Because nicotine is addictive, when you stop smoking, you are likely to experience cravings for those forbidden cigarettes. There's no special way around the cravings; you'll have to deal with them your own way. Each person finds a method to stop smoking that works best for him or her, and everyone has different reactions when they are weaning themselves from nicotine. There are several techniques you can try that have proven effective.
Cigarettes are habit forming. The habit is still there even if you're dedicated to quitting. During the first two weeks, the body tries to flush out all chemicals and bring your body back to normal. This biological mechanism works in a number of different ways.
This is known as homeostasis. The body makes every effort to remain in balance. When things change, your body automatically wants to bring things back to normal. Understanding that it is a natural bodily process can be an advantage.
The hardest part of quitting smoking is dealing with stress, anxiety, and guilt. The cravings can make you feel out of control and undermine your confidence. The perception that you have lost control causes an increase in stress, which draws one to smoke a cigarette to balance things out. The cycle it creates is hard to break.
The first couple of weeks will be the hardest, because that's when physical changes occur. You can get through this tough time if you understand that you will not be able to control those changes and you resolve to persevere.
Bring all stress in your life to a minimum. If you're starting a new job, it is not a good time to attempt to quit smoking. By the same token, when your child is facing a serious medical problem, you should delay the long-term commitment to try to stop smoking.
Make sure you're distracting yourself with something healthy.
Keep a supply of bite-sized fruit pieces close at hand. When a craving for a cigarette hits you, have some fruit instead. A tangy fruit is more effective than a sweet or bland one. Oranges and pineapples are excellent options, but use what works for you.
When that craving comes on strong, distract yourself by turning on a favorite song. It takes about the same amount of time to smoke a cigarette as it does to listen to a song and, similar to smoking, you can continue doing other activities while listening to music. So let music sooth you through your craving period. Make sure that whatever you choose is something positive. If you're in a negative mood, put on some upbeat music.
Keep your hands busy with different types of exercises. Squeezing a tennis ball or hand spring are very simple, yet effective. Ease into exercises that get your whole arm, shoulder and back moving. This keeps you occupied with something other than cigarettes and gets your circulation flowing properly again.
Keep yourself busy with something that requires your full attention whenever you're feeling the craving. The distraction might be a short one, but it will mean the difference between controlling the craving and giving in to it.
Before you know it, the cravings will be minimal. They will recur randomly over the course of the next few months. When this happens, try reverting to the behaviors that were successful in your early weeks of quitting smoking. In the long run, you will benefit tremendously. The long term advantages will outweigh the short term addiction.
About the author:Darrell Knox writes on a wide range of topics and has been a regular contributor of articles for several years.quitting smoking Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/stop-smoking-dealing-with-the-cravings-957513.html
Related posts...
Things You Should Know About Human Growth Hormone by QuitSmoking
HGH (a.
Fitness for Women - Stay Fit and Healthy! by Quit Smoking Help
1.
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
You must log in to post a comment.