(ThyBlackMan.com) Sometimes smokers are powerless against cravings for cigarettes. Many of us want to quit smoking but the problem is the cravings appear at times when it becomes really hard to stop them. No matter how many obstacles of denial you put on the way it becomes nearly impossible to beat those cravings. The good news is you can fight and win using some proven tactics. Here are the greatest ways to stop cravings for cigarettes.
1. Don’t set a cheat day
Declaring a war against your habit is the only way to stop cravings for the smoke. If you are planning to set aside a day when you will allow yourself to smoke, you are never going to achieve your goal.
The process of quitting cigarette makes many changes in your body and thoughts. As a result, your body wants to get back to the same habit of smoking and your mind supports its needs. When you don’t smoke for a few days and wait for the cheat day, your habit of smoking will never leave you. You must stay firm with your decision. Tell yourself “I’ll never smoke again.” These words are going to put a lot of pressure on you, but it’s needed.
2. Avoid triggers
Think about when and with whom you smoke. Do you smoke when you’re on the way to office or coming back home? Is it the place where you meet your friends or is it the lunch break when your cravings reach the peak? Identify the triggers.
You don’t need to avoid people you hang out with. If you feel that the people you smoke with will respect your decision, tell them that you are quitting this habit and those cravings are just a part of the process, and it will go away soon. Try to keep yourself busy during the minutes when you used to smoke every day.
3. Get out of your mind trap
When you quit smoking, your mind tries to convince you to light a cigarette. It gives pretty amazing excuses as well. It makes you believe that you’re still taking bad air inside through passive smoking, air pollution and many other ways then what’s wrong if you’re smoking a cigarette. Your mind will tell you that you are not able to focus because you’re not smoking and in this way you’re destroying your work, studies, relationships, and everything. Your mind will tell you a thousand things like this, but stay firm. It’s just trying to fulfill the need of nicotine.
4. Track your growth with this data
Just 20-30 minutes after you finish your last cigarette, your blood pressure comes back to normal and blood circulation starts to improve. After 12 hours, your lungs and your entire body start the cleaning process and excess carbon monoxide produced by cigarette goes out of your body. As a result, the level of oxygen returns to normal. Your risk of heart attack starts decreasing after 24 hours.
When you quit smoking, after 3 days nicotine leaves your body and your body becomes nicotine-free. This withdrawal causes cravings because nicotine is one of the most addictive substances.
Once nicotine goes out, small hair-like parts on your lungs start recovering from the damage. The process of healing takes around 9 months and during this period, your blood circulation improves while the risk of heart attack and cancer-like diseases goes down significantly. As soon as you complete one year without smoking, the risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half. After 5 years, the risk of stroke reduces significantly.
After 10 years, your risk of dying from lung cancer goes down by half when compared with a person who doesn’t quit smoking. After 15 years, your body reaches a level where most of your body parts become equivalent to non-smokers and after 20 years, your body reaches a level where your risk of heart or lung-related diseases drop to the level of a person who never smoked.
Always remember that you are more powerful than those cravings for cigarettes. Tell yourself that you can quit smoking and the process will be easy for you. Believe that you are effectively doing it and you will win.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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