How to Quit Smoking Cigarettes

Smoking cigarettes is a habit that is hard to get over with for most people. Just like any other form of addiction, smoking cigarettes causes your body to develop a dependency on a particular chemical, in this case nicotine. Nicotine patches can help you get rid of smoking cigarettes but it doesn't get rid of your dependency on nicotine and that's why it doesn't work for many people as it still essentially the same.

So what do you need to do? Easy! All you need to do is what rehabilitation centers have been doing for years - get rid of your dependency on nicotine. But how?

Believe it or not, the human body is capable of healing itself and putting itself back to normal operation. All it needs is time to heal. In other words, you need to give it a rest but unless you isolate yourself, doing that is not easy - but it can be done!

Start with motivation.

Find a reason for you to quit smoking. It can be your children, your partner, your parents, your friends or yourself. Think of how you smell when you smoke. Think of the future of your loved ones if your health begins to deteriorate. Think of how they will feel. Think of the example you're setting for your kids. Think of the second hand smoke that your loved ones are inhaling. These begins to motivate you.

The next step is deciding...

After finding the right motivation or motivations (you can have more than one), tell yourself that you WILL stop smoking. This is a very important step if you really want to quit the nasty habit of inhaling smoke and nicotine into your body. Telling yourself that you will stop smoking reinforces your motivations and tells your brain that you don't want it anymore.

Then do it.

After you've motivated yourself and after you have decided to stop smoking, the next thing to do in the list is to actually do it. Throw away your cigarettes. Don't even take "one last puff" as that will defeat the purpose of doing it. Get rid of your cigarette lighters and matches. Throw away your ashtrays and clean your house to rid it of the smell of cigarettes. Then have a good hygiene. Take a bath, brush your teeth and gargle mouthwash. Visiting your dentist is also great. If your dentist is a smoker then find another one.

Lastly, maintain it.

This is the hardest part. A surge of emotion can lead you to do all that I've mentioned before but maintaining it would be the toughest. As your emotions begin to fade, you will find yourself going back to the bad habit primarily because your body has not been given enough time to heal itself yet. Usually, it takes a month or two for it to totally heal. Sometimes even more. This makes maintenance very important.

Some of the stuff you can do to maintain your decision and actions is to reward yourself. Buy yourself some icecream. Go to the park, watch a movie with your family. Face the mirror and tell yourself how you like much better now. Smile in the mirror – a simple smile reinforces your actions. Keep on rewarding yourself but NEVER reward yourself with smoking, even with a single puff or with anything related to it. I've seen people in the maintenance period fail simply because they "smoked just one puff" to reward themselves. That one puff tells your brain that smoking is good because you considered it as a reward and the cycle starts all over again.

There is an audio book that will guide you through these steps and remind you of what you need to do. It's not expensive so I recommend buying it as it will help you a lot. Think of it as taking the extra mile that makes you a winner.

There you go. If you follow these simple steps then you will soon find yourself healthier and wealthier because you chose not to smoke and took action.