How to Wean Yourself From Smoking

Wean yourself from smoking by making it difficult to get to your cigarettes.

The New York Community Hospital states that smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of lung cancer and is a major contributor to heart-related diseases and deaths. Quitting smoking can improve your health and appearance, but people who smoke struggle to quit because the addiction to nicotine is so strong. Although some choose to quit cold turkey, others want to wean off of cigarettes slowly. Several methods to quit smoking will help change your behavior as well as decrease your cravings.

Things You'll Need

• Journal

Instructions

1. Build obstacles. New York Community Hospital suggests taking action to make it difficult to get to your cigarettes, such as wrapping your cigarette box in tape. Hide your cigarettes in the back of your closet, or choose a type that you do not like. Ask your friend or spouse to hold onto your cigarettes and only give you the amount allotted for that day.

2. Use nicotine replacement therapy. The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide states that nicotine replacement therapy might help wean you off smoking. A variety of nicotine patches, gum and lozenges offer a certain amount of nicotine to help you replace the nicotine you do not smoke that day.

3. Get a prescription. The University of North Carolina Greensboro states that prescription drugs such as Zyban and Chantix can help you quit smoking by relieving the cravings for nicotine. Your doctor must write a prescription for these options.

4. Start an exercise program to help wean you off smoking. An exercise program can help you relieve stress that cigarettes used to help with, according to the New York Community Hospital. Whenever you feel the urge to smoke, do something active such as walking or running.

5. Form a support system. Gather family and friends to help you quit smoking. Have a group of people that you can call for 24-hour support. Whenever you feel the urge to smoke, your friends and family should talk you through it or take you somewhere to get your mind off cigarettes.

6. Keep a journal. Use a journal to write down your triggers for cigarettes. Record your feelings at the time of the cravings. Form alternative coping skills such as talking, listening to music or yoga when you feel a trigger to smoke cigarettes.

References

• New York Community Hospital: 17 Strategies to Quit Smoking
• The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide: Smoking Cessation-New Ways to Quit
• The University of North Carolina Greensboro: Student Health Services

Resources

• Smoke Free Society: Health, Progress and Success Without Smoking