41 Tips for Keeping the Quit - I found this and thought I'd share.

[shill57957]

41 Tips for Keeping the Quit 

1) It's not as hard as you think. Once you begin to be honest with yourself and to look at the facts about smoking, it will become a pleasure to remove this addiction from your life. 

2) Square off with your smoking abit. Look at it and size it up. Ask yourself exactly what it is doing for you; then ask yourself what it is not doing for you. You can begin with your hair and work your way down to the tips of your toes. It is a medical fact that smoking effects every organ in the human body in a harmful way. 

3) Look at quitting as giving yourself a gift - a very big gift. You are giving yourself a better quality of life and a longer life. You are giving yourself a healthier body. You are giving yourself more self esteem. Wrap all this into a package and look at it for the gift it really is, the - GO FOR IT!!! 

4) Set a date. Make a comittment. Give it a try. Remember, it is alright if you don't succeed at first. Just keep trying. The only way you can lose is by ceasing to try. 

5) Don't look at it as if you are giving up something. This makes it seem like too much of a loss. What you are really doing is tossing something out of your life that has done you harm and doesn't belong here anymore. You are throwing away pure garbage. No longer are you going to allow your lungs to be a restng place for tar and nicotine

6) Always keep a positive attitude. After all, this is one of the most positive things you've ever done. Stay away from negative people and worrisome situtations ( this one is not always possible- LOL) 

7) Quit for yourself. Even thought your family and loved ones will benefit tremendously from your quitting, it is you who will benefit the most. ( I actually think whatever additonal reasons you quit for is very good for your quit!)

😎 Treat giving up smoking with the respect it rightly deserves. Become willing to go to any lengths to remove it from your life. If you are not willing, try praying for the willingness. This usually works. 

9) Look up the word "nicotine" in your dictionary and write down the definition in big letters: " A posionous alkaloid used as an insecticide" - Put it where you can see it. 

10) Don't say " I'll take my chances" and continue to smoke. They are not ours to take. We didn't give ourselves life and we don't have the right to " take our chances" on giving it away. That is up to God. 

11) Don't fool yourself into saying you have too many pressures in your life right now to give up the smokes. Smoking is a great pressure. Your life is a stake. by getting nicotine out of your system, other things will become easier to handle. You will feel better about yourself and have more energy. You will have accomplished something more meaningfull than all the money and materials objects you could ever aquire. You will have given yourself what no-one else could ever give you. You will no longer have the pressures of being a smoker.

12) Don't us the excuse that you might gain weight to justify your continuing to smoke. Even if you do gain a little, the fact that you will be more active and will get more exercise should counteract any weight gain. Remember - overeating, not stopping smoking, causes weight gain ( sure doesn't feel like it sometimes LOL) 

13) Plan to do things that will keep your mind off smoking. Sometimes our minds can be our worst enemies. They will tell us that we need a cig for just about any reason that is handy at the time. Keep busy and do things you enjoy. 

14) Quit smoking one day at a time and think only about the part of the day you are in. " I am not going to smoke before noon" etc...Sometimes do it one hour at a time. It's alot easier than trying to quit forever ! 

15) Don't subject yourself to smoky situations if at all possible. If you do find yourself in this situation, just say to yourself "He/she's having the cigarette I might be having"; then , be grateful you don't have to have it. 

16) Look at your quitting as a investment. Once you have quit for one hour, you have invested this hour in becoming a healthier person. Now invest one more hour- as you continue to invest you will see it grow into something more and more valuable. You will begin to see and feel the rewards. Protect and gaurd your investment as you would a treasure.

17) Start being kind to yourself, It is the beginning of a new way of life for you and you are the most important one there. Treat yourself with love and respect and, remember, you are no longer filling your system with poision. Breath in the clean air and breath it deeply. Smell the different and wonderful fragrances. Begin to spend more time outdoors close to nature. Many new sensations await you. 

18) Don't get too angry. If we are angry, our minds tell us we need a cigarette to cope. Until your mind learns that it doesn't need a cig to cope, try to avoid situations that might be upsetting to you. Avoid certain people that may bother you. If there is alot of tension at work, tyr to get a few days off- if you can't try quitting on a long weekend. Avoid as best you can, things like getting stuck in traffic. Use a lot of caution. 

Anger can be very destructive. 

19) Don't get too hungry. It is amazing how our minds will tell us that everthing's wrong when all we really need to do is eat. 

20) Don;t get too tired. If we are tired, it is easy to become irritated and when we become irritated our minds will tell us that a cig wil help. Our overall resistance becomes weak and it is easy to say "Oh well I guess I'll smoke" 

21) Don't get too lonley. It is good to know some people that are going through the same thing ( note- we all know this one!!LOL) By going to Nicotine Anonymous meetings (or coming here!) you can have contact with such people. 

22) You can remeber these 4 things by the word HALT (hungry, angry,lonley, tired) If you feel you need a cig, check, make sure you are not experiencing any of these. 

23) Don't get too bored. It is hard to just sit & not smoke. Keep busy. Find things to do that you enjoy. Bike riding, hiking, swimming,expolring new places try new restuarants. This is the time to indulge yourself

23) Don't get too bored. It is hard to just sit and not smoke. Keep busy. Find things to do that you enjoy. Bike riding, hiking, swimming, exploring new places, trying new restaurants. This is the time to INDULGE yourself. 

24) Have something to fidget with. We are accustomed to holding a cigarette; being without one will leave our hands without something to do. Get a small rubber ball,playdoh, clay or take up knitting, crocheting anything that will keep those hands busy! 

25) Have something handy to put in your mouth. Lifesavers or any hard candy or mints ( slow disolving)- Avoid fattening foods like cookies and chocolates- they don't last long and just put on the pounds. Experiment and find out what works good for you - then stock up (note-I found that sour stuff worked-grapefruit etc) 

26) If you always have a smoke with a cup of coffee, stop drinking coffee before you quit. 

27) Avoid alcohol while you are quitting. Once alcohol is in your system your defences will greatly diminish!! 

28) Remember that the discomfort you experience in the first 2 weeks will definately come to a end and you will never have to go through it again. 

29) Frequently pat yourself on the back (*pat*pat*). What you are doing is not easy by any means. It take alot of guts to quit smoking!!

30) If you are feeling pain from withdrawl, let it become a lasting memory to serve as a reminder of exactly how strong the drug nicotine is and how hooked you really are. 

31) Remember, every minute you were sucking on cigarettes they were sucking on you. They were sucking the very life out of you. Don't let them have anymore. 

32) Avoid the self pity trap. If we begin to feel sorry for ourselves, our minds will tell us that we deserve a cigarette to make us feel better ( we know that's B.S.!) 

33) Remember, if you just keep trying, you will win. It is good against evil and the odds are stacked in your favour. 

34) Before quitting, plans your activies for the first few days. This way you won't have to make too many decisions while you are withdrawing. At first, making decisons may be hard without a cigarette. 

35) If you are not going to quit right away, perhaps start cutting down- try cutting back just 1 cigarette each day- Some people however find that cutting back is almost as hard as quitting! 

36) Drink lots of liquids to help flush the poisons out of your body - Orange juice and cranberry juices are good because smoking depletes the vitamin C content in our bodies. 

37) Remember , it is the first cigarette that gets you started. It only takes one. This is the one you don't have. You can always put off lighting that first one for a little while. Don't fool yourself and think you can start and stop at will. You can't. Many people have tried this a gone on to live the rest of their lives never to experience the freedom from nicotine again.

38)Frequently remind yourself about the differences you have noticed in yourself. Things like- Your breath no longer smeels like a dirty ashtray. Your teeth are beginning to lose there yellow colour and look bright & clean. Your fingers aren't stained from tobacco. That sickly sounding smokers cough is disappearing. Your sense of smell and taste are returning. Your complexion is beginnig to improve. Your general attitude about yourself is better because you are beginning to really care about yourself. 

39) Give it way - Whenever you have a chance to give your experience, strength and hope to another smoker, use it. This act of giving will insure your chances for staying off nicotine and give strength to your program. There is much reward in helping someone else gain freedom from this harmful substance. 

40) Have a follow up program. don't assume it is over because you have made it though a couple of weeks. Nicotine is very cunning. Continue with your support program's whatever they may be. 

41) When you want to smoke, read this list of tips!!! 

[Thomas3.20.2010]

I LOVE THIS BLOG, Sheri! May I reprint it in another quit smoking Group I manage? HUGS!

[KatherineF]

Great!

[shill57957]

Yes Thomas of course, actually I got it from another group I belong too.  Share away!

[Rick_M]

Great advice Sheri. I like # 41

[brookeanne]

Thank you! That is fabulous advice!

[ShawnP]

Thank you Sheri!

[Ex_Nancy]

Wow, thank you Sheri, this is great!!!  xoxo ❤️