Want to Quit Smoking Today?

You want to quit smoking Today, right now, no more messing about. NOW. You’ve had it, enough is enough.  You know all about the great reasons to stop smoking.  You’re
tired of waking up with a mouth tasting like a stale ashtray.  Tired of that wheezing when you try to run up the stairs.  Sick of the smell of  cigarette smoke in all of your clothes and your car.   You’ve thrown out all of your smokes.  Now what?

Make a Plan. How are you going to do this?  Just going cold turkey without a coping plan doesn’t work 95% of the time.  What type of smoking cessation therapy are you going to use?  Hypnosis? Stop Smoking Pill? Nicotine Replacement Therapy?  Avoidance? Meditation?  Whichever you decide to use start it ASAP before you change your mind or you light up.  If you do light up, don’t beat yourself up.  Most people quit 4 to 5 times before they quit for good.  Just stick with it.

Why Did You Smoke? What were your reasons for lighting up in the first place?  Did it make you more comfortable in a social setting?  To relieve stress?  To occupy your hands? To keep from gaining weight?  It tasted good? Addiction? Identify your reasons and if cigarettes really fulfilled that for you.  If so, find a replacement.

Manage Your Stress. No lie, stopping smoking is stressful.  There’s no way around that and you need to find a way to manage that stress.  If cigarettes were your stress reliever you need something new.  Yoga? Meditation? Exercise? A new hobby?  Something that involves your body and your mind to distract and relax you.

Address Your Fears. What do you fear most about giving up cigarettes?  Fear of losing the pleasure of smoking?  Fear that you’ll gain weight?  Fear that quitting will be awful and you’ll never stop craving cigarettes? What’s the worst that can happen and what’s the absolute best?


 People with a support group are more likely to quit and remain smoke free.  Tell your family and friends that you quit and let them be supportive.  Check out your local Lung Association for contacts of quitting groups.  There are several sites on the web as well.  Find somewhere that you can share what you’re going through and see that you’re not alone.

You want and need to stop smoking today and these are a few helpful tips to get you going.  Take that first step and get smoke free.  You Can Do It.