10 Natural Ways To Fight Smoke Cravings - Stop Smoking Tip

I'm immensely delighted you are at this point in your quit smoking efforts. Here are few of my own tested tips to fight cravings. Stick to these if it works for you.



Now lets dive straight in. If you are at your initial quitting days then from day 2 or 3 cravings will peak, so here are my do follow tips to you.



1. Instead of buying regular cigarette pack for yourself, buy a chewing gum pack or few lollipops (I'm serious). Keep it in the same place as your cigarette pack and use it when your hand reaches out for quick smoke.



2. Go for a brisk walk. But refrain yourself from stores and supermarkets (you know why)



3. The day I called it quits, I made sure to start a hobby for myself such as scrap-booking, gardening, reading books. Think of some hidden talent or interest and include it in your lifestyle.



4. It would not be a bad idea to join a gym and stop by for a quick workout when a major craving hits.



5. Try brushing your teeth, taking shower or wash your hands. The active part where we feel craving is our mouth, so it is always better to shunt it through these activities.



6. Maintain a quit smoking notepad for yourself. Write down the reasons why you want to quit smoking and the reason you want to live a long and healthy life. Add a note about your extent of craving too.



7. Special reward for oneself: When your fight with craving ends up well, make sure you treat yourself. Go out for a movie, shopping or whatever you like. It makes you jolly and reduces your reluctance for craving.



8. Stay away from smoker friends (only when they smoke). My smoking actually doubled and during my quitting days I was tempted to try out occasional puffs due to this factor. Try to find non-smoker group or friends that respect and support your efforts. Quitting thing is purely mental and the surrounding of positive people will actually encourage you to pursue quitting.



9. There is a theory that when craving happens you can actually smoke one or two cigarettes a day and then gradually shunt it. You'll hear this all the time. My advice is do not follow it. I've done this myself and this reduces your will power to fight craving. It starts with one cigarette a day then would increase to two cigarettes, then three and it'll never end.



10. One of the drawbacks of quitting or effect of craving is that it'll make you irritable. It is hard to recognize your own irritation but to avoid this behavior try engaging yourself to activities you like as much as possible. Play Scrabble, read books, go to gym or do gardening. Make sure you only do things you like during this time.

How To Stop Smoking - Is Hypnosis Effective In The Fight To Quit Smoking?

Few people realize that Sigmund Freud's first love was hypnosis. In 1887 Freud translated Bernheim's On Suggestion and its Therapeutic Application into German. He also added a preface to this material and readily practiced hypnosis. Charcot was his inspiration and he made it apparent that he agreed with Charcot above all. Generally he endorsed the use of hypnotherapy in all of its' forms and used it as his basis for the subconscious.



Generally, hypnosis tries to input ideas, suggestions, and priorities directly to the sub conscious mind. The same theories are used in subliminal suggestions. Many hypnotherapists involve several theories in their extinguishing process. For example, many non-smoking hypnosis sessions have had participants smoke many cigarettes back to back. The result was nicotine overload that typically ended in vomiting. The vomiting was then associated with the act of smoking a cigarette.



In addition, all participants are lead through a progression of relaxation exercises designed to leave the unconscious available for input. In that space messages are placed that are opposed to smoking. Such as, "smoking cigarettes is poison" or, "I don't smoke because I value myself". Often other suggestions such as alternatives to smoking are also incorporated.



In May of 2000, Ohio State University studied 59 separate studies to evaluate the effectiveness of hypnotherapy in smoking cessation. The study found that it was effective compared to the control group and that it is most effective when paired with other therapies such as behavior modification. In fact, the best way to quit smoking is to combine several available therapies. In addition to hypnotherapy and behavior modification, nicotine substitutes such as nicotine gum and the nicotine patch have been shown helpful.



After the initial hypnotherapy session, follow up visits and home activities that reinforce the therapy are important. So hypnotherapists use audio tapes to facilitate home relaxation and hypnotherapy. Support groups are also used in conjunction with hypnotherapy and have been shown to be therapeutically beneficial. The most effective method will differ from person to person and that's why it is important to find a qualified professional for help. When seeking hypnotherapy, consider the following:



o Ask for references! Check several references before you obtain the services of any professional.



o Interview the hypnotherapist. Most professionals will be happy to have a brief consultation and answer any questions. If they aren't willing to do this, find another professional.



o Ask a medical professional who they would recommend. Many doctors and nurses have contacts with a variety of cessation programs and they typically give qualified recommendations.



o Contact an association of professionals. Consider the British Association of Therapeutical Hypnotists , the British Society of Clinical, or the British Society of Medical & Dental Hypnosis.



o Make sure your provider offers a complete program. Ask about their suggested combination therapies to maximize your chances of quitting.



Many ask if everyone is capable of being hypnotized. The only requirements are that you be cooperative, have an IQ of 70 or above, and are free from any major mental health issues so most anyone can potentially benefit from hypnotherapy. As with any treatment your success depends on several variables but hypnosis can help you become smoke free once and for all.

Quit Smoking Withdrawal - Fight the Urge to Light Up

When you embark on your nicotine withdrawal or quit smoking process, you will experience many quit smoking withdrawal symptoms including having a greater urge to light up a cigarette. Why is this so?



Well, this is because when you decide to completely kick off the habit, you are depriving your bodies of the nicotine that you have grown quite accustomed to after years of smoking cigarettes. Nicotine is actually one of the most addictive substances and it really does take a while for the body to get rid of both its effect and presence.



So if you are a smoker who wants to quit and are tired of all the harmful effects it has, you need to be aware of some of the obstacles that you are likely to face. The most common quit smoking withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, having trouble sleeping, depression, cravings for a cigarette, and an increase in appetite for food as well as concentration problems.



By being knowledgeable about these things before hand, you can work out a kind of game plan on how to deal with these urges and symptoms. Some people become concerned about not being able to keep up and relapse back into smoking.



But today, there are plenty of products available that can help people cope. These products include nicotine patch which can help suppress the urge to light up a cigarette. Of course, these remedies can not be with you for long as you need to reduce your reliance on nicotine.



There are also other prescription drugs such as the Wellbutrin and Zyban that can help you out. These medications are said to be very helpful and effective when it comes to relieving the other symptoms that comes with quit smoking withdrawals. Do consult your doctor as to which one is more suited to you. The urge to light up a cigarette would come and go all throughout your day. The longer you can make do without lighting up, the less extreme the urges would be.



As soon as you start the process of quitting, you would feel these urges and they are tell-tale signs that your body is detoxifying itself of the nicotine. If you can, do you best to wait it out instead of lighting up. Try and distract yourself by doing other things or better yet, learn a few meditation chants to help clear your mind. Stock up on some healthy food that you can munch on instead of lighting up another cigarette.



Also, do not forget to let your loved ones know about what you are going through. You will experience erratic mood swings and unless they know why you are acting that way, they would mostly likely write you off as a jerk. Lastly, keep your eye on the prize and do not let quit smoking withdrawal symptoms throw you off course. Remember why you want to quit and stay with it.

Stop Smoking - Five Ways to "FIGHT the Cravings" After You Stop Smoking (Very Useful)

Anyone that has ever tried to quit smoking and failed will tell you that the cravings you experience when you're trying to quit smoking are the worst part about quit smoking. Most of the time when someone fails at quitting smoking it's because the cravings did them in. So how can you fight your way through the cravings and really quit smoking this time? Here are five ways that you can battle the cravings for cigarettes that you'll have when you quit smoking:



1. Drink ice water. It might sound crazy, but doctors at the famous Mayo Clinic routinely tell patients that are trying to quit smoking to drink ice water when they have a nicotine craving. Sip the water slowly. If you still want a cigarette when the water is gone suck on the ice until that is gone too. Buy a bottle of water and keep it in the freezer so that you have always have ice water ready to go if you have a craving, you can just refill the bottle from the tap when the water is gone.



2. Move. Pace, go for a walk, ride your bike around the block, stretch, do anything that you can think of that is physical and will get your blood flowing. The more oxygen you have flowing through your brain the better you'll feel. Plus the movement will help distract you from the craving.



3. Wait it out. Have you ever been on a diet where you were craving French fries or something sweet but all the experts said to wait out the craving and if you still wanted that food in 30 minutes to go get it? Deal with a nicotine craving the same way. Wait it out. Tell yourself that if you still want that cigarette in 30 minutes you'll go have one. Chances are you won't want it in 30 minutes.



4. Do a puzzle. Keep your mind distracted from the nicotine craving by doing a Sudoku puzzle or playing Scrabble on your computer. If your mind is distracted then the craving will pass on its own.



5. Get support. Talk to a friend or family member, email someone and write out all about your struggle to quit smoking, go online and find a chat room or a message board for people that are quitting smoking. It's really difficult to quit smoking and you will need the support of your friends and family to do it but you can quit smoking.