The Surgeon General's report on smoking in young adults has spurred me to blog sequentially about quitting smoking. Yesterday, I talked about "7 Ways to leave your Cigarettes" Talking with your doctor is a great first step, but don't underestimate how important setting yourself up for success can be! Include as many of your friends and family in on your plan- the more, the better! Including one teenage child counts double, by the way- they are usually the toughest on their parents! What can you do?
1. PUBLICIZE your QUIT DATE. Believe me, your friends & family will love to ask you how you are doing and lavish praise on you- but they have to KNOW about it!
2. Stock up on healthy, crunchy, orally-gratifying snacks. Carrots, apples, popcorn, pretzels- all are good choices.
3. Super-sour hard candy- sucking on these (instead of nicotine) seems to really help curb cigarette cravings.
4. CLEAN- your house, your CAR, and your clothes- splurge on someone else to come in and deep clean. Your sense of smell heightens along with your taste buds when you quit smoking, and the positive feedback from the clean, fresh smells are a wonderful reinforcement.
5. MONEY- a clear jar works great to show off money growing daily! Place the money you would have spent on packs of cigarettes into the jar each day, and decide what "splurge" you will reward yourself with each month!
BOTTOM LINE: Just as SMOKING is usually a social activity, QUITTING SMOKING will be far more successful if you involve your friends & family, so set yourself up for SUCCESS!
1 comment:
When my mom quit, it was essential for her to know her "habit". When she smoked the most. For her it was when she was on the phone and in the car. For the first month, she had very short phone calls and short drives to the store. Know your habit and plan accordingly. GOOD LUCK to everyone on this journey! It is hard, but well worth it.
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