1. Make an honest list of all the things you like about smoking.
Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper and write them on one
side; on the other side make a list of all the things you dislike, such
as how it can interfere with your health, work, family, etc., suggests
Daniel Z. Lieberman, M.D., director of the Clinical Psychiatric Research
Center at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington,
D.C. Think about the list over time, and make changes. If you are brave
enough, get feedback from family and friends about things they don’t
like about your use of cigarettes. When the negative side outweighs the
positive side, you are ready to quit.
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2. Then make another list of why quitting won’t be easy.
Be thorough, even if the list gets long and discouraging. Here’s the
important part: Next to each entry, list one or more options for
overcoming that challenge. For instance, one item might be: “Nicotine is
an addictive drug.” Your option might be: “Try a nicotine replacement
alternative.” Another reason might be: “Smoking helps me deal with
stress.” Your option might be: “Take five-minute walks instead.” The
more you anticipate the challenges to quitting, and their solutions, the
better your chance of success.
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3. Set a quit date and write a “quit date contract” that includes your signature and that of a supportive witness.
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4. Write all your reasons for quitting on an index card and keep it near you at all times. Here are some to get you started: “My daughter, my granddaughter, my husband, my wife…”
You get the idea.
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5. As you’re getting ready to quit, stop buying cartons of cigarettes.
Instead, only buy a pack at a time, and only carry two or three with
you at a time (try putting them in an Altoids tin). Eventually you’ll
find that when you want a smoke, you won’t have any immediately
available. That will slowly wean you down to fewer cigarettes.
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6. Keep a list of when you smoke, what you’re doing at the time, and how bad the craving is
for a week before quitting to see if specific times of the day or
activities increase your cravings, suggests Gaylene Mooney, chair of the
American Association for Respiratory Care’s Subcommittee on Smoking and
Tobacco-Related Issues. Then arrange fun, unique things to do during
those times, like some of the ones we recommend here.
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7. Prepare a list of things to do when a craving hits.
Suggestions include: take a walk, drink a glass of water, kiss your
partner or child, throw the ball for the dog, wash the car, clean out a
cupboard or closet, have sex, chew a piece of gum, wash your face, brush
your teeth, take a nap, get a cup of coffee or tea, practice your deep
breathing, light a candle. Make copies of the list and keep one with you
at all times so when the craving hits, you can whip out the list and
quickly do something from it.
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8. When your quit date arrives, throw out anything that reminds you of smoking.
That includes all smoking paraphernalia — leftover cigarettes, matches,
lighters, ashtrays, cigarette holders, even the lighter in your car.
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9. Instead of a cigarette break at work, play a game of solitaire on your computer.
It takes about the same time and is much more fun (although, like
cigarettes, it can get addictive). If your company prohibits games like
that, find another five-minute diversion: a phone call, a stroll, or
eating a piece of fruit outdoors (but not where smokers congregate).
10. Switch to a cup of herbal tea whenever you usually have a cigarette.
That might be at breakfast, midmorning, or after meals. The act of
brewing the tea and slowly sipping it as it cools will provide the same
stress relief as a hit of nicotine.
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11. Switch your cigarette habit for a nut habit — four
nuts in their shell for every cigarette you want to smoke. This way,
you’re using your hands and your mouth, getting the same physical and
oral sensations you get from smoking.
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12. Carry some cinnamon-flavored toothpicks with you. Suck on one whenever a cig craving hits.
13. Make an appointment with an acupuncturist.
There’s some evidence that auricular acupuncture (i.e., needles in the
ears) curbs cigarette cravings quite successfully, says Ather Ali, N.D.,
a naturopathic physician completing a National Institutes of
Health-sponsored postdoctoral research fellowship at the Yale-Griffin
Prevention Research Center in Derby, Connecticut. You can even do it
yourself by taping “seeds” (small beads) onto the acupuncture points and
squeezing them whenever cravings arise.
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14. Swing by the health food store for some Avena sativa (oat) extract.
One study found that, taken at 1 milliliters four times daily, it
helped habitual tobacco smokers significantly decrease the number of
cigarettes they smoked.
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15. Think of difficult things you have done in the past.
Ask people who know you well to remind you of challenges you have
successfully overcome, says Dr. Lieberman. This will give you the
necessary self-confidence to stick with your pledge not to smoke.
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16. To minimize cravings, change your routine. Sit
in a different chair at breakfast or take a different route to work. If
you usually have a drink and cigarette after work, change that to a
walk. If you’re used to a smoke with your morning coffee, switch to tea,
or stop at Starbucks for a cup of java — the chain is smoke-free.
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17. Tell your friends, coworkers, boss, partner, kids, etc.,
how you feel about situations instead of bottling up your emotions. If
something makes you angry, express it instead of smothering it with
cigarette smoke. If you’re bored, admit to yourself that you’re bored
and find something energetic to do instead of lighting up.
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18. If you relapse, just start again. You haven’t failed. Some people have to quit as many as eight times before they are successful.
19. Put all the money you’re saving on cigarettes in a large glass jar.
You want to physically see how much you’ve been spending. Earmark that
money for something you’ve always dreamed of doing, but never thought
you could afford, be it a cruise to Alaska or a first-class ticket to
visit an old college friend.
20. Switch to decaf until you’ve been cigarette-free for two months. Too much caffeine while quitting can cause the jitters.
21. Create a smoke-free zone. Don’t allow anyone to
use tobacco in your home, car, or even while sitting next to you in a
restaurant. Make actual “No Smoking” signs and hang them around your
house and in your car.
22. Find a healthy snack food you can keep with you
and use in place of cigarettes to quench that urge for oral
gratification. For instance, try pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds,
sugarless lollipops or gum, carrot or celery sticks. The last ones are
best if you are concerned about weight gain.
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23. Picture yourself playing tennis. Or go play
tennis. British researchers found volunteers trying to quit smoking were
better able to ignore their urges to smoke when they were told to
visualize a tennis match.
24. Quit when you’re in a good mood. Studies find
that you’re less likely to be a successful quitter if you quit when
you’re depressed or under a great deal of stress.
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25. Post this list in a visible location in your house. Whenever you’re tempted to light up, take a look at all the ways smoking can damage your health:
- Increases risk of lung, bladder, pancreatic, mouth, esophageal, and other cancers, including leukemia
- Reduces fertility
- Contributes to thin bones
- Affects mental capacity and memory
- Reduces levels of folate, low levels of which can increase the risk of heart disease, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease
- Increases likelihood of impotence
- Affects ability to smell and taste
- Results in low-birth-weight, premature babies
- Increases risk of depression in adolescents
- Increases risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure
- Increases risk of diabetes
- Increases your child’s risk of obesity and diabetes later in life if you smoked while pregnant
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Diabetes (شو گر) 
