How Should I Stop Smoking?

Is your diet healthy and include less fast-food and more healthy food?

Have you tried changing what you drink to some healthy drinks?

Have you joined some sort of support group for smokers?

Have you gotten a consultation from a doctor on how to deal with the withdrawal symptoms?

Have you found any other way to release your stress, as stress is one of the main reasons for smoking?

Is your after-dinner cigarette your favorite? A US study revealed that some foods, including meat, make cigarettes more satisfying. Others, including cheese, fruit and vegetables, make cigarettes taste terrible. So swap your usual steak or burger for a veggie pizza instead. You may also want to change your routine at or after mealtimes. Getting up and doing the dishes straight away or settling down in a room where you don't smoke may help.

When you're out, drink more water and juice. Some people find simply changing their drink (for example, switching from wine to a vodka and tomato juice) affects their need to reach for a cigarette.

If friends or family members want to give up, too, suggest to them that you give up together. It is better to have some people who you can talk to and share your difficulties with as this might help in stopping your cravings for cigarettes.

There’s more to it than just tossing your cigarettes out. Smoking is an addiction. The brain is hooked on nicotine. Without it, you’ll go through withdrawal. Line up support in advance. Ask your doctor about all the methods that will help, such as quit-smoking classes and apps, counseling, medication, and hypnosis.

One reason people smoke is that the nicotine helps them relax. Once you quit, you’ll need new ways to unwind. There are many options. You can exercise to blow off steam, tune in to your favorite music, connect with friends, treat yourself to a massage, or make time for a hobby. Try to avoid stressful situations during the first few weeks after you stop smoking.

To get motivated, you need a powerful, personal reason to quit. It may be to protect your family from secondhand smoke.