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They often only last a few minutes and Quit has over tips and tricks to help you manage cravings - or avoid them all together. The best way to quit is to use a combination of methods. Adding personalised support such as the Quitline can help you not just quit, but stay quit. Call the Quitline on 13 and get tailored information on how to beat the habit, use nicotine replacement products and other tips and tricks. Jump on the call back page to book a time to have Quitline call you, build your own quit plan or read up on how former smokers beat the habit.
We have over tailored tips and tactics to help you stay quit for good, check out our tips and tactics. Calling the Quitline increases your chance of quitting successfully. Quit Specialists are trained to listen carefully to you to help meet your needs. Looking for Reasons to quit smoking A plan to get ready to quit Tips to stay on track Advice on having another go at quitting Ex-smokers' stories Factsheets.
Information for professionals Quit education Client groups Order resources. Read the 6 best hacks to quit smoking once and for all Stuck on quitting? Read the 6 best hacks to quit smoking once and for all. Read on for our six top tips to help you stay on track. Relax and unwind If you find yourself reaching for a cigarette after work or a chore, how about a meditation or mindfulness exercise instead?
Quitting smoking is not easy, but it's worth it! WebMD offers practical tips to help you break your nicotine addiction and kick the cigarette habit for good. About 90% of people who try to quit smoking do it without outside support both a nicotine patch and gum may be better than a patch alone.
Simple deep breathing exercises for a few minutes can release muscle tension and make you feel more present, helping you pre-empt the trigger or craving and calm the mind. Try to relax - Do something that calms you down, such as taking a warm bath, meditating, reading a book, or practicing deep breathing exercises. Go somewhere smoking is not permitted - Step into a public building, store, mall, coffee shop, or movie theatre, for example.
Smoking acts as an appetite suppressant, so gaining weight is a common concern for many of us when we decide to give up cigarettes. You may even be using it as a reason not to quit. While it's true that many smokers put on weight within six months of stopping smoking, the gain is usually small—about five pounds on average—and that initial gain decreases over time.
However, gaining weight is NOT inevitable when you stop smoking. Smoking dampens your sense of smell and taste, so after you quit food will often seem more appealing. You may also gain weight if you replace the oral gratification of smoking with eating unhealthy comfort foods. Instead of turning to cigarettes or food when you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed, learn new ways to quickly soothe yourself. Listen to uplifting music, play with a pet, or sip a cup of hot tea, for example.
Eat healthy, varied meals. Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats. Avoid sugary food , sodas, fried, and convenience food. Learn to eat mindfully. Emotional eating tends to be automatic and virtually mindless. Are you really still hungry or eating for another reason? Drink lots of water.
Drinking at least six to eight 8 oz. Water will also help flush toxins from your body. Dieting Tips that Work. Not only will it help you burn calories and keep the weight off , but it will also help alleviate feelings of stress and frustration that accompany smoking withdrawal. Snack on guilt-free foods. Good choices include sugar-free gum, carrot and celery sticks, or sliced bell peppers or jicama. There are many different methods that have successfully helped people to kick the smoking habit. Smoking cessation medications can ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings.
They are most effective when used as part of a comprehensive stop smoking program monitored by your physician. Talk to your doctor about your options and whether an anti-smoking medication is right for you. Nicotine replacement therapy involves "replacing" cigarettes with other nicotine substitutes, such as nicotine gum, patch, lozenge, inhaler, or nasal spray. It relieves some of the withdrawal symptoms by delivering small and steady doses of nicotine into your body without the tars and poisonous gases found in cigarettes. This type of treatment helps you focus on breaking your psychological addiction and makes it easier to concentrate on learning new behaviors and coping skills.
These medications help you stop smoking by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms without the use of nicotine. Medications such as bupropion Zyban and varenicline Chantix, Champix are intended for short-term use only. Since it eliminates the tar and toxic gases found in cigarette smoke, smoking e-cigarettes vaping is almost certainly less dangerous than smoking conventional cigarettes.
While different studies have conflicting results, e-cigarettes may also be helpful in kicking the habit.
However, there are some downsides to vaping:. Hypnosis — This is a popular option that has produced good results for many smokers struggling to quit. Forget anything you may have seen from stage hypnotists, hypnosis works by getting you into a deeply relaxed state where you are open to suggestions that strengthen your resolve to stop smoking and increase your negative feelings toward cigarettes. Acupuncture — One of the oldest known medical techniques, acupuncture is believed to work by triggering the release of endorphins natural pain relievers that allow the body to relax.
As a smoking cessation aid, acupuncture can be helpful in managing smoking withdrawal symptoms. Behavioral Therapy — Nicotine addiction is related to the habitual behaviors or rituals involved in smoking.
Behavior therapy focuses on learning new coping skills and breaking those habits. Motivational Therapies — Self-help books and websites can provide a number of ways to motivate yourself to give up smoking. One well known example is calculating the monetary savings. Some people have been able to find the motivation to quit just by calculating how much money they will save.
It may be enough to pay for a summer vacation. Smokeless tobacco, otherwise known as spit or chewing tobacco, is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. It contains the same addictive chemical, nicotine, contained in cigarettes. In fact, the amount of nicotine absorbed from smokeless tobacco can be 3 to 4 times the amount delivered by a cigarette.
Instead, turn the relapse into a rebound by learning from your mistake. Analyze what happened right before you started smoking again, identify the triggers or trouble spots you ran into, and make a new stop-smoking plan that eliminates them.
You can choose to learn from the slip and let it motivate you to try harder or you can use it as an excuse to go back to your smoking habit. But the choice is yours. It doesn't mean you can't quit for good.
Throw out the rest of the pack. It's important to get back on the non-smoking track as soon as possible. Look back at your quit log and feel good about the time you went without smoking. Exactly what was it that made you smoke again? Decide how you will cope with that issue the next time it comes up.
Learn from your experience. Did you know that you're up to 4 times more likely to quit successfully with their expert help and advice? A review of scientific studies has proved exercise, even a 5-minute walk or stretch, cuts cravings and may help your brain produce anti-craving chemicals.
Nicotine replacement therapy NRT can double your chances of success. As well as patches, there are tablets, lozenges, gum and a nasal spray. When you're out, try putting your drink in the hand that usually holds a cigarette, or drink from a straw to keep your mouth busy. Make a list of the reasons and read it when you need support.
Ex-smoker Chris, 28, says: If I was tempted, I'd look at that. Skip to main content. Main navigation Smoking facts 10 health benefits of stopping smoking Passive smoking 10 myths about stop smoking treatments Paan, bidi and shisha Using e-cigarettes to quit Unders guide to quitting smoking Stopping smoking for your mental health.