How to overcome addiction?

How to Quit Smoking Plan (Step-By-Step)

A step by step plan to help you quit smoking.

Step 1: Make the Decision to Quit

Identify your reasons for quitting smoking. Quitting is challenging. You can rise to the challenge, but it helps if you have your goals in mind. Review your mental list as you approach your quit date.

If you have tried to quit smoking before and failed, don’t let that be an obstacle. The more times you try to quit, the greater your chance of success. Maybe you weren’t ready last time. Maybe you didn’t take the rights steps.

Step 2: Understand Your High-Risk Times

Smoking is more than just a physical addiction to nicotine. It is also a psychological addiction. It is important to understand why you smoke and what you get out of it? Is it for relief from stress, or something else. 

Given below are some common triggers for smoking cravings:

• Drinking coffee
• Finishing a meal
• Driving your car
• Using the phone
• Stressful situations
• Drinking alcohol
• Social events

Try to keep yourself as busy as possible, to avoid thinking about smoking. 

• Plan lots of dates with friends. Get out of the house. Go for walks, bike rides, or go to the gym. Go to a movie. Be good to yourself.
• Keep your hands busy. Some people like to use a pen, a straw or a coffee stirrer.
• Drink lots of water.
• Call the people who have offered to help. Everyone understands how difficult this is. People will be happy that you’re doing it. Don’t try to do it alone.
• If you just sit there with your cravings, you are giving them room to grow.
• Relax and breathe deeply.

Step 3: Stock Up on Supplies

Since smoking is also an oral addiction, try and stock up on substitutes for a cigarette stick.

Step 4: Pick a Quit Date

A quit date is a personal commitment. It is important because it prepares your mind subconsciously. Pick a date within the next month. It doesn’t have to be a special day.

Step 5: Let People Know

Tell others that you wanna quit. It is easier to quit when you have support from friends and loved ones. 

Step 6: Remove All Smoking Reminders

Smoking like any addiction is triggered by people, places, and things. For other addictions, the objects that are triggers are usually drug paraphernalia. In this case the paraphernalia include cigarettes, matches, lighters, and ashtrays. 

Step 7: The First 2 Weeks

The first two weeks are critical for your success. If you can get though the first two weeks your chance of success is much higher.(3) Therefore it is important to give yourself the best chance you can during these critical weeks.

The first two weeks are all about distractions, keeping busy, and being good to yourself. Keep busy with fun, low stress activities and avoid high stress ones.

Avoid High Risk Situations

• Don’t hang out with smokers. That’s like a crack addict hanging out with crack addicts. No matter how friendly and supportive your smoking friends are, they are still a high risk environment for at least the first several months.
• Practice saying, “No thank you, I don’t smoke anymore.”
• Understand that you will encounter high risk situations that you haven’t thought of. If you find yourself triggered, plan to get up and leave quickly.
• A change of scenery can make all the difference.

Talk to Yourself

• Most cravings only last 10 - 20 minutes. Distract yourself, and the cravings will pass. When you think about using, talk to yourself and keep yourself busy.
• “I refuse to believe that smoking is more powerful than me.”
• “I won’t give smoking any more power over my life.”
• “I chose to be a non-smoker.”
• “One day at a time.”

Step 8: Maintenance and Coping Strategies

Quit smoking one day at a time. Don't think about quitting forever. That can be overwhelming. Deal with right now, and the days will start to add up.

Self-care

Be good to yourself. 

Don't try to diet while quitting smoking. Too much deprivation is bound to backfire. Instead, try eating more fruits and vegetables.

Celebrate Your Victories

Don’t focus on your struggles and ignore your successes. You probably tend to disqualify the positives and focus on the negatives. But don’t underestimate how far you have come. Reinforce your victories.

• Take the money you’ve saved and buy yourself a treat once a week. Or save the money for something bigger like a trip.

Stress Management

• Get plenty of rest and eat healthy. Lack of sleep and excessive sugar are known triggers.

Maintenance

• When you have cravings, think of how strong you have been so far.
• Remember your reasons for quitting.
• Refuse to let your addiction win.
• Think of the benefits to your health, finances, and family.
• Remind yourself that there is no such thing as just one cigarette.
• Start to see yourself as a non-smoker. That is the ultimate payoff. You are freeing yourself from the control of your addiction.