smoking

According to a tobacco expert this is the best way to lay off smoking

Those people who never started smoking can count themselves lucky. Quitting this nasty habit is very difficult, as everyone who’s tried to stop smoking can confirm. It’s frustrating, because quitting is of course very good for your health. Luckily, tobacco expert Laura Jacobs has a few useful tips.

Research from the Netherlands has shown that most people quit smoking because they’re worried about their own health or that of their children. But quitting those cigarettes is very difficult. Here are five tips from tobacco expert Laura Jacobs:

Pros and cons
Make a list of all the pros and cons of smoking. Try to think about the pros and cons of stopping as well. You can keep this list with you at all times so you can read it when you’re having a weak moment
Find a buddy
Do you want to stop smoking? Look for someone who also wants quit. You’re stronger when you’re together. You can encourage each other and hold each other accountable, but you also have someone who knows exactly what you’re going through.
Set a deadline
Decide upon a date when you will quit, but do make sure that date isn’t too far in the future. Pick a date on which you know you won’t have too much stress or find yourself in situations in which you’ll be tempted to smoke. For example, quitting when you’re just going on a holiday isn’t a good idea.
Create new habits
When you’re in the middle of quitting smoking, you’ll be thinking about cigarettes constantly. That’s why it’s good to make sure you keep busy and choose some new, healthy habits. You can look at the lives of people who don’t smoke for this. What do they do when they’re feeling stressed?
When you relapse
Jacobs says there’s no such thing as ‘just one cigarette’. Stay calm when you’ve relapsed and don’t think: “Well, I’ve smoked one already; I might as well smoke another one. I’ll quit again tomorrow.” Don’t be discouraged by that one cigarette.