Conditioning Yourself For A Smoke FREE Life
Overcoming your addiction to nicotine and cigarettes takes a lot of determination. If you make it this far you have a lot to be proud of and should not underestimate just what you have achieved.
It is important to now focus on staying stopped forever. Here are 4 reminders for encouraging you to remain a non-smoker:
- Never have another draw
Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and one cigarette could be all to takes for you to gradually start again and get hooked. Don’t do it.
2. You don’t need it
Think about it, inhaling burning tobacco is not pleasurable. Remember that first cigarette that burned your throat, tasted horrible or made you feel sick? The pleasure you experienced when you were a smoker was actually false and was an effect of the drug nicotine.
3. You only have one life
Smoking reduces your life expectancy and can result in illness and disease that could lead to a painful, slow death. Staying fit, active and well will lead to a more pleasurable old age.
4. I want to be a non-smoker
You made the choice to quit for yourself. Being a non-smoker is what you really want to be and you don’t need anyone to tell you how to live your life.
Other useful tips for remaining smoke-free include:
Don’t Give In
Your body changes when you begin to smoke. Your brain learns to crave nicotine, so certain people, places or activities trigger a strong desire to smoke - sometimes even years after quitting. That's why you should never have another puff again, no matter how long it has been since you stopped smoking
At first, you may feel like you’re not doing things as well as when you were a smoker. Don't worry about this stage, though, because it won't last for long, your body and mind just need time to get used to being without nicotine.
After you stop smoking the desire to smoke will often hit you at specific times. For a lot of people the hardest place to resist the temptation to smoke is at home or if someone is smoking nearby. At these times it will be important to put into practice the strategies you’ve devised to get you through without lighting up.
Always Be Positive
As you go through the first days and weeks without smoking, try to keep a positive outlook. Don't beat yourself up if you slip up and have a cigarette. In the early days take it one day at a time and if you do slip up, review the situation, work out how you can avoid the pitfalls and get back on to the non-smoking path as soon as you can. Remember that quitting smoking is a learning process.
Reward Yourself
Now that you aren't spending money on cigarettes you will find yourself with some extra cash on hand.
Think about starting a money jar in which you put the money you would have usually spent on cigarettes. Watch it add up and after a while use it to treat yourself to something you really want as a reward for quitting.
Stopping smoking is a major achievement that will benefit you more than almost any other single action you can take to improve your overall health.
The last thing you want to do is to have to go right back to the beginning, however many ex-smokers report that the desire to smoke can return even after years of successfully quitting.
Consider yourself permanently vulnerable to relapse and that temptation could rear its ugly head at any given time.
Remember one cigarette could be all it takes to get you started again. It’s not worth it!