5 Tips To Help You Stop Smoking

After many years of smoking I am concerned that I should give up while I still can. I have smoked for so long that I can hardly imagine not smoking but I know I must stop and I know it will be hard to do. I have been trying to find the best way to stop and I thought others would be interested too.

The way most people tackle the task of quitting smoking is by simply going cold turkey. They stop smoking and try to remain strong and determined enough to fight the craving and desire for cigarettes. Many people have succeeded in this way and I guess if you are astrong willed person this may work for you. I am not so sure this is the way for me to give up cigarettes as I suspect I would just start all over again.

You may be able to deal with your body craving nicotine but what do you do with your hands? If you have become used to holding a cigarette between your fingers then the absence of that can be a problem for some people. Overcoming this physical habit can be done with a dummy cigarette which gives you the reassuring feeling you need. Some think these are silly but it can make all the difference between succeeding or not.

Ashtrays stink. Even smokers know this so one old but simple idea is to smell an ashtray everytime you fancy a cigarette. There are few things as unpleasant as an ashtray and it also reinforces the idea of what cigarettes do to your lungs. Smelling an ashtray may well put you off smoking and doing that each time you want a cigarette could stop you smoking for good.

Nicotine patches are a more recent development and some people find these very effective. The idea is that by putting a patch on your skin which releases small amounts of nicotine into your body the cravings are reduced. They are quite expensive but it is only for a few weeks or months and they usually cost less than the smoking does .

One slightly surprising way to help you stop smoking is acupuncture. The ideas behind acupuncture have been around for thousands of years and for some people it is an effective way of helping them to stop smoking. My brother tried this and stopped smoking for several years but then started again. Maybe with a few more treatments he might not have started again but this may be a very effective way to stop smoking for some people.

Willpower is the most powerful way to stop smoking but also the hardest to do. You do need to be very strong willed and determined not to smoke any longer. To help build that strength of determination some people turn to hypnotism and when you think about it this all makes good sense. If you can strengthen your subconscious desire not to smoke then you are building your resolve and strengthening your willpower. Some people claim almost instant results using this method and it may be better than other ways because your sub concious desire is strong that you will not smoke again.