- Giving up can be an almost insurmountable challenge.cigarette image by Bartlomiej Nowak from Fotolia.com
The health risks associated with smoking, not only for smokers but also for unfortunate passive smoking bystanders are well publicized. Giving up voluntarily is a choice that most smokers would embrace willingly, but many find the challenge almost insurmountable. An assessment focusing on individual smoking patterns can help smokers identify "hot spots" in their daily routine and develop healthy activities to replace periods previously spent smoking. - Breakfast smokers are at high risk.smoking egg image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
Smokers with an early morning smoking habit find giving up doubly difficult. The first cigarette of the day is oddly comforting to a hardened smoker and one that can prove the most difficult to part with.
Research conducted in 1994 by Professor Joshua E Muscat, professor of public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, revealed that early morning smokers inhale more deeply, with a greater risk of developing disease in the throat and respiratory organs.
A good way to get over an early morning smoking habit is to rise earlier rather than late--early enough to fit in some gentle exercise or a relaxing bath before eating a healthy breakfast. Finding an activity that precludes smoking is the answer and helps establish a new routine that does not include cigarettes. - Cut out those smoke-filled coffee breaks.no smoking image by Zbigniew Nowak from Fotolia.com
Coffee breaks are definitely a slippery slope when it comes to resisting the urge to light a cigarette, especially if working colleagues are smokers who gather at a favorite smoke zone to drink coffee and enjoy a leisurely puff.
There is no way a reforming smoker can take part in a smoke fest without yielding to temptation, so the best thing is to avoid keeping company with smoking pals until at least three weeks have passed.
Three weeks is a magical benchmark for people who are trying to give up smoking. There are no hard and fast timeline promises for smokers, but after three weeks unpleasant cravings diminish considerably. - Avoid long phone calls.call to work image by Nikolai Sorokin from Fotolia.com
Smokers are usually well aware of their danger zones, and these are typically talking on the telephone, after meals and social occasions where alcohol is offered. Making an effort to avoid situations where cigarettes once played a significant role can help reduce craving and promote alternate activities. An analysis of individual habits is helpful, with a "hit list" of things to steer away from, such as coffee and alcohol. - Cash saved can be used for treats and clothes.The man and money image by Hunta from Fotolia.com
One of the few pleasant aspects for smokers giving up is the prospect of saving all that hard-earned cash that once went up in smoke. A wonderful incentive to harden resolve is to keep a careful account of money saved, with realistic goals marked along the way. Goals reached should be rewarded with new clothes, restaurant meals and theater treats paid for with savings.
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