How to Quit Smoking? (A Guide to Save Your Health)

Smoking is a leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Chronic smoking not only causes physical damage but as smoking turns into an addiction, it can also impact the social and psychological health of the individual and their loved ones. 

As an addict, smoking can be difficult to ditch. Each individual who has quit will have a story of their own. Quitting becomes easier with the right professional help. 

We, at Cadabam’s, have been doing this for the last three decades. Our multispeciality team works round the clock, helping individuals and their loved ones to achieve a long-term and successful recovery. Read on to find out the best methods and ways to quit smoking with the help of medical assistance. 

It’s Challenging (But You Can Do it)

Quitting smoking is really hard, and in many cases, the individuals fail at several attempts to quit. 

Many may have started smoking as a way to cope with anxiety, depressed feelings or simply to get rid of boredom. Quitting in these situations can be harder. Smoking gives a ‘good’ feeling that helps you relax. However, as one continues smoking, the brain enjoys it, gets used to that sensation, and builds a tolerance to the substance, thus causing an individual to crave it and continue with the habit. A high tolerance usually means that the individual needs more and more of the same product to elicit the desired response - the “good feeling”.

In their journey to quit smoking, one also needs to deal with the addiction and the withdrawal symptoms. They have to handle the unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms that come with not using the substance. But with determination, persistence, and support, it is possible. Let us look at a few ways to quit smoking that the individual can apply on their own.

Finding your reason

When figuring out how to quit smoking, you must start by finding your reason. Once you have your own personal and powerful reason, it will be your motivation to quit smoking for good. The reason can be anything from reducing your chances of getting lung cancer or heart disease to looking and feeling young. Choose a goal or a reason that outweighs your craving to smoke a cigarette.

Make an action plan

Once you decide to quit, come up with a plan on how you are going to go about it. Having well-planned ways to quit smoking will go a long way in helping you achieve what you’re aiming for.

Be prepared before going cold turkey

There is so much more to quitting smoking than just tossing the cigarettes out. In the end, smoking is an addiction and the brain is used to the constant nicotine supply. If you stop smoking suddenly, your body will go into withdrawal; this can be quite intense and you have to be prepared for it. You can always consult with your doctor about the various methods that will make withdrawal easy like meditation, counseling, hypnosis, and so on. These methods will keep you ready for the day you choose to quit.

Cutting down

In this process, the individual quits smoking by slowly decreasing the number of cigarettes. Whichever ways you choose to quit smoking, make sure you plan out when to start and how to stick to the plan. Select the date when you want to start quitting.

Tell your friends and family about it, be ready for the challenges. Consider getting psychological and medical assistance to follow through with the process and deal with the withdrawal symptoms. It is necessary to manage and control the withdrawal symptoms for long-term recovery. 

Clean your house

Once you are done with your last cigarette, you need to toss all the ashtrays and lighters. Wash your clothes, clean your carpets, drapes, and upholsteries, because they will smell of smoke. If you had the habit of smoking in your car, then you have to clean the car and air it out. Clean your house thoroughly, so that you don’t see or smell anything that reminds you of smoking.

Avoid alcohol

You can prevent smoking by avoiding alcohol and other triggers because they make it harder to stay on track with recovery. Try to reduce/limit your alcohol intake during the initial weeks. If you used to smoke while drinking coffee, then consider switching to tea. If you used to smoke after meals then consider some other activity like brushing your teeth, having a sweet snack, chewing gum, or talking to a friend.

Stay busy

Staying busy will help you keep distracted from your thoughts about smoking. It is common that you keep thinking about something that you originally thought not to think about. Engaging yourself in other activities and putting your focus on that activity will help you get distracted from the cravings. You can engage in an activity or simply chew gum or hold a toothpick in your mouth so that you don’t feel that something is missing. 

Get Moving

Being active can help prevent smoking. It doesn’t have to be any vigorous workouts. A simple walk around your neighborhood can go a long way. If you want to know how to quit smoking once and for all, consider seeking professional help to stay on the road to recovery.

Take a break

This is one of the underrated ways to quit smoking. People tend to take up smoking when they are under stress and nicotine can help them relax. Once you quit, you will need to find new ways to relax and not relapse. There are many ways you can do that, like exercising, tuning into your favorite music, connecting with friends, getting a spa treatment, or just indulging in your favorite hobby.

Avoid stressful situations during the initial weeks of quitting smoking. Psychotherapy from an experienced professional can help in learning new and healthy ways to cope with stress and avoid relapses. 

Have a positive attitude

There might be times you might feel frustrated and irritated as a result of withdrawal symptoms. In these times, remind yourself of the reason behind your decision to quit. This will help you get motivated to continue with your regimen. If you weren’t able to control your craving and smoked that day, excuse yourself. You have not failed, it is common to fall back but it is more essential to get back and follow your plan. You need to be prepared for this shortcoming and remind yourself to stick to the plan. In such cases, it is necessary to confide in loved ones and seek support from them and your therapist.

Lean on your family and friends

Telling your friends and family members that you are going to quit smoking can help because they will hold you accountable while you are on your journey to sobriety. They will encourage you to keep going and call you out when you are about to relapse.

Surround yourself with friends and family members who encourage you to quit. This support can be helpful when you lose hope and will help you continue with your plan of quitting. For example, your family members would make sure they don’t smoke when you are around so that you don’t get tempted to indulge in the behavior.

This support will also go through the emotional distress experienced when quitting such as anger, frustration, sadness, etc. Along with friends and family members interact with people who have quit smoking successfully or who are in the process of quitting like you. Interacting with them might give you techniques to make this journey smoother. Since they are going through the same journey as you, they will be in a better position to understand your condition.

To quit smoking is not an easy task, but with enough hard work, determination, and support, it is doable. If the self-help strategies mentioned above do not work, it is better to get professional help.

Ways to Quit Smoking

Addiction is a disease that can be hard to overcome. However, the right support can do wonders in achieving long-term recovery. There are counseling sessions, various therapies and medications, and many other ways to quit smoking. For any professional help to aid you to quit smoking or for any queries, contact our professionals on our 24/7 helpline - +91 97414 76476 or mail us at info@cadabams.org. You can also visit us at Cadabam's Hospitals.

Quit Smoking (Successfully): Why Cadabam’s Hospitals

Cadabam's Hospitals is one of the leading mental health care and psycho-social rehabilitation centers. We offer a comprehensive range of solutions under a single roof. Our multi-specialty team of experts specializes in helping people quit smoking. We tap on holistic measures and rely on an evidence-based approach to achieve better results. Caring about your experience and satisfaction just as much, our solutions are completely tailored, personalized to your needs, requirements, and preferences. For more than three decades, we have helped countless people successfully quit smoking.

We promise you the same outcome. If you need more information and insights about how to quit smoking or have any queries, do send them to us at info@cadabamshospitals.com. Or visit us at Cadabam’s Hospitals. Alternatively, you can reach us on our 24/7 helpline number- +91 97414 76476.

Disclaimer: We strive to treat our patients with dignity and the utmost sensitivity. We understand that addiction is a disease and not a sign of weakness. The term addiction or smoking is used not in a derogatory way but to remain relevant to user search trends and common usage.  It is important to note that addiction should be referred to as ‘substance use disorder’ to better address the effects of this psychological condition.

Words like ‘addict’, ‘junkie’ should be avoided as they place the blame on the individual. Substance use disorder or substance dependence syndrome should be used to refer to the condition the individual is suffering from. In case you or a loved one are struggling with nicotine addiction and share a unique viewpoint on how we can improve this content for our readers, please reach out to us at info@cadabams.org.

FAQs About Quitting Smoking

Why is addiction hard to overcome?

Addiction leads to alteration in the prefrontal cortex of the brain and in a person’s dopamine cycle. It impairs judgment and impulse control, making it difficult to make good decisions; the body starts needing more dopamine in order to function properly.

Is relapsing normal?

Yes, a lot of people trying to quit smoking relapse sometimes. Relapses usually occur due to the presence of drug-related cues or triggers. It is hard to overcome addiction but one can definitely overcome it if they are resilient, have strong social support, and are in a customized treatment program.

How to help someone with an addiction?

If you want to help someone with an addiction, be kind to them, offer help, don't blame or judge them, listen to them, and set boundaries. Helping them in seeking professional support is very important for their betterment and can help significantly in recovery.

How does Cadabam’s treat addiction?

The team at the Cadabam’s Hospitals recognizes the social and family aspects of addiction as well. It provides support groups for individuals and families. There is 24/7 support with immediate crisis intervention and a multifaceted team of psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals. Adopting evidence and solution-based treatment plans that are customized for every individual, Cadabam’s Hospitals assure people of complete support and lasting outcome from their addiction treatment.