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Great quitting techniques

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DEEP BREATHINGPERHAPS THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL AND IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE
  • Every time you want a cigarette, do the following. Do it three times. (Inhale the deepest lung-full of air you can, and then, very slowly, exhale. Purse your lips so that the air must come out slowly.  As you exhale, close your eyes, and let your chin gradually sink over onto your chest. Visualize all the tension leaving your body, slowly draining out of your fingers and toes, just flowing on out). 
  • The first few days, drink LOTS of water and fluids to help flush out the nicotine and other poisons from your body.
  • Remember that the urge to smoke only lasts a few minutes, and will then pass. The urges gradually become farther and farther apart as the days go by.
  • Do your very best to stay away from alcohol, sugar and coffee the first week or longer, as these tend to stimulate the desire for a cigarette. Nibble on low calorie foods like celery, apples and carrots. Chew gum or suck on cinnamon sticks.
  • Stretch out your meals; eat slowly and wait a bit between bites.
  • After dinner, instead of a cigarette, treat yourself to a cup of mint tea or a peppermint candy.
  • In one study, about 25% of quitters found that an oral substitute was invaluable. Cinnamon sticks, toothpick, brushing your teeth, suck a mint, chew gum, eat low cal snack:  celery or carrot or broccoli cut into bit size bits.
  • Change your normal routine – take time to walk or even jog around the block or in a local park.

  • Ask for support from coworkers, friends and family members.  Ask for their tolerance. Let them know you're quitting, and that you might be edgy or grumpy for a few days. If you don't ask for support, you certainly won't get any. If you do, you'll be surprised how much it can help. Take a chance -- try it and see!
  • Ask friends and family members not to smoke in your presence. Don't be afraid to ask. This is more important than you may realize.
  • On your quit day, hide all ashtrays and destroy all your cigarettes, preferably with water, so no part of them is smokeable.
  • Write down ten good things about being a nonsmoker -- and then write out ten bad things about smoking. Do it. It really helps.
  • Don't pretend smoking wasn't enjoyable – it was. This is like losing a good friend – and it's okay to grieve the loss. Feel that grief, don't worry, it's okay. Feel, and you heal. Stay with it -- you can do it!
  • Several times a day, quietly repeat to yourself the affirmation, "I am a nonsmoker." Many quitters see themselves as smokers who are just not smoking for the moment.
  • Here is perhaps the most valuable information among these points. In Phase 2, the period which begins a few weeks after quitting, the urges to smoke will subside considerably. However, it's vital to understand that from time to time, you will still be suddenly overwhelmed with a desire for "just one cigarette." This will happen unexpectedly, during moments of stress, whether negative stress or positive (at a party, or on vacation). If you are unprepared to resist, succumbing to that "one cigarette" will lead you directly back to smoking. Remember the following secret: in these surprise attacks during Phase 2 -- and they will definitely come -- do your deep breathing, and hold on for five minutes, and the urge will pass.
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