What is the Best Way to Stop Smoking

What a weird thing smoking is and I can't stop it. I feel cozy, have a sense of well-being when I'm smoking, poisoning myself, killing myself slowly. Not so slowly maybe. I have all kinds of pains I don't want to know about and I know that's what they're from. But when I don't smoke I scarcely feel as if I'm living. I don't feel as if I'm living unless I'm killing myself.
~ Russell Hoban

Well, with all due respect to Mr. Hoban's take on why he is unable to quit smoking despite being aware of its health consequences, I would like to opine that if one derives the pleasure of being alive only if he can feel a slow-approaching death from an intimate proximity, such a person has a very twisted view of what being alive means. Especially so when the person in question HAS the choice to turn the course in his favor but decides to play it passive. This statement reflects an ambivalent state of mind wherein there is a conflict between awareness, addiction and resignation. If there's one thing that's missing, it's respect for life - healthy, happy, disease-free life. Anyway, bringing our focus back to what is the best way to stop smoking, here are some pointers and tips that you can integrate with your lifestyle and habit patterns to help yourself give up smoking once for all.

What is the Best Way to Stop Smoking Cigarettes?

The first step that kick starts your 'ways to stop smoking' schedule is the decision to quit. Mind you, decision to quit doesn't include I've been considering quitting for sometime now or similar lines of thought.

 The decision to quit must have a ring of finality to it and must be accompanied by a strong will to quit. Once you've decided that you've had enough, here are some ways that will tell you how to go about the quitting spree in a systematic and effective manner.

• Get a reality check. Jot down the reasons why you like smoking on a piece of paper. On another piece of paper, scribble down the adverse health effects that were introduced to your life after you started smoking and also include all possible health effects of cigarette smoking that you are likely to experience if you continue smoking. Now, pin up / stick both sheets of paper adjacent to each other at all places that you frequent the most - on bathroom walls, kitchen cabinets, refrigerator door, computer monitor, side tables, etc. Every time you happen to come across these sheets, take a second to compare both sheets and think about which is worth it - quitting or continuing?

• Set a deadline and work towards it. Suppose, today, you decide that by the end of three months, you;ll completely quit. So start scheduling your quitting program and set daily quitting targets according to the final deadline so that the transition is gradual and you follow a systematically structured regimen.

• Divert your cravings. At times when you get those strong smoking pangs, distract yourself by indulging in an alternative activity that you find interesting or relaxing such as singing, taking a hot shower, chewing gum, drinking coffee or green/ herbal tea, cooking, reading, etc. Whatever activity you indulge in, it helps if you keep munching on something so that your mouth is kept busy so that it temporarily forgets about the cancer stick.

• Involve family and friends. Get your close ones to monitor and motivate you at all times. They can help by setting a target-and-reward schedule where you get a treat every time you overcome your cravings. Also, you can ask them to do something unpleasant, say make you eat or drink something you absolutely hate every time you slip. If you're on your own, it is possible that you may slip and succumb to the temptation in stealth but involving your loved ones in your quitting regime makes sure that you are under constant surveillance of people who would be the happiest lot, maybe even happier than you, if you quit smoking! Also, if anyone close to you is also a smoker, you can look out for each other and be together in your quest to give up by each undertaking not to smoke in the presence of the other to avoid any kind of temptation.

• Seek medical guidance. Enroll for a medical course that involves medication, therapy and counseling to help you give up tobacco and nicotine addiction. You can also seek the help of nicotine replacement therapy to help ease the quitting process by lowering the intensity of withdrawal symptoms.

• Eat healthy  Eat a lot of nutritious foods. Foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants will both help your body repair the damage brought on by smoking as well as gradually condition your body to switch to healthier options to derive the feel good factor from. Drink lots of water and fresh juices to flush out all toxins so that medication and therapy have better effect.

It's not just about cancer; tobacco and nicotine are the chemical vampires that suck the very life out of you. Your immune system gets weakened, your body becomes unable to absorb sufficient nutrients from food and your cells wear out faster than normal. The collective result is a weak physical constitution, lack of energy and vitality, stress and rapid aging. If health, youth and vitality are the true essences of being alive, then why would you, in your right mind, want to deprive yourself of these? Do charity work, join an NGO or pursue a creative hobby if you wish to feel good about yourself. And this one's for the guys - if smoking makes you feel like real men, try joining the army or going for adventure sports like bungee jumping or kayaking; the adrenaline rush is greater and not only you but even others consider your act real macho!