Tips to Quit Smoking With A Little Indulgence

Announcing my favorite new snack to help alleviate that hand to mouth action when quitting smoking. Many already use sunflower seeds to help with oral satisfaction and hand to mouth but these are covered with CHOCOLATE!!!

They still have the crunch but have more of a delicate crispness than a candy coated chocolate.

I found them at my local TJ Maxx of all places. In the Home/Food section.

One at the time or a small handful could prove helpful especially after eating. This could be both dessert and a cigarette substitution.

Best Wishes!

Great American Smokeout Has Tips to Quit Smoking

Every November The American Cancer Society challenges smokers to quit for one day during The Great American Smokeout.

They reason that many of us might quit forever if we see we can quit for one day. If not, well then, it's good practice to find out what does work to help us quit smoking.

They have a special resources available year round, 24/7 and one of those is a help line. You may give your personal information and a helper will call you to talk you through withdrawals or give tips to quit smoking.

November isn't that far away.

Tips to Quit Smoking that Work Well

1. It's okay to feel like you are losing something important when you decide to stop smoking especially if you have smoked for a long period of time. Let the emotions out somehow so they don't build up creating stress you don't want or need. Exercise, writing, yelling, punching a pillow or a stop smoking group where you will feel less alone may help.

2. Keep it simple. Use distracting tools such as deep breathing and twirling a pen or pencil between your fingers to help when your mind and body are feeling out of sorts going without.

3. A concrete way to increase motivation to succeed quitting smoking is to calculate how much money you would save over the years and thinking of a goal to save towards. A car or a vacation are fun to look forward to having.

I bought a Jeep Wrangler with my savings and it's been a fun ride and it feels really good that it was paid for with cash saved from not smoking for nine years (at the time). I'll post a photo soon.

Best Wishes from Someone Who's Been There.

Keep it Simple to Stop Smoking

A tip worth repeating to help you quit smoking is to gradually cut back on how many cigarettes smoked per day.

Many people find that their body is so used to the chemicals in tobacco that their body seems to go a little wonky if they stop cold turkey.

Some of these symptoms have included:

Changes in Menstrual Cycles
Fatigue
Thyroid Changes
Sores in the Mouth
Boils Under the Skin

Cutting back may help the body adjust and become more able to function on it's own without the interfering chemicals in tobacco smoke.

Best Wishes.

Remember Practice Makes Perfect

Do not beat yourself up if you smoke.
Do try to remember how much better you felt as a non-smoker.
Do tell yourself it's gonna happen one day.
Try to not get back to smoking as much as before. Become a light smoker.
Do celebrate for every cigarette you do not smoke. It matters.

Yes, hubby is back at it. He was smoke free for quite a while. He's also already talking about trying Chantix again although I'm worried about the mood changes it seemed to cause in him. It did help him get going though.

He is already coughing again and snoring is back.

It's true. Smoking creates consequences and they usually do not outweigh any pleasure it gives.

Remember that most of all.

Best Wishes.

Husband Quit Smoking October 18 and Still Going Strong

He was reading the blog over my shoulder earlier and laughed a little then had a serious look on his face.

I think he realized how big of a deal this is for him. No cigarettes for over a month now and he's doing it.

He still chews gum and today bought small mints so he's still dealing with that what do you do feeling but that's okay.

It takes a while for our bodies to adjust to a new behavior even if it's doing nothing.

I think the repetition of smoking in all of it's motions becomes ingrained and feels like a part of what we do without thinking.

Almost like blinking or breathing. We just do it until we don't do it anymore.

I'm so happy for him.

The irritability has lessened and he seems not to think about not smoking as often these days. More time goes by without the urge or craving and that is a relief.

His timing is good. He smoked outdoors to not bother me or others and it is really getting cold now. In the 20's here tonight. He doesn't have to suffer through that anymore.

I think he's going to make it.

Two or three years ago he used the nicotine patch to quit and stayed quit for about three months.

We all practice for the grand finale and I hope this is his encore.

Tips for quitting smoking comes from wanting to share what I know in a way that helps others.

Even if it's just one person.

Also, it helps to remind me of where I was when I quit smoking and how I came through using information I found online to help me through the withdrawal and show me ways to make it easier.

Pay it forward.

Tips to Quit Smoking That Work

I am a former smoker. I've not smoked a cigarette for over ten years after smoking for over 25 years. I was a heavy smoker for the most part.
Even smoked Marlboro reds for a long time.

I say all of that to say this: One of the best tips for me when I stopped smoking was an exercise or process taught to people who have anxiety disorder or panic attacks.

They tell the sufferers to try and not get carried away by their feelings but to let them flow through their body until the feelings have dissipated. To relax and let it happen and that seems to shorten the attack.

The same thing can work for those of us who have strong reactions to quitting smoking. The urge to smoke can feel almost overwhelming at times especially when you first quit.

The tip is to let it flow through. Sit still and suffer the urge. Fully feel the physical and mental and emotional pull of the cigarette until it goes away.

It's called suffering well. You just do it. The thing that is hard to believe is that it will go away.

People who quit smoking or go through anxiety attacks frequently believe that they will always feel that way. That it is unbearable to feel that way.
This proves that is a myth. A myth-belief.

Although it may feel really bad and hard - you can do it.
Try it and see for yourself.

If you give in to it and let it grow and consume you don't despair. Try again next time. Don't ever give up. Trying makes perfect. It doesn't matter how many times you have to try before your time takes.

That is how new habits are formed. By not giving in to the old. By trying something new. Minute by minute if need be. Step by step.

Also, speak with a health professional if this gets hard and you are feeling tired of trying. The stress we generate from trying not to be stressful can be self defeating.

Let it go. Let it go by letting it go through you. Like a wave or a cloud. It will dissipate.

I promise. I did this until I didn't need to do it anymore.
It works.

Best Wishes.