QUIT SMOKING - CAITLIN

So you’ve decided to quit smoking.  You’ve made a list of all the benefits, you’ve set a Quit Date, and you’ve practiced inflecting ‘No, I would not care for a cigarette, thank you’ with varying degrees of profanity until it’s become a reflex.  But what about your plan after the quit date?  What will you do to fight off the cravings?  Golden Dragon, a Chinese company, has been selling their solution online for the past few years: the Electronic Cigarette.

You look so cool, leaning against the side of a building with a cigarette hanging from your lips. You style yourself a modern day James Dean. Inhaling and exhaling. But then again, the longer you smoke the more people can tell. You’ll get yellow fingernails and bad breath. Smoke long enough, and you’ll get those pursed lines around your lips. And that cute girl you’ve been eying for the last month? She won’t date a smoker.

Think about it. Is the cigarette worth it? That little roll of paper you hold between your fingers is full of ash, tar, nicotine, and poison. Do you really want to breathe in nail polisher remover? Insecticide? Rat poison? Ingredients in all those chemicals are found in cigarettes.

The cigarette has been holding you back, and it’s time to quit.

You’ve tried quitting before, but you always end up fishing the pack out of the trashcan when you get lonely, hungry, or bored. What do you do with your hands at a party without a cigarette? How will you spend your free time?

The first step is designing a plan. Will quitting smoking cold turkey work for you, or will you have to decrease the number of cigarettes you smoke a day until you’re nicotine free? How about nicotine replacement therapy? If you’re so inclined, there are hypnotists and acupuncturists that can help you with your withdrawal symptoms.

The second step is avoiding situations where you would usually smoke. Identify what kind of smoker you are. Are you a social smoker? Stay at home until you’re strong enough to say no. Try not to spend time with friends who smoke. Do you finish a meal off with a cigarette? Replace it with something else to end the meal, like a decadent dessert or a piece of chocolate. Maybe a cigarette just gives you something to do with your hands. Find a hobby. Learn to spin a pen or build paper airplanes. Rediscover books and music.

For many people, smoking satisfies an oral fixation. There’s nicotine gum you can chew to get through withdrawals, hard candy to suck on, and celery to keep your mouth busy. Replacing a cigarette with a straw may sound silly, but it can get you through a craving.

The third step is dealing with a relapse. If you slip, don’t spend too much time worrying. Most quitters relapse; after all, nicotine is more addictive than heroine. Just remember how long you went without a cigarette, and realize that if you’ve gone that long without it once, you can do it again. Get back on the wagon. Try again until it sticks.

When quitting sticks, celebrate. Your teeth are whiter, you smell better, you can finally date the cute girl you’ve wanted to talk to. And by cutting out even forty cigarettes a week, within a month, you’ll have more than enough to pay for dinner and a movie.

For more details visit : how to quit smoking cigarettes