How To Quit Smoking In 5 Steps

Quitting smoking is a very personal decision, which the majority of smokers have thought about making at least once. But many of them believe they cannot do it, or have even tried it but without success, especially if they have smoked for a long time.

Avoiding short-term suffering is what characterizes today’s society and, with drugs, the parallelism with this dynamic is found when one does everything possible to avoid the symptoms of abstinence syndrome, which with tobacco are physical. and psychological. For this, different strategies are needed when dealing with the process of quitting smoking.

The steps you will read next are a guide to making quitting smoking a more affordable process for you. However, keep in mind that quitting a drug is a very complicated process and you may need more help to get there. In this way, you must accept any help around you that can help you during the process.

There are no magic potions to help you quit a drug effortlessly,  and if it is sold to you like that, it surely is a scam. I know it is difficult, it is very difficult, but it is not impossible and if you put the odds in your favor by following the following steps, it will be easier for you to get there:

Step 1. Motivation is essential

I know that saying we want to quit smoking is easier than doing it, because like everything, it takes a lot of effort. For this, before starting the process to quit smoking,  I recommend that you make a list with two columns, in which to write the good and bad reasons for this decision.

Then assign a score to each reason in each column in order of importance to you, for example 1 to 10, and you will get what is called a decision report. If it is balanced and if the reasons that make you quit smoking are more numerous and stronger than those that keep you going, then you are ready to succeed brilliantly.

If not, review the reasons and make sure there is genuine intrinsic motivation before starting the process. It is an essential step. Quitting smoking is up to you, not what others tell you.

It is also advisable, for times when your motivation may falter, to have something that reminds you of why you started  this process to quit smoking, and in this case it will be a letter addressed to the person you love the most. . You should take this letter with you wherever you go and use it whenever you need it.

The letter should begin this way: “My love, today I decided that I was going to stop slowly killing myself, today I decided that I was going to quit smoking…” and you continue by stating the reasons described in the good reasons column you wrote before.

Step 2. Learning to breathe will help you leave anxiety behind.

Once you are certain that you have sufficient motivation,  before quitting smoking, it is a good idea to learn some relaxation techniques to help you overcome times of great anxiety. If you are already dominating one, this is the one you should use; if not, the best is to learn to breathe.

Diaphragmatic breathing is the most recommended in these cases, since it is similar to the type of breathing you have when you smoke. Breathe in slowly and deeply and breathe out gently, lowering your heart rate.

Step 3. Quitting smoking is an individual process

We must never forget that each of us has our own circumstances, so the best treatment will always be the one that suits our particular conditions. So, a good idea is for a psychologist to tailor general treatment for you.

There are people who get there more easily if they break the habit drastically, and others who find themselves stronger if they have to go through a gradual process. Either way, biological abstinence will always be easier if nicotine consumption is gradually reduced.

The dynamics of this gradual process would be to  gradually reduce the body’s nicotine, so that abstinence and anxiety are less strong. Once the process has started, day after day you will leave cigarettes that are less important to you, until you end up eliminating what is essential for you.

Step 4. If you don’t have weapons, don’t go to war

If you have no weapons, do not go to war because without them you will not achieve victory. In the case of tobacco,  when you start to quit smoking, you have to let go of anything that has to do with tobacco. This means that there should be no ashtrays in the house or lighters in the pocket.

On the other hand,  it is good that, as much as possible, you avoid those situations where you are extremely prone to smoke a cigarette. So, if you tend to smoke while resting after meals, eliminating this habit will temporarily eliminate that rest. It may be a good idea to substitute it for a short walk.

Step 5. No cigarette has ever solved my problems

From my own experience, I can tell you that no cigarette has ever solved my problems. When we quit smoking, and because of anxiety, our minds are messy. A lack of order which in turn prevents concentration and makes us more dispersed in the first days, after breaking the habit. However, let us not forget that going back is not a solution and that little by little, if we persist in abstinence, we will recover the positive feelings.

There is nothing further from the truth than saying that smoking is the solution, not the problem. Smoking poisons our brains and makes us worse. Faced with this, learning problem-solving techniques will give us the means that are really effective in dealing with our daily lives.