As a tobacco smoker or vaper, you’ve probably experienced how hard it can be to break the habit. Trying to quit cold turkey usually ends with a binge on the products that you’ve been trying to avoid. If you want to stop smelling and tasting like smoke and stop pumping cancer-producing chemicals into your body, you should know that it might not be easy but it can be done! Check out this 3 step guide to kick your tobacco smoking habit today:
1. Break Your Associations
One of the most difficult things about quitting the use of cigarettes or vape pens is that not only are these products physically addicting, but they are also habit-forming. This means that even if you manage to get past the physical withdrawal symptoms of nicotine use, you will still have rituals built into your daily routine that will signal to your brain that you should be doing something with your hands and mouth.
A good way to combat this issue is to determine what these associations are, and then replace them with a different action. If you usually smoke a cigarette on your way to work, try replacing this action with something else, such as drinking a bottle of water or chewing a piece of gum.
2. Use a Tobacco-Free Substitute
A good way to combat your physical withdrawal symptoms from tobacco use is to substitute your cigarettes with a tobacco-free alternative. Many people have used nicorette gum to help them break their associations with cigarettes and wean themselves off of nicotine altogether. As you replace your cigarette or vape use with nicotine gum, you will form a new association of wanting a piece of gum when you would usually crave the action of smoking.
Not only do tobacco-free nicotine products give you an option that will not lead to lung cancer, but they will also leave you free of the smell of tobacco. If this bonus wasn’t enough, there is the additional benefit of these products usually saving consumers quite a bit of money when compared to the amount previously spent on cigarettes and vape liquids or cartridges.
3. Forgive Yourself and Keep Trying
It’s a good idea to remember that no matter how hard you try to quit smoking or vaping, there is always the potential that you will slip up at one point or another. If you do slip up it is important to remember that it doesn’t mean you are doomed to smoke forever. Instead of punishing yourself when you fail, trying boosting yourself up when you are doing well. In the case that you do fail, remember to forgive yourself and try again tomorrow.
No one said quitting would be easy, but with a plan of action, you can be on your way to being free of the shackles of tobacco. Learning how to fend off your cravings and choosing to use a product to help you on your mission can be great way of getting you to the tobacco-free life you’ve been looking for!
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