Guest Post: Quitting Smoking Is Well Worth the Fight

A lot of people blame their lack of motivation to quit smoking on the fact that “it’s hard.” People use this excuse all the time for all kinds of different things. “I don’t want to find a job, it’s too hard.” “I can’t play that sport because it is way too hard.” There are endless things in life that just always seem to be difficult, sometimes even too difficult, but should that stop you from trying? Some of the things most worth fighting for are often the hardest to obtain. A diamond, one of the most precious things in the world, does not just suddenly appear. Rather, it formed over years of constant pressure for hours on end until the raw material solidifies into one of the most beautiful gems on earth. This may be the kind of excruciating fight you have to face when trying to quit smoking, but it can be done. Here are a few helpful hints to get you on your way.

Know What You Want

A lot of individuals try to quit smoking cold turkey. They just decide to stop right then and there, and usually to little avail. The decision to quit needs to come from a deep desire inside to make a serious life change, and you have to take that decision as if your life depended on it (and it kind of does). If you really want to stop smoking, you have to convince every single part of your being that that is what you truly desire to do. If even one ounce of you doubts it, you will have an extremely hard time accomplishing your goals.

They say one bad apple spoils the bunch. This is so true, especially when trying to quit smoking. If you have one friend, one family member, one thought in your mind trying to convince you to keep smoking, all of the rest of you is likely to follow suit and you will probably fail. What that means for you is that you need to surround yourself with encouraging people, ones who do not smoke and will help you achieve your goal. You need to be totally convinced that you can do it and you need to believe in yourself more than anything. If you have this kind of resolve and determination, you can rest assured that anything is possible.

Ease Your Way Down

Once you have made up your mind to quit, you need to have a solid plan for how you are going to do so. You will probably have a much easier time of it if you slowly ease yourself down one day at a time. Instead of trying to totally cut out all cigarette use on the very first day, do it in little baby steps. Say you might take out three cigarettes per day, until you make it down to only one a day, and then ease your way off of that very last one until you don’t need them anymore.

Entirely losing your dependence on cigarettes is very hard. Once you have stopped smoking, your body will feel the need to replace that bad habit with something else. A lot of ex-smokers actually decide to chew gum, suck on a mint, or have a toothpick in their mouths in order to keep their minds busy and away from wanting a cig. These methods are very helpful in keeping the addiction at bay and allowing you to move forward slowly but surely. Soon enough, you won’t even need any kind of distraction at all and your smoking days will be behind you. *** [By: VALERIE JOHNSTON | TRACY ROSE |  EDITOR: EKA]
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About the author:

Valerie Johnston, a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline ensures she keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.