Smoking is injurious to health and it causes cancer. Y’all must have come across this statutory warning often, either in movies or on packs of cigarettes. And even though its a no-brainer that smoking cigarettes are extremely harmful to health, people still find it extremely difficult to quit. It’s like an addiction that you know will take you down with it but you can’t stop yourself. So, if you or someone you know is going through the same thing, then this article is just for you.
We recently had a conversation about how one can quit smoking on Malini’s Girl Tribe and so many women dropped in their suggestions and bits of advice, some even coming from their own experiences. And in this article, we’ve put together some of those comments. Read on to find out and motivate yourself to ‘cut the bud’ or help someone quit smoking.
1. Reduce It Gradually
One of the tribe members shared how she and her husband tried cutting the number of cigarettes gradually, every few days. And from 5 smokes a day to quitting completely, the process took them almost two months.
2. Chew Nicotine Chewing Gum
They feel just like chewing gums, plus they’re sugar-free! All you gotta do is chew them whenever you are craving for a smoke. They’re believed to eventually kill the addiction.
*Note: Before you consume them, make sure you consult your doctor or
3. Understand The Urge To Smoke
One of the girls talked about how it is important to first understand why you’re addicted to smoking or feel the need to light up a cigarette. She said,
I guess you first need to understand why you smoke. Is it because of stress? Anxiety? Boredom? Social acceptance? Once you realise the problem, you can take care of it and you will never need a cigarette again!
4. Ban Yourself
Another trick that was recommended in the thread was to ban yourself from smoking in certain areas. Basically, make it difficult for yourself to smoke everywhere. Put restrictions on yourself like—no smoking in the house, no smoking in the car, etc. This way, when you set such rules for yourself, you automatically cut down on the number of smokes you light in a day.
5. Keep Yourself Busy
Different strategies work for different people when it comes to quitting cigarettes. One of the tribe members revealed how keeping herself busy help her cut down the habit. She said,
Keep yourself busy, especially your hands. I took up crafting, i.e. cross-stitch and crochet so that my hands wouldn’t be free to light up even when I was doing something like watching TV.
There are nearly 1 billion smokers in the world, but it affects a much bigger population indirectly. Passive smoking is considered just as harmful as active smoking. Remind this to yourself—when you light up a cigarette, you’re not just harming yourself but harming the ones around you too. Let us know in the comments below if this read helped you take one step further towards breaking this harmful habit.
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