Main > Health > Addictions > Smoking
There are three basic steps to quit smoking:
Find a good reason to quit, e.g. your health, saving money (and not to get approval from others)
Prepare yourself for quitting, and for the Big Day when you quit
Stay quit.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Smoking
How to prepare for quitting:
— Set a date.
— If possible, quit with a friend.
— Notice when and where you smoke. What activities in your daily life are associated with smoking?
— Change your smoking habits: Smoke only outdoors. Smoke with the other hand. Don't do anything else while smoking. Think about how you feel while smoking.
— Wait a few minutes before lighting-up. Think of something else to do instead, e.g. Chew gum, Drink a glass of fresh water.
— Buy one pack at a time. Switch to a brand you don't like.
All these ways get you into a transition to something new.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Smoking
On the day you quit:
* Get rid of all your cigarettes. Put away your ashtrays.
* Change your morning routine. When you eat breakfast, don't sit in the same place at the kitchen table. Stay busy.
* When you get the urge to smoke, do something else instead.
* Carry other things to put in your mouth, such as gum, hard candy, or a toothpick.
* Reward yourself at the end of the day for not smoking. See a movie or go out and enjoy your favorite meal.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Smoking
Staying Quit:
Don't worry if you are sleepier or more short-tempered than usual; these feelings will pass.
Try to exercise - take walks or ride a bike.
Consider the positive things about quitting, such as how much you like yourself as a non-smoker, health benefits for you and your family, and the example you set for others around you. A positive attitude will help you through the tough times.
When you feel tense, try to keep busy, think about ways to solve the problem, tell yourself that smoking won't make it any better, and go do something else.
Eat regular meals. Feeling hungry is sometimes mistaken for the desire to smoke.
Start a money jar with the money you save by not buying cigarettes.
Let others know that you have quit smoking - most people will support you. Many of your smoking friends may want to know how you quit. It's good to talk to others about your quitting.
If you slip and smoke, don't be discouraged. Many former smokers tried to stop several times before they finally succeeded. Quit again.
If you need more help, see your doctor. He or she may prescribe nicotine gum or a nicotine patch to help you break your addiction to cigarettes.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Smoking
Remember to drink more water. Drinking more helps to flush-out nicotine and chemicals from your body.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Smoking
A visualisation: Practice deep breathing daily for 3 - 5 minutes. Breathe through the nose, pause, then exhale very slowly through your mouth.
Imagine the air is a life-enhancing elixir, that fills your entire body and drains very slowly out through your heels. It's more powerful and more calming than the nicotine.
Panoculus (40)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Heroin
Be wary of female ex-heroin addicts. They may try to substitute their previous addiction with being obsessed about being with you in a relationship. If you can stomach it, fine. But if you do try it, be aware that they are much more likely to carry diseases. You're best off steering clear.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Crack cocaine
If you are at a dodgy party, don't eat the snacks. If they are laced with crack cocaine, you could become instantly addicted, without even knowing it. It only takes one time.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Health > Addictions
At bottom, all addictions are the same thing. People begin being unhappy. They see a certain drug or behaviour or activity as solving their unhappiness. But soon enough, doing that very activity itself creates unhappiness again. The problem is, the remedy appears to be, you guessed it, doing the same drug or activity.
But if doing the activity caused the unhappiness, how can it be the remedy? That's the power of addiction, to appear to be the answer to the same unhappiness it created. Addiction is in some ways a happy state because people can be confused about what is driving them to do this behaviour: that is, if it solved their unhappiness before, and it causes unhappiness which is resoved by doing the same activity, it drives people crazy trying to work out whether this behaviour is a good thing or not. Some people like living in that uncertainty. Playing dice with the devil. Often it is risk-taking people who want to subvert that instinct into a known scam rather than try their hand on a real-life risk that can succeed. They may fear success.
If addicted people did not see doing the same activity that caused the unhappiness as the answer to that same unhappiness, they would not do it, and they would not be addicted.
myxlfidian (150)
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Main > Health > Addictions > Internet surfing
Before opening the internet browser, have a clear purpose for your activity. Write a list. Then start. After completing the list, stop. Close the browser. Give yourself a pat on the back, for doing well. Now find something else to do, maybe turn off the computer.
Panoculus (40)
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