If you're a smoker and you want to quit, are there any "best"
ways to quit smoking? In a word, no. There is only the method or
perhaps combination of methods that will work best for you.
Nonetheless, there are some popular techniques that work will
help you quit if you want to.
Now, first of all, no method is going to work for you unless
you truly want to quit. That includes hypnosis, by the way. Even
though hypnosis can be very powerful and can help you quit via
the power of suggestion, it's only a temporary move and will
only work as it should if your desire is there. In short, even
with hypnosis, nobody can make you do something you don't want
to do for very long.
That said, perhaps some of the most effective methods for
quitting smoking include those that use nicotine replacement.
This is because there is a psychological component to nicotine
addiction, true. However, there's also very much a physical
addiction to nicotine itself. By supplying small amount of
nicotine through a medium that's not a cigarette, you can take
the edge off cravings and work on your psychological cigarette
addiction (which can be every bit as powerful as the physical
craving for nicotine), then address physical cravings gradually
as you remove nicotine entirely from your body.
Another one of the best ways to quit smoking, as mentioned
previously, is by using hypnosis. This has been found to be very
effective therapy at least in the short term to get you over the
worst hump when it comes to the cravings you're going to have.
By making cigarettes an item that is unattractive to you, you
can learn to ignore them for at least a short period of time as
you clear the nicotine out of your system and work on your
psychological cravings, too.
Another among the best ways to quit smoking that won't cost you
any money is to buddy up with someone who wants to break his or
her own bad habit. You could also enlist the help of someone
who's a former smoker to be your buddy that you're going to have
to be accountable to. If you have someone to be accountable to
as you work through your cravings and resist them, you're much
less likely to slip up and have "just one cigarette." And unless
a friend or spouse who is also smoking is also absolutely
committed to quitting, don't have him or her be "quit buddies"
with you. This is because if one of you slips up, it's much more
likely that the other one is also going to slip up and have that "just one cigarette," which leads to a pack, and so on.
Finally, one good way to give yourself a psychological boost as
you are going through the quitting process is to keep track of
how much money you're saving every time you DON'T buy
cigarettes. Instead of just keeping mental track, it might be
helpful to physically take this money and put it in a jar where
you can see it grow. This can show you how much you've been
spending on cigarettes, and you'll be amazed at how much you can
save now. If you wish, too, you can take at least part of the
money that you saved and buy yourself something you've always
wanted with it once you get through the quitting process.
Alternatively, of course, you can take money from your "I quit"
jar every time you reach a certain milestone, such as "one month
non-smoking," "two months non-smoking," and buy yourself
something with it every time you reach a milestone.
In short, there are many methods to quitting smoking, and each
can be the best way to quit smoking depending on who you are.
Choose one, stick to it (or switch if you find the one you've
chosen is not a good fit for you), and work your way toward a
healthy and smoke-free life.
