Tobacco cravings or urges to smoke is powerful, ask every person you know who had been smoking for years and most of them will admit that it’s true. This is the reason why no matter how much awareness about the side effects of smoking has been raised and circulated offline and online, smokers can’t seem to quit. Each stick of tobacco you light up is said to reduce your life by 11 minutes, which means a pack of 20 will take away 3 hrs and 40 minutes of your life. On average, heavy smokers but their life span by 13 years and most of them perish before they reach 65. Each time you give in to that cravings, not only your life is reduced but the life of those around you because of the hazardous second hand smoke. You don’t want to put the health and life of your loved ones at risk right? So you might want to try these effective ways of quitting smoking.
Try nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy is a medically-approved treatment to help people stop smoking with the use of smoking alternatives such as gums, lozenges, nasal sprays or inhalers. NRT involves using products that has low doses of nicotine. These products do not contain many of the toxins found in smoke, thus safer. This therapy does not only cut down on cravings for nicotine but ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, as well.
Get physical
Another way to stop the urge to smoke is through physical activity that can distract you from tobacco cravings. Even a short burst of running up and down the stairs a few times , walking or jogging— can make a tobacco craving go away. You can also try sports.
Stuck at home or at the office? You can try squats, deep knee bends, and pushups. If physical activity doesn't interest you, try hobbies such as needlework, woodwork, painting or journaling. These activities will surely distract you from that urges and also don’t forget to pray – it works.
Practice relaxation techniques
Smoking may have been the way of many people to deal with stress,. Resisting a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. By practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualization, massage or listening to calming music, you can take the edge off stress.
Call for reinforcements
You need utmost support from your family, friends or support group in your effort to resist a tobacco craving. To further commiserate about your cravings, you can try a chat on the phone, share a few laughs, or go for a walk together. If there is a free telephone quit line that provides support and counseling, you may also ask for help from them.
Remind yourself of the benefits
Why do you want to quit? Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist tobacco cravings which might include:
- Feeling better
- Getting healthier
- Sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke
- Saving money
Always remind yourself that trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. Don’t forget that each time you resist a tobacco craving, you're one step closer to being totally tobacco-free, and you are providing a safer and better environment for the people around you.