What Is the Easiest Way to Stop Smoking?

Medications combined with counseling help you quit successfully than anything tried alone.

A person may smoke for several reasons such as peer pressure, fighting stress, anxiety, boredom, or simply for leisure purposes. Smoking in any form, such as conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or even passively, can cause various health hazards. Quitting means finding alternative ways to cope with those feelings that make a person smoke. Quitting smoking has immense benefits on the overall health of the person.

Therefore, what’s the easiest way to quit? Well, that differs from person to person. Here are 8 simple ways that you can try and check it for yourself:

1. Think of the benefits: The most important benefit that cessation of smoking comes with is improved health and a lowered risk of serious medical issues such as cancer, heart problems, among many others. Quitting smoking also saves a lot of your money that you can spend on other things that are not unhealthy but can give you pleasure, relaxation, or joy.
2. Going “cold turkey” may be a better way: You can choose to give up smoking gradually or quit it all at once. However, a recent study found that quitting abruptly (by the cold turkey way) works much better.
3. Look for a good support system: When you have decided to quit, you can enhance your chances of quitting by talking with someone you know, looking for mobile apps that help you quit, calling on 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and visiting smokefree.gov. Numerous counseling programs that help you in your journey are also available for free toward quitting, and many of them provide nicotine patches for free. Take any of your family members or friends with you who also want to quit smoking. You can also contact your local stop smoking service. With expert help and advice, you're up to four times more likely to quit successfully.
4. Get connected with non-smoking people: While you are with a group of people, say at a party, club, or any tour, stick with the non-smoking people. When you look at people who smoke, think of the action of smoking as something harmful or weird.
5. Avoid triggers: Identify the things that provoke you to smoke. For some, it might be alcohol, for some, coffee, and for some, it might be after meals. Ways to quit in such circumstances may be reducing your sessions of drinking alcohol, switching from coffee to tea and brushing your teeth, or going for a walk instead of smoking after meals.
6. Get rid of all your smoking-related stuff: Get rid of all that stuff that can remind you of smoking. Clean your house and throw away your ashtrays and lighters. Wash all your clothes that smell like smoke. Spray air-fresheners in the whole of your house and car.
7. Find other options to relax: One of the reasons why people resort to smoking is that it makes them relax. You can utilize your time to tune in to your favorite music, catch up with friends, take a massage, or make time for a hobby. Try your best to stay away from stressful situations that may propel you toward smoking.
8. Concentrate on your fitness: Staying physically active can curb the nicotine urge and alleviate some withdrawal symptoms. Whenever you crave to reach for the gasper, get into your jogging shoes, and get moving.