I haven’t had a cigarette since last weekend. I am having craving and it sucks. It is a real shame that I ever started smoking. By the time I was in high school I was smoking everyday. I am lucky I haven’t already died from cancer, some people like me have. When I want a cigarette it helps to look at scary pictures of people dying, especially the ones where they young children are sitting in the hospital bed with their dying father.
There are a wealth of resources online for quitting smoking; unfortunately there is also a wealth of spam sites. There are many different ways to manage an addiction to nicotine without smoking (patch, gum , inhaler, etc). I prefer to just get rid of the damn addiction all together. Here are some tips I found for managing cravings when going “cold turkey”:
- Keep other things around instead of cigarettes. Try carrots, pickles, sunflower seeds, apples, celery, raisins, or sugarfree gum.
- Wash your hands or the dishes when you want a cigarette very badly. Or take a shower.
- Learn to relax quickly by taking deep breaths.
- Take 10 slow, deep breaths and hold the last one.
- Then breathe out slowly.
- Relax all of your muscles.
- Picture a soothing, pleasant scene.
- Just get away from it all for a moment.
- Think only about that peaceful image and nothing else.
- Light incense or a candle instead of a cigarette.
- Where you are and what is going on can make you crave a cigarette. A change of scene can really help. Go outside, or go to a different room. You can also try changing what you are doing.
- No matter what, don’t think, “Just one won’t hurt.” It will hurt. It will undo your work so far.
- Remember: Trying something to beat the urge is always better than trying nothing.
You can find these tips and many more at SmokeFree.gov.
