With a new year upon us, a lot of people are probably thinking about quitting smoking. Maybe some of you gave it a shot as 2016 rolled in but it didn’t work out. Or maybe some of you haven’t worked up the strength to do it just yet. Don’t feel bad – quitting smoking is NOT easy. I’ve quit smoking more times than I can count over the past 10 years and it’s only this last time that I honest to goodness believe I am done for good.
I thought it would be helpful if those of us who have quit smoking shared some tips for those who are planning to or are in the midst of kicking the habit. I’ll start with my list below, but I encourage anyone else here who has quit to add your own tips!
1. You have to REALLY want to quit.
This is not something that you can do half-heartedly. If this means putting it off a little bit until you’re in a better headspace, that’s OK. Don’t put it off forever while you continuously make excuses for why it’s not the right time, but make sure that you are mentally prepared to take on this challenge before you start and that it is something that you really want to do. If you’re not mentally prepared, you’re just gonna end up giving in after a few days, or weeks (or even a couple months) and then you’ll feel defeated and resigned and that will make it more difficult to quit again in the future.
2. Know WHY you are quitting.
Write down the reasons you quit and look at that list (or go over it in your head) when you feel tempted.
3. Take it one craving at a time.
Thinking about never having a cigarette again for the rest of your life can feel incredibly daunting and over-whelming. So don’t think about that! Take it one craving at a time. Promise yourself every morning that you’re not going to smoke today, and then treat each craving as its own challenge to overcome. When you’re overcoming one craving, don’t start thinking about the next one and the next one after that. Just concentrate on getting through the here and now. You know full well that the feeling is going to pass, so do what you need to do to get through the ten or twenty or thirty minutes before it passes.
The more of these individual challenges you beat, the more you will have to be proud of and the more invested you will be in beating the next one. What I found was that once you've made it a couple weeks it's so much less tempting to give in because you put yourself through hell in those first few days especially and you won't want it to have been for nothing.
4. Drink cold water.
I find that the best way to deal with a craving is to chug some ice cold water. Chocolate also helps, but water is a better choice if you’re trying not to pack on the pounds.
5. Keep busy.
The hardest cravings to overcome are the ones that happen when you’re bored. If you keep yourself busy, you’ll be distracted from thinking about smoking. You’ll have fewer cravings and the ones you do have will be less intense or go away quicker because you’re not dwelling on them.
6. Take up a sport or exercise.
Whether it’s a team sport, running, swimming, spin class doesn’t matter. What matters is that you pick an activity that you enjoy that will motivate you to stay healthy. I’ve always played soccer and when I was smoking I got winded sooo much easier and needed longer breaks. One of the things that motivates me to keep up my smoke-free lifestyle is how much easier playing soccer and hiking and running are. Shit, I can play a full game without a sub now without feeling like I’m gonna die! When I was smoking, I’d be so winded after a 2-5 minute shift that I’d feel like I was gonna puke. When you first quit, how easily winded you are when you run (or even take the stairs!) will serve to remind you of WHY you quit. As you start to gain more of your lung capacity back, every time you exert yourself it’ll be a small triumph that you can pat yourself on the back for and a reminder of why you did it.
7. Refer to yourself and think of yourself as a non-smoker.
I know it seems silly, but it honestly matters. Identify as a non-smoker, both to other people and to yourself. Not an ex-smoker. Not someone who is quitting. You are someone who doesn’t smoke. Smoking is no longer a part of who you are, so don’t let it be part of your identity. If someone asks you if you smoke, simply answer “no”. And when you talk about the struggle that you are going through in kicking your addiction, don’t say “I’m quitting smoking”, instead say “I just recently quit smoking”. It may seem like a minor difference, but it’s actually pretty huge. When you say you’re “quitting” that means that you’re in the middle of trying to do something, which you can stop doing at any time. Saying “I’ve quit” means it’s done. It’s a thing that has happened already, and now you’re simply dealing with the after effects. If you consider yourself as still being in the process of quitting, then it’s easier to slip up and brush it off. When you consider yourself as having quit, then “slipping up” means you’ve started smoking again – which one seems like a bigger deal and something you’re more likely to try to avoid?
8. Stay away from the booze for a while.
I dunno about most of you, but I used to smoke like a chimney when I drank. Even after just one or two drinks I’d NEED to smoke. For whatever reason, booze makes you crave cigarettes like crazy. Not only that, but the more drinks you have the more your inhibitions are lowered and the more likely you are to succumb to your temptations.
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. That I started smoking again, that first smoke was ALWAYS when I was drinking… When I quit the last time, I gave up booze entirely for about a month and went a solid few months before I drank much more than a pint or two in an evening. Even now, I hardly touch hard liquor or wine (which for some reason make me want to smoke way more than beer does). I mostly just drink beer and cider now, but recently I’ve found I’m able to drink mixed drinks and wine without an issue. I don’t really party anymore though, which I think makes a huge difference. I haven’t been blackout drunk since before I quit smoking.
9. Pay attention to the money you’re saving.
Honestly, if your only reason for quitting is money, you’re probably gonna have a rough go of it – you have to REALLY want to quit, as I mentioned before. But like with point 6, seeing the very real benefits of not smoking is a great way to keep yourself motivated. So keep track of the money you’re saving (or take note of where it’s going instead). It’ll make you feel really good to be able to point to something and say that you were able to buy that thing/go on that trip/save that money/pay off that debt faster because you’re no longer blowing $10 a day on slowly killing yourself. Myself? I’ve managed to double my student loan payments almost every month since I quit, and I’ve gotten two vacations in so far that I paid for easily.
10. Surround yourself with non-smokers.
I have to admit, this last time was a lot easier than any time before that because I’m not around smokers that much anymore. My brother is the only person I am around regularly that smokes. Otherwise, most of my friends have either quit or didn’t smoke in the first place, or were only social smokers who don’t anymore now that I’ve quit. I started dating my boyfriend about a month after I quit and, thankfully, he doesn’t smoke and can’t stand smoking, so that made it pretty easy as well, since I’m around him more than anyone else. It was tough when I was living with my brother, which was up until about a month ago (I now live with my BF). Honestly, the only time I really had cravings was after dinner when my bro would come in from having a smoke and I could smell it.
Go Get 'Em!
You can do it!! 
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