[كونزيت]

How to Do It
Keep these points in mind when you quit:

Know why you're quitting
Pick a reason that you believe in, be it for your family or for yourself. If you don't believe in your reason, it's that much harder to stop.

Change your environment
Worry about not smoking for just one day, and not for the rest of your life. Besides, it gets easier to stave off the desire the longer you don't smoke. The nicotine will be gone from your system in three to five days, and after about a month the worst of the withdrawal symptoms will go away.

Taper off
Some studies show that a majority of permanent quitters achieved their goal by quitting “cold turkey”. But it doesn't make you any less of a man, says Dr. Davis, to try tapering off instead. "It doesn't mean you are weak, and don't have will power," she says. "What it means is that you realize there are other approaches that will work better."

The key to tapering off is to cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. One way to do this, says Duffey, is to delay the first cigarette of the day. She recommends the two-hour approach. If you have your first smoke at 7 a.m., try holding out until 9 for a couple of days. Then, push it back until 11, and so on. By the end of four weeks, you won't be smoking at all. Whether you taper or quit cold, your goal must be the same: abstinence. If you choose to taper, don’t let the process give you an excuse to delay the final step of quitting entirely.

Overwhelm the addiction
Think about the things that lead to lighting up, and don't do them. Get rid of the ashtrays at home. Don't pick up matches at a restaurant. Don't come back from lunch 15 minutes early to sneak in a cigarette break. Avoid places, like bars, where smoking is part of the atmosphere.

Practice the three D's
When you feel like a smoke, delay. Try to think of something else. Breathe deeply, and count to ten slowly as you do so. Drink water; aim for eight eight-ounce glasses a day, which helps flush the nicotine out of your system. Do something else: chew gum, tap a pencil or crack your knuckles until the craving passes.

Keep a diary
This technique, which has also been used effectively with people who eat too much, is surprisingly effective. Each time you feel like a cigarette, write down the time of day, what you're doing, and how badly you want a drag on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 for the worst craving. A diary, says Dr. Davis, helps you to learn to unlearn the almost Pavlovian responses that make you want to smoke.

"Just because you fail once doesn't mean you can't quit smoking," says Dr. Davis. "Half the battle is knowing that it may require several attempts, and feeling confident that you'll eventually succeed."

Work with your healthcare provider
For best results in your plan to stop smoking, work with your healthcare provider. Studies show that measures such as over-the-counter nicotine patches, over-the-counter nicotine gum, pre******ion nicotine inhalers or nasal sprays, the pre******ion antidepressant bupropion, hypnosis, acupuncture, smoking cessation classes, support groups, and the like are the most effective when used in combination. So if you're going to use the patch, it's a good idea to find a support group, such as classes sponsored by the lung or heart associations.

by Jeff Siegel
from
American Lung Association


Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS)