So many people are telling you that smoking is bad and that you should give up the habit, but not everyone really knows just how hard it can be. After all, there’s nothing like destroying your respiratory system and inhaling lungful after lungful of carcinogens when it comes to making you feel good. If you really want to quit but cold turkey hasn’t really been so hot with you, here are ten new ways to stop smoking that you probably haven’t thought of yet.
10.Become antisocial. That is, keep away from other smokers. Whether you’re 13 or 31 years old, peer pressure can be just as big a factor in the decisions you make. If ‘your clique’ means you and the smoking room regulars, you really shouldn’t wonder that you can’t quit your pack-a-day habit. Keep away from regular smokers for a while, just so you minimize the temptation.
9.Annoy someone – the guy at the cigarette store, especially. It’s not so much testing your powers to pester as it is attaching a negative association to cigarettes in general. Besides, where are you going to get new smokes if the cigarette store guy already put a price on your head? The trick here is to make it inconvenient for you to get another ream of cigarettes, and it definitely won’t be easy buying even a stick from someone who’s after your blood.
8.Talk to a non-quitter and listen to him/her hack and cough his/her lungs out. Smoking really does destroy your lungs and the rest of your respiratory system. Maybe you just need a physical reminder of that fact coughing up mucus in front of you every 5 minutes to motivate you to stop.
7.Visit your local emphysema ward. No, you’re not campaigning to be the next Mother Teresa. Pay the ward a visit and listen to all those people who didn’t quit until it was too late – or haven’t quit at all yet. And as you listen to the symphony of coughing and hacking, keep telling yourself that that may very well be where you end up in a couple of years.
6.Always request for a good spot in the non-smoking section. Whether you’re at a baseball game or in a swanky restaurant, staying in the non-smokers’ area will help in reducing the temptation. Besides, it puts you in an environment where you couldn’t smoke even if you wanted to.
5.Move back in with your mother. Few people are as effective as your own mum when it comes to nagging you to quit smoking. No, she’s not there reason with you and persuade you to stop smoking. She’s there to berate you for your “disgusting habit” and for “destroying your health” until you finally quit just to get her off your case. But whether you move back into your old address or not, finding someone to constantly remind you of your goal will be a big help toward reaching it.
4.Stick something in your mouth. For a lot of people, the need to smoke is as much psychological as it is physical. Scientists have found out that smoking also forms an oral habit, which means that you simply get used to having something in your mouth. Using a substitute like a lollipop or some gum might not be the key to make cold turkey work, but it’ll make quitting a little bit easier anyway.
3. Build a smoking room – and then put a smoke detector in it. If quitting cold turkey hasn’t worked for you so far, a loud, shrieking siren should be a good incentive to help you quit. In psychology, this is known as negative reinforcement because it uses a punishment – the irritating noise of the smoke alarm – as a counter-incentive for your smoking. It may sound juvenile but, again, it’s just another structure to help motivate you out of smoking.
2. Put up posters of your ‘idols.‘ Images of people who have suffered the negative effects of lung cancer are very, very graphic. The next time you get an urge to light up, these should convince you otherwise.
1. Tell your spouse that your in-laws can stay over the next time your caught smoking. Drastic times call for drastic measures and this time, your spouse will be on board. Again, it always helps when you’ve got someone else helping you and constantly reminding you to finally quit. The reinforcement – that is, the reward or the punishment – should also help strengthen your resolve.
Quitting isn’t easy, but it’s most certainly doable. This is the one time when you’re a winner only if you quit.
