By: Alex De Mostafa
Another year, another beginning. For those among us who seemed to have just had it and kept smoking on top of their New Year's resolution list of things to banish for years, it's not too late to do so. Better late than never as that saying goes. But before it is too late, and I mean REALLY late, here are a number of ways to do to start kicking that puff addiction.
1.Learn new skills or hobbies. Since your mind is set to smoke in your idle time, for sure there could still be a thousand things out there you could engage yourself in to preoccupy yourself.
2.Create a diversion. Most working professionals specially now of booming call center industries, majority of whom working on graveyard shifts, have formed the habit of smoking as a means to keep awake. Try to find other methods that will work for you like taking a walk during your break or get busy with other co-workers who hopefully don't have formed smoking as a habit to bide by time as well. There may be a high chance however that your peers are not always "smoke-free" which then takes me to tip number 3.
3.If your peer group makes it difficult to quit, learn to say no or to not give in to temptation. The thing about habits is that usually, psychological and social influence steps in. When people you are commonly with do something frequently, the tendency is to join the bandwagon. So if you really are determined to stop what you know by joining your friends would only make it difficult to shun, then avoid being in the presence of people who are in the practice of this habit. This is not always the case though of course so if it can't be helped to be in the company of people who smoke, then be on guard of yourself to partake. It's just like going on a diet, when everyone else is taking platefuls of servings one after another in a dinner buffet, how could you resist grabbing more than what you can eat? You suddenly remember you have to keep track of your calorie intake lest you won't lose those extra pounds.
4.Alter your palate. If your mouth just have gotten used to smoking, try substituting sweets like candies or drinks to satisfy the craving.
5.Seek moral and medical support. Let your friends and family members know that you are on the road to smoke-rehabilitating yourself so they wouldn't smoke around you or lure you of doing it by any other means. Consult your doctor and maybe he/she could advise other ways you could do to abstain or if there are programs he/she could recommend to assist you. Do so also to assess your physical condition and to see if smoking hasn't done any alarming damage (which we all hope not) to your body yet.
6.Set a quit date. It's like getting on a personal journey, you foresee yourself getting from point A to B within a target date. By giving yourself a time frame to carry out your goal, you'll be more determined to actually make it a reality.
7.Be prepared for difficulty and most definitely a relapse. Do not quit on quitting when you have smoked a stick after you have told yourself you wouldn't anymore. When you have violated your rules, learn to forgive and forget and most certainly to start anew.