Quitting Smoking: Trust in Yourself, Not Dangerous Medications
If you’re a long-term smoker, you may have tried to quit in the past without success. Statistics show that as many as one out of every five Americans smoke and that many of them have tried to quit multiple times. Nicotine is incredibly addictive, so much so that its lure is often baffling to those who have never tried smoking. If you really want to quit, you must be firmly committed to taking steps to help yourself along the way.
Accept the Challenges That Come With Quitting
As much as the makers of certain drugs and supplements would have you think otherwise, quitting smoking is always going to be hard. Many people might revert to using medications to help them stop. The advice you might receive, whether it’s from friends in San Diego or an injury attorney in West Palm Beach, is to try to stop without the use of harmful smoking cessation drugs.
You will likely feel bad after giving up your habit, for both psychological and physical reasons. Before your quit date, arm yourself with a list of ways that you will respond to the stress of being without cigarettes. For example, if you usually smoke when you first wake up in the morning, plan to take a quick jog instead. If you do break down and have a cigarette, don’t despair. Many people relapse a few times before eventually giving up for good. View your path to a healthier life as an ongoing work in progress, and don’t be too hard on yourself!
Get Excited About Your Smoke-Free Future
Now that you’ve prepared yourself to accept the negatives, it’s time to get excited about your new life. Each day, take the money you would have spent on cigarettes and place it into a glass jar. Watch as the money adds up and choose something fun and special to spend it on, such as a gold bracelet, a professional massage or a trip to the beach with your family. While you’re enjoying yourself, be sure to focus on the fact that your body is getting healthier each day you go without smoking.
Choose to Exercise
If there is one thing that can create feelings of well-being, lower stress, raise self esteem and increase your chances of remaining smoke free, it’s exercise. Studies have shown that exercise can actually reduce nicotine cravings and becoming a non-smoker will help you breathe easier, making it more satisfying and fun.
Avoid Potentially Dangerous Medications
Before you ask your doctor for a prescription for Chantix, a popular drug that is supposed to help reduce smoking, you need to be aware of the dangers. Chantix, also known as varenicline, has many potential side-effects, ranging from mildly annoying to dangerous. Aggressive tendencies, thoughts of suicide and other disturbing changes in behavior have been reported. After some time, it has also become known that Chantix can cause problems with the heart, including acute myocardial infarction.
It is difficult to quit smoking but, it really only comes down to two things: wanting to quit and actually doing it. All of the prescription drugs, exercise and planning in the world can’t help you if you aren’t ready. If you are, don’t wait until it’s too late. Make the choice to quit today, and enjoy a happier, healthier and more financially-stable future.
Being smoke free for over a year helps freelance writer, Nadine Swayne, understand the difficulty of quitting and enables her to contribute this article. Available for anyone seeking an injury attorney in West Palm Beach , the attorneys of the law firm of Steinger, Iscoe and Greene know the pros of quitting and the cons of using medications to achieve being smoke free. They are committed to helping those affected by using smoking cessation medicines and will ensure that victims can get the compensation they deserve.
Photo Courtesy of: https://www.flickr.com/photos/belviso/5868159924/
