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.
From minor inconveniences such as smell and staining of fingers, hair, clothing, furniture and draperies if you smoke inside your home to much more serious health effects such as strokes and a multitude of cancers - there is no doubt that smoking is harmful. And it’s not just harmful to the smoker - second-hand smoke also has the same harmful effects on those who live or work with smokers.
The bottom line? Smoking is bad for you. Is that a surprise to anyone? I don’t think so.
If you can address the stress in your life, it can help remove the reasons, or excuses, of why you feel the need to smoke. Perhaps you work at a job you really don’t like. Start making plans to change careers if that’s what it will take - investigate new employment options or educational opportunities that will have the ultimate goal of getting you into a position or job that appeals to you.
Next, change the environment in your home or office - wherever you (used to) smoke. Don’t let other people smoke in your house, or office - don’t hang out in places where smoking is almost mandatory - such as bars or nightclubs. Repaint the inside of your house, clean the carpets, wash the drapes - in short, make it obvious that a non-smoker lives here. After all that work of cleaning up, you won’t want to relapse and return to the habit of smoking.
The reasons for all this “nicotine backlash” are obvious - smoking represents such a health hazard, for smokers as well as those around them, that outlawing this habit is an obvious ultimate goal. Tobacco companies that once posed such a powerful threat at the federal government level have been hit by fines totaling billions of dollars over the past 20 years, and are resorting to expanding their overseas markets as the U.S. markets shrink.
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.
And the long term benefits are just as remarkable - after quitting for 5 to 15 years, you cut your risk of suffering a stroke to that of people who have never smoked. At 10 years your chances of contracting a multitude of cancers decreases to levels similar in non-smokers. At 15 years your risk of developing coronary heart disease drops to non-smoker levels.
Added to the bad news is that nicotine is as addictive for some people as heroin or cocaine. Hence the reasons it can be so difficult to quit smoking - you’re actually kicking a drug habit - you can expect relapses and withdrawal symptoms just as when trying to kick a heroin addiction.
Withdrawal symptoms from quitting smoking last a relatively short period of time during the quitting process, but can cause unpleasant levels of discomfort during that time. Symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can include mood swings (anxiety, irritableness, short-tempered or cranky), inability to sleep, extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating, coughing, headaches, stomach upset and the like. The craving to smoke is perhaps one of the most difficult symptoms to deal with - because if you give into that craving, you’ve eliminated all the effort you’ve put into having a smoke-free day.
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.
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.
Usually these symptoms pass within 3 to 5 minutes, so if you can distract yourself until they pass, you’ll bypass the destructive effects of lighting up another cigarette. Instead of reaching for your lighter and cigarette case, take yourself for a short walk. Keep a book of inspirational poetry or motivational phrases within reach or involve yourself in some task.
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.