First Person: Three Things for Smokers to Remember when Trying to Quit

Nov. 15 marks this year's Great American Smokeout, when organizations across the country encourage smokers to quit the habit. Yahoo asked former smokers to offer to advice to those trying to stop smoking.

FIRST PERSON | Like many people, I started smoking socially when I was a teenager, but at some point that grew to a daily habit. Breaking the habit was difficult, and I tried many different methods. I failed a few times, but eventually, I was able to quit for good. If you are thinking about quitting, here are a few things I picked up along the way.

Don't Make Excuses

Smokers tend to rely on their habit when they are stressed. Many of us say that we will quit when things settle down; when we get through whatever personal crisis we are currently going through. The truth is, life never settles down. Quitting now is one of the best things that you can do to help relieve stress in the long run.

Find the Way that Works for You

There are so many different ways to quit. Hypnotism, nicotine gum, nicotine patches, support groups, and prescription medications have all helped many people to quit. Every smoker is different, so not every method will work for you. Try one, and if it isn't working for you, move on to the next. It is important that you don't blame yourself if you fail the first time around. Smoking is an addiction, and if it were easy to quit there would be no smokers anywhere.

Re-schedule Your Day

They don't call it a habit for nothing. You probably have a smoking routine, and part of breaking the addiction is breaking the routine. If you have a cigarette right after you wake up, find a different activity to do first thing in the morning. Soon, you will be able to get through that first craving without thinking about it. Before you quit, you should sit down and write out the times of day that you normally smoke, and come up with a replacement activity for each time. By doing this, you will be prepared to battle each craving.

Remember that quitting smoking is a minute-by-minute battle. Whenever the thought of having a smoke pops in your head, you have to be ready to fight that urge until the craving subsides. These are the steps that I took to quit. After ten years and many failed attempts, I was able to quit cold turkey by simply restructuring my day and focusing on my goal, a healthier me.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/first-person-three-things-smokers-remember-trying-quit-182800745.html

censor pipa and sopa sopa pipa wikipedia blackout kyla pratt justified season 3 custer