Smoking Quit Tips - Tips On How To Quit Smoking

Are you planning to quit smoking?

Have you tried already, and failed?

Don't worry, many people who are trying to quit smoking may fail once, twice, or even several times before they finally kick the habit.

In order to improve your chances of quitting smoking successfully though, it helps to arm yourself with proper knowledge about stopping smoking.

This guide will give you some tips and information you can use to improve your chances of stopping smoking for good.

Topics covered include:

1. 10 Reasons People Fail To Quit Smoking

2. 5 Things To 'Get' Before You Quit Smoking

3. The First Day You Quit Smoking

1. Other Smokers

Have you ever observed a bunch of crabs in a barrel? Every time a crab reaches the top and tries to get away, his friends below him pull him back down. When you've quit smoking, the sight of other people smoking and the scent of cigarette smoke may be just enough to push you over the edge and make you light up again. That's why it may be a good idea to avoid other smokers when you're just starting to quit, or even get them to join you!

2. Lack of Support

All smokers will most likely feel moments of weakness when they quit smoking. The important thing is to have someone to support you when you feel like you can't handle it any longer. If you make a point of forcing yourself to at least talk to someone before you quit, you'll not only be able to hear yourself say your reasons for smoking (sometimes it sounds better in your head than when you say it out loud), but having a conversation with another person can help you to put things in perspective and really think things through before you make any rash decisions.

3. Lack of Motivation

If you quit 'just because', you might start smoking again, 'just because'. You need to get motivated and find something that you want to quit for. Whether it's for your kids, to save money and buy yourself other things, or better health, you have to remind yourself constantly why you're quitting in the first place.

4. Tempting Yourself

Do you have a pack of cigarettes around the house, 'just in case'? Having some cigarettes lying around will only make it that much more convenient for you to get access to them again. If you're quitting, then why do you need them around anymore? Stick those suckers under a faucet and make sure you don't have a single cigarette anywhere around your house. Otherwise you'll only be needlessly tempting yourself.

5. Stress

A lot of people use smoking as a way of dealing with stress. When you quit smoking, you may find that you no longer have cigarettes to use as a crutch. That's why it's important for you when you quit smoking to find some other way to reduce your daily stress levels, whether it be meditation, exercise, or some other hobby that relaxes you.

6. Having Just One

A lot of people who quit smoking fool themselves into starting again by saying they'll have just one more, that a single cigarette can't hurt. News flash - you've quit smoking, remember? People who've quit smoking don't smoke, period! If you start smoking again all your efforts will have gone down the drain. The first 24 hours of nicotine withdrawal can be the worst. Why put yourself through that all over again?

7. Setting A Time Limit

This one may sound strange, but setting a time limit can actually be bad for people who want to quit smoking! You tell yourself, I'll only try it for 30 days, and at the end of 30 days you say 'Good for me, now I've proven I'm not addicted to cigarettes, so I can smoke as much as I want now'. When it comes to quitting smoking, it's best to make a clean break.

8. Relying Solely On Willpower

Some people wake up one day and say, you know what, I'm going to quit smoking! Then they just go ahead and do it without any proper preparation or even reading up on the matter first. Then the nicotine withdrawal symptoms take them by surprise, or they find themselves facing some common issue that all quitters face, and they give up and tell themselves that they can't quit smoking. Willpower is a good thing, but with all the information and support available for people who want to stop smoking, there's no reason why you shouldn't at least properly inform yourself so you know how to prepare and what to expect when you quit smoking.

9. Playing The Delay Game

On the other hand, some people keep reading quit smoking literature and talking to people saying they're going to quit, they buy all the quit smoking aids and tools, but don't ever get around to quitting in the first place. While it's important to educate yourself and helpful to get some aids, you still need to quit smoking if you want to be a non-smoker. Just talking about it doesn't count!

10. Closet Quitters

This one is similar to the lack of support, in that quitting smoking without telling anybody about it means you'll have to go through the whole process alone. That's not good for you, because you may become more irritable and easily angered or emotional while you're quitting, and the people around you won't understand why. You may even get into trouble at work if you're not careful. So why not come out and say it, tell everyone around you that you're going to quit and that you need their support and understanding to help you make it through. Quitting smoking is a great thing, and having supportive friends and family who help you make it through is far better than having friends who don't understand why you're so moody lately and cause you even more stress.

So you're thinking of quitting smoking, and you want to get prepared. What sort of things do you need to do before you quit?

Here's a short run-through of what you should get before you quit smoking.

1. Get Motivated

No matter what you do, if you're not motivated enough, you'll find it very hard to be successful. Get out a piece of paper and write down exactly why you want to quit. Put down as many reasons as you can think of. Then keep this piece of paper with you at all times and read it constantly to remind yourself why you're quitting smoking.

2. Get Informed

Read up on everything about quitting smoking, whether it be through blogs, newspapers, magazines, and books. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be when anything happens after you've stopped smoking.

3. Get Support

Enlist your friends and family in your efforts to quit smoking. When going through nicotine withdrawal you may be crankier than usual, and you need people to be understanding of you.

4. Get A Plan

Once you've gotten informed as to all the possible ways of quitting smoking, you'll want to pick one, two, or even several methods in conjunction. Plan out what you're going to do to implement those methods. It helps to have your plan written out. You're much more likely to stick to a well-written plan than one you only half remember.

5. Get Rid of Things

Throw away all smoking and smoking-related tools such as your cigarettes and your trusty lighter. Yes, even your lighter. All it's going to do is remind you of the cigarettes. And no fair keeping the cigarettes hidden somewhere in your house 'just in case'. Hose those suckers down and throw them away!

You'll also want to get rid of as many potentially stressful jobs or responsibilities as possible, especially in your first week of quitting smoking. The less stress you have, the less likely you will be to turn to cigarettes to relieve the pressure.

So it's the first day you've decided to quit smoking. Assuming you've made the necessary preparations, all you've got to do is follow through with your plan. But the first day of quitting is one of the hardest, and you may or may not have succeeded on your first day of quitting smoking.

If you've succeeded, congratulations! You're one day closer to quitting smoking for good. Look back on your day and recall everything that happened. What things went well? Were there any situations in which you wanted to smoke but succeeded in stopping yourself? Don't neglect to pat yourself on the back for any accomplishments you've made, and take note of what exactly you did to make your first cigarette-free day a successful one.

If you've failed on your first day, don't be so hard on yourself. Many people fail on their first few attempts at quitting smoking, but rest assured that the rewards of successfully quitting are more than worth the struggle you're going through. It's not easy, but with enough determination you can make it through and quit smoking for good.

Even if you've failed on your first day of quitting smoking, the fact is that you're making an effort to rid yourself of your tobacco habit. That's one of the first steps on your journey to becoming a non-smoker. Don't give up now! Regroup and try again tomorrow. You may want to do some preparation though, to make sure you do better this time around.

Look back now on your day and recall the problems that arose. What things stressed you out? What caused you to want to pick up that cigarette again? Make note of those things, situations, and places that caused you to start smoking again, and make sure to avoid them next time. If you haven 't already, make a list of people you can call for support and encouragement, and next time make sure you call at least one of them to talk it through before you light up again.

Quitting smoking can be tough, but it is truly a worthwhile goal to have. Keep working at it, and one day you'll wake up find yourself healthier, happier, and cigarette-free!