Congratulations on wanting to quit smoking! This is the first step: searching for tips and tricks on how to manage giving up smoking. This is definitely not an easy task, as tobacco (nicotine) is an addictive drug, which keeps you hooked on this bad habit, on a daily basis.

One of the stories about how smoking came to be in our societies revolves around the American Indians, who were very much aware of the deadly effects of tobacco and share it further with Europeans, on purpose encouraging them to smoke it, as a revenge gesture for their bloody invasions upon the Americas.

Things to Keep in Mind when Quitting Smoking

Do NOT see quitting smoking as giving up on something, it is not a loss, you are actually gaining back your health, and decreasing your chances of developing possible fatal diseases.

Nicotine addiction wears off from your body in 1 to 3 days, however, it takes around 2 weeks for nicotine to be cleared out from your body.

You should see smoking as a (bad) habit, more than as an addiction, and if, in general, humans can change a habit, on average, in 21 days, then it will take you a maximum of 3 weeks to become a nonsmoker. Not too long, right, considering the benefits?

Prepare yourself mentally for a possible weight gain, due to compensating for the lack of smoking with snacking. This should not stop you from gaining your health back, mainly because you can get rid of extra kilos with sports.

Exercising will help you! Take a gym subscription and start getting in shape!

Develop a Quit Smoking Strategy

1. Chose a month in which you will stop smoking, and then a week, and then a day – October is a good month (see Stoptober challenge).
2. Tell everyone around you that you will quit smoking!
3. Arm yourself with snacks and fruits. Choose the healthiest you can find, and do use them as a smoking replacement. Oranges/tangerines fight smoking cravings quite well.
4. Use methol chewing gum and wash your teeth more frequently.
5. Get an app to help you keep track of your non-smoking achievements day by day.
6. Try to stay away from alcohol and any other social temptation that might get you back to smoking for at least 1 to 2 weeks.
7. The first 3 days are the hardest, but once you overcome them, you are heading toward success!

Remember, even if you fall again into this bad habit, just don’t continue; smoking one cigarette doesn’t mean you are a smoker again. Repeat yourself why is better to stop: health, money, social image…the days when smoking was cool are very much gone!

You can do it!