How to Deal With Nicotine Addiction and Quit Smoking Now

Cigarette smoking is both a physical and psychological addiction. This dual grip tobacco use has on smokers makes quitting nicotine an uphill battle. To some, the physical addiction is so overpowering that they even dream about lighting a cigarette. Others, when they quit nicotine, experience a psychological anguish, similar to losing a close friend or lifelong companion. In order to quit nicotine once and for all, you need to deal with both the physical addiction caused by nicotine and the psychological dependence brought about by the habit of smoking. This is accomplished by modifying your behavior and addressing withdrawal symptoms directly.

1. List down all your reasons for quitting. What is it that’s urging you to stop smoking? Is it your health? For sure you’ve heard about the ill effects of second hand smoke. Are you concerned that your smoking may be affecting the health of your children and loved ones? If so include all these reasons. A written reminder of all your reasons for quitting will help keep you motivated especially if you post it someplace where you can readily see them.

2. Eat a balanced diet. Most smokers have bad eating habits. This is mostly due to the fact that nicotine can curb hunger to a certain extent. What was your usual breakfast before you quit nicotine, coffee and cigarettes? All these have got to change if you want to quit smoking successfully.

Did you know that nutrient rich natural foods can greatly help with Lung Detoxification? If you don’t flush out the toxins and tar that are coating your lungs, you remain vulnerable to smoking caused diseases even months after you’ve quit nicotine. This is why most Stop Smoking Program emphasize lung detoxification.

3. Exercise at least three times a week. Exercise is also a great lung detoxifier. The more you exercise, the less likely your body will crave nicotine. This is because exercise and smoking are opposed to each other. Another advantage of exercise is that it is a good stress reliever that will somehow help dampen severe nicotine cravings. All in all, by incorporating exercise into your program you gain improved physical appearance, improved stamina, better sleep, improved memory, improved self esteem and better work performance.

4. Don’t take another puff and stay as far away from cigarettes. Since you’ve already quit nicotine, there’s no point in trying to torture yourself further by taking a puff every now and then. That one innocent puff can drag you back where you started. Then you will have to go through again another 72 hours of nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

5. Quit smoking one day at a time. Don’t try to quit forever. If you do, you are bound to fail. Quit smoking today and today only. Tomorrow is another day, don’t worry about it. It will have enough worries of its own. Taking baby steps and aiming for short-term goals has resulted in more success in the long run.

6. When having one of those severe nicotine cravings, confront it head on. On the average, cigarette cravings will not last for more than three minutes. Don’t dodge it, but face it squarely. Even the most intense cravings rarely last longer than two minutes.

As you learn to deal with nicotine cravings, you will find that it gets less and less intense with time until you are able to spend an entire day without even thinking about cigarettes or smoking.