I've done it twice. Stopped smoking, that is. I'm not going to lie to you or sugar coat it. To quit smoking the second time is not any easier than quitting the first time. So, I guarantee you there won't be a third time. Each nicotine craving does last only a few minutes, that is true, but can be tortuous for that few minutes and then it's gone for a while. Nicotine craving finally does go away completely but not overnight and not without effort on your part. This is how I coped...
I was having a really bad time one day. Seemed like the craving just would not go away no matter what I did. Almost giving in, I spotted the Tootsie Roll Pops that I had left over from Halloween give away candy. I put one in my mouth and the nicotine craving vanished immediately. I thought to myself, "Maybe Kojak had something there." I kept them on hand for a while after that. Call it a prop, but I didn't have to use them long and only when it got really bad. They worked for me.
Of course eating is a sure thing, but, you don't want to rely on food or candy. You know where that can lead. And, you know if you get very full, you want a cigarette even more than you can imagine. I found that drinking ice water helps a lot. There's no calories and water is good for you. I kept ice water at my side at all times, especially in my car, where I had smoked cigarettes while driving to and from everywhere I went before I quit.
Do something that you didn't usually smoke cigarettes while doing. Does that make sense? OK, like mowing the grass. I had never smoked while mowing the grass. I don't know why, I just never did. So the grass got mowed a lot when I quit smoking. Think of absolutely anything you did, and did not smoke cigarettes while doing it. Swimming, bicycling, lifting weights, crocheting, knitting, something you had to use both hands to do and took you a while. There's got to be something. No one smokes 24 hours a day.
Visiting friends and relatives that don't smoke cigarettes. Before quitting, I would not smoke cigarettes in their houses and, to tell the truth, didn't visit as much as I should have for that reason. But, when I quit smoking, I visited so often I think I might have worn out my welcome with some.
Coping with nicotine withdrawal is doable, withdrawal doesn't last forever, and it's worth the effort it takes to get past it. The thing is not to start back after you stop smoking the first time. And, believe me, it doesn't take much to start smoking again, even after years of not smoking. Remember what it took the first time and don't let there be a second time.
I was having a really bad time one day. Seemed like the craving just would not go away no matter what I did. Almost giving in, I spotted the Tootsie Roll Pops that I had left over from Halloween give away candy. I put one in my mouth and the nicotine craving vanished immediately. I thought to myself, "Maybe Kojak had something there." I kept them on hand for a while after that. Call it a prop, but I didn't have to use them long and only when it got really bad. They worked for me.
Of course eating is a sure thing, but, you don't want to rely on food or candy. You know where that can lead. And, you know if you get very full, you want a cigarette even more than you can imagine. I found that drinking ice water helps a lot. There's no calories and water is good for you. I kept ice water at my side at all times, especially in my car, where I had smoked cigarettes while driving to and from everywhere I went before I quit.
Do something that you didn't usually smoke cigarettes while doing. Does that make sense? OK, like mowing the grass. I had never smoked while mowing the grass. I don't know why, I just never did. So the grass got mowed a lot when I quit smoking. Think of absolutely anything you did, and did not smoke cigarettes while doing it. Swimming, bicycling, lifting weights, crocheting, knitting, something you had to use both hands to do and took you a while. There's got to be something. No one smokes 24 hours a day.
Visiting friends and relatives that don't smoke cigarettes. Before quitting, I would not smoke cigarettes in their houses and, to tell the truth, didn't visit as much as I should have for that reason. But, when I quit smoking, I visited so often I think I might have worn out my welcome with some.
Coping with nicotine withdrawal is doable, withdrawal doesn't last forever, and it's worth the effort it takes to get past it. The thing is not to start back after you stop smoking the first time. And, believe me, it doesn't take much to start smoking again, even after years of not smoking. Remember what it took the first time and don't let there be a second time.
No comments:
Post a Comment