How to Quit Smoking in 7 Steps?

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When I say to my smoker friends and colleagues, elders and young ones, smoking is injurious to health, the reply is obvious, “Say Something New”.

But when I say it’s easy to quit, they all either laugh or smile. And when I say I have done it; it’s really easy, then I always hear “What you just said; easy, you must be kidding.”

I even hear from my best friend, “Yes, I agree that quit smoking is very easy as I did it many times in the past couple of years. But the issue is, I start again and again and again……”

Smoking is not good for health and even it is fatal. Look at the shocking statistics issued by the World Health Organization (WHO):-

·              Half of the tobacco users are killed by it.

·              Each year, more than 8 million people are killed by tobacco

o More than 7 million active smokers

o Around 1.2 million passive smokers

“The true face of smoking is disease, death, and horror — not the glamour and sophistication the pushers in the tobacco industry try to portray.” David Byrne

The following steps helped me and hopefully support the other as well. It is a must-read for chain smokers and a worth-read for potential smokers.

Step — I: Decision

If you have decided to quit smoking; believe me, you have won half of the battle. Taking the decision, making up the mind, is the hardest step ever for me.

Suggestion

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Seriousness is the key to success. Be determined if you are serious about quitting smoking.

Take a decision;
·     If you feel your mouth as an ashtray.
·      If you want to enjoy the real taste of eatables and revive your taste buds.
·   If you feel the guilt that you are making passive smokers around you.

·            After visiting smoker patients in a hospital.

·   After witnessing the death rate statistics at the WHO website.

·              If you want to enjoy a good quality of life.

Step — II: Meals & Smoking Connection

Smokers always make a cigarette ready after every meal or snack, they simply can’t live without it. You have to break the connection between a meal and a smoke. This was the most difficult step for me, but above-mentioned Step — I helped me.

Suggestion

·              Increase the time-space between a meal and smoke, you may start from 5 minutes.

·              A gradual increase in time, up to 30 minutes, would be better.

·              The time jump may take weeks or months.

·              Be determined and keep increasing the time-lapse until the connection will break.

Step — III: Avoid Smokers

When I left smoking for the second-last time, one of my colleagues pushed me by motivating, “Let’s do gang smoking” and I decided not to inhale but puff out the smoke.

Alas! I started again.

Suggestion

·              You can politely refuse the smoking offer with a smile.

·              Request your friends not to offer rather not to smoke in front of you.

·              Find a friend who quit smoking successfully and spend time with him to get tips and inspiration.

 ·              Leave the company of smokers.

·              Make non-smokers friends.

Step — IV: Change of Diet Plan

Normally the urge for a cigarette increases after eating meat stuff. But we can’t quit food of high nutrition value therefore a change of diet plan is needed. I changed my eating habits, it was beneficial.

Suggestion

·              Increase the vegetable items in the meal.

·              Add fruits to lunch and dinner.

·              Reduce meat items.

·              Increase water intake with every meal.

Step — V: Reduce Scale of Smoking

The sudden removal of any addiction has consequences; maybe severe health issues. Gradual removal is always recommended.

Photo by Mathew MacQuarrie on Unsplash

       Suggestion
·  Smoke 90% of a cigarette. Decrease the percentage bit by bit. Do it with every pack.
·  Reduce cigarette per week. If you smoke 20/day, it makes 140/week. So, 139/week wouldn’t make much of a difference. Then 138, 137, 136……, and so on.

·  The need for nicotine will decrease gradually by adopting any or combination of the above methods.

Step — VI: Study Diseases Caused by Tobacco

I did an excessive and extensive study of diseases caused by smoking. Also, studied the effects on other diseases when augmented with tobacco. It was the best motivating factor that worked for me.

Suggestion

·              Go through the material available on the internet in the shape of articles and research papers etc.

·              Visit the local library for the purpose.

·              Consult a doctor and make yourself educated.

Step — VII: Take a Walk

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The best and final step is exercise. New research has confirmed that exercise can help smokers finally kick the habit.

It can easily distract you from smoking and keeps you busy until the urge for smoking passes away.

A walk or stretch reduces the cravings and pushes the brain to produce anti-craving chemicals.

Suggestion

·              Do 30 minutes exercise at once or 10 minutes exercise 3 times a day. The results would be the same. It reduces the urge for smoking.

·              Take a walk on a track and use the mobile step counter app to keep the record.

A drawback of Quitting Smoking

Yes, it is correct, there is a drawback as well. After quitting, appetite increases to the extent that smokers put on weight. Gaining weight causes other health issues.

Solution: Do more exercise and burn the extra calories regularly.

Conclusion

Smokers do smoke when they feel happiness or sadness, celebrating or grieving, having fun or getting bored, glad or depressed, etc. In short, it’s all mood solution. But the fact remains, tobacco is dangerous to the body organs.

Quitting is tough, but possible. It’s a matter of self-control and determination. It’s a matter of conviction and will power.

Good luck with the decision, if taken to quit smoking.