The next part of preparing yourself mentally to quit smoking is to be aware that you’re facing a battle - perhaps the most important battle of your life. As with any battle, you’ll need tools and weapons to assist you. From support systems to medications, there are a variety of avenues open to you that will help you succeed.
Find a “hot line” that supports smoking cessation. The more contact you have with therapists or counselors experienced in therapy for those who are quitting, the more likely it is you’ll succeed. Sometimes the ability to talk to someone who’s been through what you’re going through during withdrawal is enough to overcome those momentary symptoms.
Another key point in quitting smoking is to get a support system around you. Although the bulk of the effort at quitting smoking must come from you - no one else can do it for you - you can surround yourself with people that can help you achieve your goal. Studies have shown that those people who have a strong support system are far more likely to succeed at quitting than those who try to go it alone.
The bottom line? Smoking is bad for you. Is that a surprise to anyone? I don’t think so.
Once you’ve overcome the initial withdrawal symptoms from quitting smoking, realize that you’re over the first hurdle - now it’s simply a daily battle to stay away from the source of your addiction. Using these tips and techniques will help ensure that you’re successful at your ultimate goal. Congratulations! You’re truly a non-smoker now.
If you’re quitting “cold turkey” it may cause higher levels of stress, just as abrupt withdrawal from any drug would cause in bodily systems. Because your body no longer has the drug it’s addicted to, the need for the stimuli from smoking can become an overwhelming craving. But by the same token, many people find that quitting cold turkey works better for their personalities because it removes the source of their addiction and they can concentrate on getting through the withdrawal period.
Another amazing fact is how swiftly the body begins recovery once you quit smoking. Although quitting smoking after you’ve developed lung cancer or heart disease is a little like closing the barn door after the horses have run away, in reality it’s never to late to quit. Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your blood pressure decreases, your pulse rate drops and the temperature in your extremities (hands and feet) returns to normal levels. (Within 20 minutes!)
Part of getting ready to quit smoking also includes things like setting a specific quit date - whether you go “cold turkey” or engage in a gradual cessation, set a firm date that tells you exactly when you’ll become a non-smoker. Get a calendar and circle the date in red marking pen - or use some other method of setting that goal in your mind. Don’t say “I’m going to quit in 30 days.” Say “I’m going to quit smoking on June 15th.” Make it a specific, measurable goal.
Smoking has already been banned in federal offices, and many communities are copying that legislation with bans on local, city and state offices. Some communities are even attempting to pass laws that would forbid smoking in the privacy of one’s own home, although at present most of those laws are meeting with limited success.
If you’re a smoker, you’re already aware that the “nicotine police” are out to get you. This isn’t just paranoid fantasy - it’s becoming a fact of life that legislators from local city councils to the federal government are taking aim at smokers, with the ultimate intent of outlawing smoking in any form.
Reduce the amount of stress in your life. Many smokers say that “smoking helps calm them down” after they’ve had a stressful day or a troubling event. In reality, just the opposite is true; smoking stimulates the body in a number of ways. It’s the fiddling around with all the smoking paraphernalia that “calms” the smoker down - the cigarettes themselves, the ashtray, the lighter, tipping the ashes off the end of the cigarette, etc. All those patterns of behavior are what constitutes calming routine for the smoker.
Next, change your routine - learn new skills and behaviors. Studies have shown that the human brain takes approximately three weeks to learn and implement a new pattern of behavior - the neurotransmitters in your brain are resistant to changing more quickly than that period of time. So although you may tell yourself you’re quitting on June 15th, it will take at least 21 days for the message - and the new behavior pattern - to get through to your brain.
Eight hours after quitting, the carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal, and your oxygen level in your bloodstream increases to normal. At 24 hours your chances of suffering a heart attack decrease. At 48 hours nerve endings start to re-grow, and taste and smell sensations return to almost normal levels.
When you quit smoking, you need to change your daily routine that included cigarettes. For example, if you normally had a cup of coffee and a cigarette for breakfast, change that to a cup of tea and read the paper. Or check your email. Or have a healthy breakfast and a quick walk before you begin your daily tasks. Change the environment around you so that it doesn’t include time for smoking.
Depending on your personality, you may want to consider quitting “cold turkey” - meaning you throw out all the cigarettes in your house, purse, car and anywhere else, and just stop smoking. The other method is to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke each day until you reach your goal of not smoking. The differing methods work according to your personal strengths and weaknesses.