- Spend as much of your free time as you possibly can in public places where smoking is prohibited. Museums and galleries are excellent. So are theatres. Concert halls are very good, too, and some cinemas (save all the films you have not seen and would really like to see for this period).
- Although you cannot do much about the smoking habits of the other people in your office, try as much as you possibly can to steer clear of friends who smoke, at least during this interim period when you are trying to complete your cigarette countdown.
- If you are in the habit of smoking while driving, perhaps you can shift to some means of public transportation — buses or trains — for a good deal of the time. Be sure to sit in a non-smoking compartment.
- Do not stay at the table after you have finished eating if you can help it. This is a compulsive smoking time for almost all smokers.
- Be very careful about alcoholic drinks. Drinking, whether wine or beer or hard liquor, is closely linked with smoking, as a rule. It is also a well-known fact that drinking is likely to weaken your willpower.
- Some people find that having a cigarette with a cup of coffee — whether it is for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a break in-between meals — is a stubborn habit and one that is often very hard to break. On the other hand, you may discover that a small cup of strong, really delicious coffee, like espresso with a twist of lemon, can take the place of a cigarette at the end of a meal. It gives you the much-needed taste that you have come to expect at that particular time.
- Find something new to do with your hands. For men, a key ring with lots of keys on it helps. So does a handful of small change in your pocket that you can play with and really jingle. Or twirling a pair of glasses, if you happen to use glasses. For some women, needlepoint can be an excellent preoccupation, but for others it is nerve-racking. The same goes for knitting and crochet. Worry beads work for just about everyone, and they are actually being used by more and more. people. If you have any Greek stores in your neighbourhood, they usually have nice ones made of olive wood. One important point for women: wear clothes with pockets, big pockets that you can stick your hands in, and play with something small.
- If you miss the oral gratification you got from a cigarette keep something handy you can pop in your mouth — chewing gum, Life Savers, or the new diet sweets that are just like old-fashioned acid balls but almost zero in calories (you can usually buy them in health-food stores and in some supermarkets). Use straws for drinks whenever you can.
- Deep breathing can also be useful at this time; it can even act as a substitute for the deep puff of a cigarette. Take a long, deep breath slowly, hold it two or three seconds, and then let it out slowly. Repeat several times.
- Take up some new activities, particularly some form of exercising. Try swimming or classes in karate. fencing, yoga, gymnastics or dancing. Or take up cycling, jogging, running, walking, tennis, squash or ice- skating.
Posted by Peri on October 23, 2008 at 3:32 am
Filed under: health |
Tags: cigarette, fashion, film, friends, life, people, quit smoking, smoking, stop smoking, stop smoking support, time |
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Nice tips, but I’ll never give up on the health benefits of tobacco.
James
I agree with James. Not enough is mentioned about the vitamin and mineral contents of tobacco. Indeed, in a recent study it has been shown that if you smoke more that 20 per day, you can expect to live 5 years longer than average.
Dr Bob