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Few things in life are as difficult as stopping smoking. The tobacco addiction has been compared to heroin addiction, though I have talked to counselors who work with heroin addicts and smokers and they have assured me that tobacco addiction, while strong, is not really as powerful or difficult to manage as heroin addiction. But one thing both addictions have in common, in fact, that all addictions have in common, is that once a human being is addicted to a substance, the addiction, though it may be managed, lasts for a life time. So if you are a smoker today you will be a smoker for life. You may stop smoking for years, but if you start to smoke, thinking you will smoke occasionally, then you will soon find yourself right back where you started, wishing you had never tried to smoke a little. It is the same as if you were managing an alcohol addiction, a reformed alcoholic can't take "just one drink," and a reformed smoker can't take "just one puff."
The worst part of stopping smoking is the immediate withdrawal symptoms which may vary from person to person, but are found in almost every incidence of smoking cessation. The first 72 hours are the critical hours when smokers find it the hardest to stick with the stop smoking plan. Therefore, it is important to look ahead and make plans for how you will deal with the symptoms. That should be the first step in your stop smoking program. Ask yourself, "What will I do if I crave a cigarette?" If there are times when you are more likely to smoke, like after a meal, while driving, while out drinking with friends, for instance, then you should plan ahead and think of ways to deal with those situations. Having a clear plan that you can fall back on will make your chances of quitting a lot better.
The old saying, "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail," certainly applies to many misguided attempts to stop smoking. One mistake that smokers often make is thinking that they will think of something creative when the time comes to deal with a strong urge to smoke, or they ignore that possibility and disregard the danger of giving in to the urge to smoke. If you don't manage your smoking habit, then your smoking habit will soon be managing you. Isn't that what has been happening all along?
Very few people manage to stop smoking on their first try. It often takes several attempts before the smoker successfully handles the addiction. The reason for this is twofold. First, when you first try to stop smoking you don't know exactly what to expect. You may have heard other people talk about their attempts and experiences, but since no two people are exactly alike, you still don't know for sure how your attempts to stop smoking will feel or affect you. Secondly, since you don't know what it feels like to stop smoking it is difficult to plan ahead for ways that you will deal with cravings and other urges that may occur.
Once you have attempted to stop smoking a few times you will know how your body reacts to nicotine deprivation and the psychological affect of giving up smoking. So it is wise to consider each attempt, whether completely successful or not, as a positive step toward stopping smoking. The first few attempts are trial runs, training efforts, and learning experiences. Each experience, no matter how painful or frustrating, can be looked at as a valuable lesson and that will help to relieve the frustration and disappointment of a failed attempt.
Another valuable resource that should not be overlooked is the advice of people who have been able to stop smoking and professional counselors who help with addictions. Their advice and support can help you to avoid some of the pitfalls. When you decide to stop smoking you are making one of the biggest and potentially life saving decisions of your life, so using every possible aid at your disposal makes good sense. It all starts with a good plan.
Millions of people smoke, and to many, particularly those that have been smoking for some time, the prospect of quitting seems daunting. An addiction to nicotine is a serious one, and is multifaceted: there is a physical component, in that your body craves the nicotine the cigarettes contain, and a psychological one, in that many habits and situations become associated with cigarettes for the smoker. For these reasons it is important that you come up with a plan of attack in order to quit smoking: although the cold-turkey technique works for some people, the vast majority of smokers will have success only with a more comprehensive plan.
When you first consider the prospect of quitting smoking, it's probably going to seem far fetched, but keep in mind that thousands of people - people that are no different from you - quit smoking every year. If they can do it, there's no reason that you can't. Many smokers also feel that after a certain age it is "too-late" to quit smoking. Simply put, this isn't true, and should not be used as an excuse to avoid an attempt to quit smoking: the health benefits of quitting smoking begin the very day you stop.
Before you actually have your last cigarette, begin to build up your willpower. Your willpower is going to be your most important tool in quitting, and it's very unlikely that you will be successful without it. Spend some time thinking of the reasons you want to quit smoking. Learn about the health benefits of quitting, for both yourself and the people around you. Do some math and come up with some figures for the amount of money you'll save by not buying cigarettes, and think of something you'll use that money for.
Once you've built up your willpower, it's time to have your last cigarette. To keep your spirits up, understand that the human body is incredibly resilient, and your health will improve as soon as you stop smoking - literally. 8 hours after your last cigarette, carbon monoxide levels and oxygen levels in your blood stream will return to normal. At 24 hours after your last cigarette, you statistically reduce your chance of a heart attack. Only 48 hours after your last cigarette, your sense of taste and smell will improve as your nerve endings start growing.
As you continue to stay smoke free, think of the longer-term benefits to quitting in order to keep your willpower up: even after 2 weeks your lung power will begin to increase, and continue to do so over time. Other aspects of your health will continue to improve in various ways. The ultimate motivator should be the knowledge that 15 years after quitting, your risk of death is almost the same as someone who has never smoked - a remarkable fact that illustrates our the human body's surprising ability to restore itself.
By coming up with a concrete plan to quit smoking you will greatly increase your chances of success. Crucial is understanding the important role that your willpower will play in the process, and planning to build up this willpower weeks before you attempt to quit. Once you've stopped you have to keep the strength of this willpower up, and to do so, remind yourself of the health benefits you will be privy to immediately after butting out that last cigarette.