quitting. But there is another big truth: finances. Smoking is a really expensive habit. By quitting smoking, you will also get rid of a significant financial burden. When you stop buying cigarettes, put the money you would have spent on cigarettes daily into a jar or a piggy bank. As days pass, you will see how much you have saved. 

9- And It's Reward Time: If you manage not to smoke for a week, you've completed a big part of the job. Treat yourself to a gift or a meal with the money you've saved. Don't hesitate to spend that money; it wouldn't have been yours anyway. You can set your next goal for 2 weeks. 

10- Didn't Work This Time?: Did you fail to quit smoking this time? Don't be sad. Don't feel guilty. This attempt has added something to you. Don't get tired of trying until you make an attempt where you can quit smoking completely. Think about what you did wrong and where you started again, and don't fall into the same mistake in your next attempt.