Tips On Where To Seek Stop Smoking Support And Help?

If you are trying to quit smoking, you may be having a difficult time. You have made the decision but it just is not working out as planned. There are many reasons for this and different people will find success in different ways. Everyone has their own way of dealing with these issues and some people need help from professionals or other smokers that have quit to learn how best to achieve their goals. This blog post will provide some tips on where to seek stop smoking support and help.

This post includes tips on how to find the right therapist, the importance of accountability and what kind of help can be provided by family members or friends who support your efforts in quitting smoking.

Tip #1: Know that you are not alone. There are many people struggling to quit smoking and there is help available. If you want to quit but are having a hard time, take some time and do some research. There are many websites available where you can find resources and locate therapists that can help you while quitting smoking.

Tip #2: Choose the right therapist. You may have tried to quit before but it never worked out for whatever reason, which is totally fine! But now that you have made the decision again, choose a professional who will be able to help you get through this as smoothly as possible. This can be a good idea if you have tried to quit in the past and not gotten anywhere. A professional will make the best effort to see if they can identify why it failed and give you support to make this happen. You may not have realized that so many things are working against you or are causing your unsuccessful attempt. A professional can help find these issues so that it is easier for you to succeed this time around.

Tip #3: Accountability is important! Having a support group is good but you need someone there who will encourage you, get through your issues and help keep the pressure on when needed. This person can be a family member, friend or even a good friend who can help spot the issues you are having and give support to keep you on track. This is important because one of the top things that will prevent your success is not really being committed to quitting. People who are looking for a quick fix will find this and it will be easy for them to fail if they try to do this without someone pushing them hard enough. Having someone there that is honest with you and supportive can make all the difference.

Tip #4: Family members and friends can be another source of support. There are times when it is hard to quit smoking and you may find yourself looking for some help. The best thing to do is to try and approach a family member or friend first because sometimes people feel kind of awkward about seeking help from other smokers. The best thing will be to try them and if they are supportive then you will already have that trust built up so it is easier for you to continue the journey.

Tip #5: Try the free resources available. There are many sites available that can help you quit smoking or get support when quitting. We have listed a few below: Quit.org offers several different resources including a blog and forum that will help you stay motivated and is supported by the National Cancer Institute, which is the cancer research arm of the National Institutes of Health. All these resources offer free advice and tips to make it easier for you to quit. If you are looking for even more resources, sites like QuittingNow also have some really good information available on how to quit smoking, what works best when quitting and where to seek support should you need it.

Tip #6: There is also a mobile app that can help. QuitMate is a free app that helps you stay accountable, track and report your progress, earn awards and even connect with others to help keep support strong. This is one of the best things you can do to quit smoking and it is really a great tool available to help you succeed in quitting.

Tip #7: Look into hypnotherapy or acupuncture. Both of these types of treatments have been proven to be effective in helping people quit smoking. You should check with a therapist to see what types of hypnotherapy are right for you and make sure that you have a referral. Acupuncture is also being used more often now as a way to help people quit smoking. This may be an option for you if you want to try something new or are looking for a way to try the new products that are being tested by pharmaceutical companies.

Tip #8: Use herbs, vitamins or supplements? Some people have found success in using these supplements along with other methods of quitting smoking but they have their limitations and their effectiveness can be questionable so it is best not to use them without making sure that it is safe for your health. However, it is always best to seek the advice of a doctor or other professional to help you decide what is safe for you and what will work best.

Tip #9: Reduce your smoking frequency. You are trying to quit and this takes time so continue to cut down on your smoking frequency as much as you can. You may not be able to stop it all together but see if you can reduce it by at least 2/3rds. This way you will meet the yearly goal and make it easier for yourself to succeed in quitting permanently.

Tip #10: Have a plan! Having a plan will help get rid of any negative thoughts that could cause anxiety or stress while attempting to quit smoking. You need to make sure that you know what your plan is and know how the next few months will play out.

Tip #11: Get rid of all cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays and other smoking paraphernalia. This can be hard to do if you still smoke but this is one of the most important steps in your plan. If you have a lot of these around the house it can tempt you when trying to quit so it is best to get rid of them as much as possible.

Tip #12: Find an exercise routine that will help with stress or anxiety attacks by focusing on aerobic exercise or yoga for example. This will help you to relax and it is a way that you can get some exercise while quitting.

Tip #13: Try a nicotine patch or gum, or other products. These are not as intense as the real thing but they will help you to quit and have fewer problems so it is worthwhile using these types of products.

Tip #14: Don't give up! Quitting smoking takes time, but if you are committed to becoming smoke free then this will be one of the most difficult things that you ever do. Don't let something negative happen that makes you stop because you don't want the benefits of being smoke free to go away.

Conclusion:

Quitting smoking will not be easy and you may face some challenges. However, if you follow the tips that we have outlined in this article then you will be able to quit successfully. You can do it, just keep fighting! 

Please leave a comment below and let us know what your experience has been like with quitting and if there are any other tips that have helped you.

Article by  Tania Zaatour , 5th year UG in Physics, College of Science and Engineering, University of Jordan (JOF) .

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