f you have been smoking regularly for some time you have probably tried at least once to quit the habit and hear yourself shouting 'Help Me Quit Smoking'. You know you should give up for the sake of your health above all else, plus some of your friends have managed to do it. When you tried previously to quit smoking only to go back to it after a short while, why was that? Was it because you were half-hearted, not really committed and not having discussed it properly with family and friends you had no real support?
Why not this time make a proper plan of campaign to give up smoking and make it work? Make a plan setting out exactly how you are going to do this. You need to set a date to actually stop smoking, and, before that you should elicit help from those around you, i.e. family and friends, and in addition get advice and help from your doctor and at least one local or national organisation.
First of all you should tell all your family and friends that you are going to quit so that they can give you encouragement and try to keep temptation out of the way during those first few difficult weeks after you stop. The first few weeks are the most difficult as your body gradually adjusts to reduced amounts of nicotine. This is a drug withdrawal scenario and not to be taken lightly. Your family and friends must understand this and be sympathetic and supportive if you get moody and irritable during this period. Once your body gets used to doing without the daily input of nicotine your brain will readjust and your old self will resurface. It could take time however, and you will need help during this period.
It may be that you will need to reduce nicotine levels gradually and this is where substitutes such as patches, lozenges, sprays or chewing gum may be helpful. It is best to seek your doctor's advice on this as he may agree for you to use an over the counter nicotine substitute in the first instance but to have a contingency of stronger medicine in reserve in case of need. Sometime drugs such as bupropion (Zyban) are prescribed to reduce the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Sometimes it is sufficient to use nicotine patches alone or maybe combined with the use of a inhalant spray or chewing gum to overcome the sudden cravings that can occur during the withdrawal period.
Having discussed all this with your doctor and worked out your plan of action you should also seek out the support of an organisation that helps smokers to quit. Depending on where you live you may be able to find a local support group or branch of a national organisation. To help quit smoking. Consult the telephone directory, your doctor, or go online to find the information. The National Health Service provides assistance in this respect.
The first few days after your last cigarette are the most difficult and this is when you will need the help of friends and family the most. You should talk with them about your feelings and, although they may not know how exactly they can help, just being there and listening to worries and frustrations is in itself a helpful therapy.
If you should find your craving gets the better of you and you take a secret puff just think of this as a step towards giving up totally but don't let it bring you back into the habit of smoking. Recognize from this how powerful the nicotine addiction is and re-affirm to yourself the need and the resolve to overcome it. Don't let a slip become a slide. Thousands have quit smoking and so can you ! Don't try to do it alone though. Instead get help from those near to you plus the professionals who can best guide you.
Author Resource:-
Robert Schwartz is an author and is passionate about helping others
quit smoking forever. He spends his time assisting people to give up
smoking. To learn more and if you want Help
Quit Smokingvisit http://www.giveupsmokinghelp.com
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlebliss.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed![[Valid RSS feed]](/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Author Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites