How to Quit Smoking for Real

Smokers love to smoke. Smoking offers a quick physical and mental respite from day-to-day stress, and it makes you look cool. That is, until your teeth and skin turn yellow. Statistics show most smokers want to quit. There’s just too much information available now that details the negative impact smoking has on a person’s body. Smoking is addictive, destroys your body, and drastically increases your chance of dying a slow, painful, tobacco-related death. But quitting is not easy. Whether you smoke once in a while to be social or spend your hard-earned bread on eight packs of cigarettes a day, what follows are some straightforward suggestions on how to quit smoking for good. You can also call 1-800-QUITNOW or visit smokefree.gov for more information and support.

1. Don’t quit cold turkey:
   
   Most smokers who try to quit cold turkey will relapse and return to smoking. There are several possible reasons for this, the main one being that the physical withdrawal symptomsexperienced during the first week of quitting are more grueling than they’d imagined. Heavy smokers who quit cold turkey may experience fluctuations in their heart rate and blood pressure. What’s confusing is that a lot of sites dedicated to quitting smoking tell you to choose a “quit” day and then warn smokers about the perils of quitting cold turkey. A “cutting back to just three cigarettes a day” day is more realistic, and if over the following weeks you cut it back to two, then one, and follow the suggestions below, you can successfully stop smoking for good.
2. Drink a lot of juice:
   
   During your first week of not smoking, drink plenty of juice. Grapefruit juice is particularly good. Doing so will help flush the nicotine out of your system. You can get fancy and implement a full-on program of detoxification through the consumption of a variety of juices, but the main thing is to have juice on hand for when you get the inevitable craving to smoke. Drinking juice one sip at a time and taking a deep breath and holding it for a couple seconds in between sips is a way to wean your brain away from the pleasure of smoking.
3. Physical exercise:
   
   Let’s get real. Limiting yourself to just a few cigarettes a day and sipping juice is going to make you really pissed off and unbearable to be around. You’re letting go of a drug that has effectively sublimated your anger for a long, long time. And now, thanks to your quitting, it’s bubbling to the surface. So guess what? It’s time to start that regimen of exercise you’ve put off for years. Studies show that physical exercise, such as cycling, running, or jumping on a trampoline, reduces cravings to smoke. A daily and lengthy walk (lasting at least an hour) will help you keep off the fat and shake off the rage that results from not smoking.
4. Tons of diet soda:
   
   We’re being half serious here. When you quit, your body and your mind will demand that you replace the cigarette routine with something, anything, just so long as whatever it is makes you feel good. Nicotine gum and patches are supposed to help you wean yourself off of smoking, but their actual effectiveness as an aid to quitting, according to the journal Tobacco Control, is debatable. When you get the urge to smoke, try eating some kind of hard candy, licorice, or some other snack that you genuinely enjoy and can handle indulging in for a three- or four-week period. Just remember to brush your teeth regularly!
5. Acupuncture:
   
   If you’re going to spend a little money on something to help you quit other than a gym membership, consider acupuncture. Acupuncture, an ancient medical treatment originating in China where its practitioners painlessly insert thin needles into specific points of the body, releases endorphins and other brain chemicals that help your body relax and manage smoking withdrawal symptoms, including restlessness and irritability. Acupuncture also helps with detoxification by stimulating your liver. Kind of amazing, and again, it’s a painless procedure. We promise!
6. Reward yourself:
   
   Definitely let your friends and family know that you’re trying to quit, what your plan is, and that you welcome their support. Quitting smoking will mess with your body and your head, so it’s okay to pat yourself on the back for attempting something most people don’t have the guts to try. Set aside the money you used to spend on cigarettes and at the end of that first week of reduced smoking, treat yourself to something, maybe a cool shirt, a meal delivered to your door, or a gadget for your kitchen you’ve always wanted. The next week, reward yourself again. Once you get through the worst of the physical withdrawal symptoms — and remember, exercise, acupuncture, juice, and licorice will help with that — you are well on your way to a life as an ex-smoker.