5 Steps to Quit Smoking Today

Quitting a habit is not easy especially not smoking. Smoking cigarettes is one of those addictive habits that slowly ruins our lives and of others around us. I hope you are reading this hub because you want to quit smoking as well. I used to smoke cigarettes and I've quit. I no longer have that odor, I don't have to worry about offending someone else with my breath and oh yes I feel great. I used to smoke every time I got stressed out, soon I stressed myself out constantly in order to smoke. First step is to admit you have a problem. Will power is a very distinctive quality us humans have. With will power we can pretty much do anything. From conquering our fears to controlling our destiny. It can also help you to quit smoking. So as of now tell yourself you are going to quit smoking cigarettes.

A Support System is important when battling anything, but it is especially important to have when attempting to quit smoking. Why is it important? Well because although you may have the will power to tell yourself you have quit smoking, hearing from others who have quit smoking or are in the process also helps boost your self esteem and your will power to continue on. Of course hanging out with smokers is not going to be good so you may want to avoid hanging out with smokers when you are trying to quit smoking.

As part of being part of a support system you are held accountable by your peers, but you have to keep others in the group accountable as well. Accountability is crucial for your success because it keeps you honest. Plus when you quit smoking you are not helping anyone else, you are helping yourself. Of course your loved ones should be happy you quit smoking. Also with accountability you can get to know people in your support group better and create new friendships.

What is reprogramming yourself? Well its not easy. It is basically training your mind to do something which is not what the mind is telling you to do. For example, whenever I got the urge to smoke I would grab a class of water and take a sip. Nicotine basically tells your brain that you need to go for a smoke, once you stop smoking and instead perform another action like take a sip of water you are telling your brain that every time you get an urge to smoke you are going to have some water. Reason I chose water is because now that I have quit smoking I don't want to gain any extra weight and I want to avoid any sugary drinks like sodas or sweets. First few days after going cold turkey is going to be painful. You have to let your body realize that it is no longer going to need cigarettes.

There are also other commercial ways to quit smoking. You can try Nicorette Gum. Personally I did not like the gum one bit, it made my mouth salivate when I was chewing the gum and definitely had a burning sensation in my mouth. If that was the intended result of the gum then I guess that should make anyone quit smoking. However, I think it should be a pleasant experience not one filled with torture. 

Since Nicorette Gum was such a horrible experience I decided to try the 3 Step Nicoderm patches. I started with Step 2 and I found this to be more helpful than the Nicorette Gum. First of all there is no injection of any horrible gum. These Nicoderm Patches release nicotine through the patch through out the day and as each day goes by you are still getting little doses of Nicotine but you are not smoking any cigarettes. By the time you are done with Step 2 and 3 patches you will be completely smoke free.

I am not personally tried Electronic Cigarettes but I have seen some in action and I am not sure if they completely work. I don't know much about them so I don't want to mislead you. However, if you do know more about Electronic Cigarettes then please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

My neighbor tried to quit smoking via hypnosis. She believes it has helped, although I don't think she has completely stopped smoking I believe she has definitely reduced the number of cigarettes she has been smoking. 

Quitting Cigarettes is not only beneficial for your health and of those around you, it is also beneficial for your wallet. Depending how much you smoke, you can easily save at least $100 per month from not smoking cigarettes alone. Not to mention all the medical issues you can avoid in the future by choosing to stop smoking. I hope you best of luck with your decision to quit smoking.