Breaking any bad habit can be difficult, and smoking cigarettes is considered one of the hardest to kick. Many health professionals agree that nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs that exists, so it’s no surprise that people often find themselves unable to stop completely.
If you smoke cigarettes and want to stop, but you don’t know where to start, here are some tips to make the process a little easier.
- Change Your Diet
Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Wait, I’m supposed to quit smoking AND go on a diet at the same time? You must be crazy.”
As annoying as it may seem, putting the right nutrients in your body is essential for the first week of quitting. As your body goes through the nicotine withdrawals, it works to get rid of all the toxins that have built up in your system.
Withdrawal is going to put a lot of stress on your body and burn a lot of energy, so replacing the bad stuff with exceptionally good stuff will help you feel less out of balance as your body adjusts to not having the nicotine input.
Try to have three solid meals a day with plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as lean proteins like eggs or fish and whole grains. If you can avoid skipping a meal, you can avoid the nicotine craving that almost always comes in tandem with the hunger pangs.
If eating healthy doesn’t appeal to you as an effective quitting tool, think about it this way: making a meal plan every week and sticking to it gives your brain one more thing to focus on, taking up space in your thoughts where otherwise a cigarette might be.
After a week or so, once the daily cravings have subsided for the most part and the actual withdrawals are over, meal planning can be a good habit to replace a bad one.
- Reward Yourself
One aspect of quitting smoking that many people often find frustrating is that it takes a while for that sense of satisfaction to set in. It can be weeks or even months before you’re able to look back and be proud of the fact that you haven’t thought about having a cigarette.
One practice that can help in the short term is tangibly rewarding your progress. Say it’s the first day and you made it all the way through, fighting off the three or four cravings that hit you throughout the day. Celebrate by going to the movies with friends or drawing yourself a nice hot bath.
Did you make it through the week without buying a pack, where normally you would have bought at least two or three? Awesome! Take yourself shopping and buy something nice with the money you would have spent on those cigarettes.
- Try E-Cigarettes as an Alternative to Tobacco
Quitting is hard to begin with, but quitting cold turkey can seem impossible sometimes. Nicotine patches have been around for a while, but their effectiveness is limited and varies from person to person.
For those who just can’t quit cold turkey, consider investing in e-cigarettes. While the jury is still out on their health impact versus actual cigarettes, many claim that it is the healthy alternative. They do contain nicotine, but the tobacco is not there, and less tobacco in your lungs is inherently a good thing.
One thing to consider with e-cigarettes is that they have been found to help people quit smoking actual cigarettes. By replacing your smoking habit with an e-cigarette, you can gradually wean yourself off of tobacco. People often go from smoking packs a day, to taking a few puffs from their vape, to not smoking either product.
If the idea of e-cigarettes appeals to you, but all the complicated pieces on those vapes turn you off, there is an option for you. A wide variety of disposable e-cigarettes are available, making it as simple as keeping the battery charged and buying flavor cartridges. Buying disposable vapes online and getting them shipped to your house makes it easier than ever.
