|
RISING WOMEN EXPERT
ADVICE...
What can I do to help myself finally quit
smoking for once and for all?
Smokers are often aware of all the dangers of smoking tobacco, and many of
them have tried to quit but failed. If you are one of those people, please
don’t give up! Know that many smokers fail several times before quitting
successfully. Know that your past failures are not a lesson that you are
unable to quit. Instead, view it as part of the normal journey toward
becoming a non-smoker.
There are many tools to help smokers quit. Smoking is more a psychological
addiction which is why Hypnosis has proven to be so successful with this
habit. In experiments, Hypnotherapy has proven more effective than drugs,
nicotine chewing gum or patches, plus there are no harmful side effects.
Below are some behavioural modifications you can make to help you prepare to
be a nonsmoker.
First, decide to clean and store away all ashtrays. Then aim to exercise if
you feel any withdrawal tension. Often, I find with smokers, a smoke break
is often the only time in the day they take 5 minutes to themselves and
breathe deeply (except they are drawing over 4,000 different chemical
compounds into their lungs). If you have an urge to smoke, sit down and
relax for 5 minutes and take a few deep breaths, hold them for 5-10 seconds
and then release it slowly.
Increase fluid intake, water, juice or diet drinks (no caffeine) plus
decrease coffee, tea and alcohol which increase the urge for nicotine. If
you feel the need for something in your mouth, you can use sugarless gum or
carrot/celery sticks. Aim to get some support from other non-smokers for
positive strokes and keep the thought in your mind that “I am now an
ex-smoker.”
When you quit, after only four days, all the nicotine will be gone from your
system. Every time you urinate, nicotine and poisons will be leaving your
body, so drink water to help flush them out. As the nicotine leaves your
system so does calcium, so for the first four days replace calcium with
supplements or dairy products. As the nicotine leaves your body, your sugar
levels drop too which then causes a craving for nicotine. So for each of the
first four days, for example, eat three oranges per day to replace the lost
sugar. If you should feel stress, as smoking is a nervous habit, a vitamin B
complex can help relieve the stress. Continue this for ten days.
On the 4th day you will feel great because the nicotine will be gone from
your system. On the tenth day, you will feel really good because all your
blood cells will be oxygenated. All the residual smoke, nicotine and poisons
will be cleansed away.
For help on quitting smoking, contact Claire Bramham, Clinical
Hypnotherapist at Mind & Body Therapy Inc. at 403.397 0011 or visit
www.mindandbodytherapy.ca
|
