How To Prepare To Quit Smoking

Before you quit smoking, you have to be mentally ready. It is meaningless to start the smoking cessation, if you are not ready for it.

You might also have to handle the physical nicotine withdrawal symptoms. If you take care of this part, the mental part might be easier.

If you really have the willpower, it is possible to stop smoking without any help; but if you are like most people, you will probably need some help. Today there are a number of nicotine products (e.g. from Nicorette and Nicotinell), which can remove the worst urge to smoke.

The most popular products are nicotine plaster and nicotine chewing gum; but also nicotine tablets, nicotine inhaler and nicotine nasal spray are options.

Many of the cigarettes you smoke is probably more a matter of habit than a desire. The cigarette after lunch or at the bus stops; is it because you want a cigarette? Or has it just become a (bad) habit that you do not think about?

Take a critical look at all the situations, where you smoke. If you do so, you will be able to reduce your cigarette consumption radically. So if you smoke, it will be a deliberated choice.

What do you dream about? Can you afford it? If not, you might if you can spend your money there instead of on cigarettes.

A good way to keep the motivation is to reward yourself (or your family), when you haven't smoked for a week, a month, a year etc. It will give you the necessary motivation, if you are about to quit the project.

A good way to make the reward present is piggy bank. Every day without smoking you put the amount you normally would have used for cigarettes in the quit smoking piggy bank. Then you can see how much money you save. And after a few month there is probably enough for a nice vacation.

It might also be a good idea to write down your thoughts down, before you quit smoking. Write about why you have decided to stop, what you think might be the hardest part etc.

When the crisis comes (and it probably will sooner or later), you can read to what you've written to get a little encouragement and new motivation. You can also write a quit smoking diary, where you confidentially can write about your ups and downs.

Martin Elmer is writing about quitting your cigarettes on the website rygestop dag for dag. You can also learn how to minimize your nicotine withdrawal symptoms in the section nikotininhalator.