Your Top 10 Tips for Quitting Smoking

Need Help Kicking the Habit? Beliefnet Members Share Advice

Smoking may be one of the most common bad habits, but it's also one of the hardest addictions to crack. You probably want to quit smoking, but there are a ton of obstacles in your way. Mommy2Christopher best sums up what has become your ultimate challenge: “I need to get my WANT bigger than my addiction.” But don’t fear; in this struggle, you are not alone. Whether you want new tricks to try or you're completely revamping your mindset, the members of Beliefnet’s
Fresh Air support group offer up their best methods for kicking the habit.

Look Yourself in the Eye

“Look in the mirror and say out loud, ‘I CAN be a nonsmoker!’ ‘I AM a nonsmoker!’ or, even better, ‘I LOVE being FREE of nicotine!’ Verbal and mental affirmations like these are most effective if you state them in the present tense and use strong, positive words…. While it won't give us long-term protection, this do-it-yourself technique can make the difference in a pinch.”

Recognize Your Role

"Overcoming any addiction is a matter of taking full responsibility... Daily confronting, penetrating, understanding; and by that, resolving the attachment to the negative energy that is the affliction."

Stay in Control

"You have to be in a strong frame of mind...is this the best time to quit? Not that there's ever a best time, but some are better than others. If you want to anyway, you could keep reminding yourself that some things are out of your control right now, but smoking isn't. You can control it, it just takes practice."

Make a List

"Make a list of reasons to quit, and reasons to smoke. Do this over the course of a day or two, and meanwhile try to wait as long as possible between cigs, just so you get a good idea of why you smoke. Put this list away for a week or two, then look at it as if someone you love wrote it. Perhaps looking at the addiction from outside will help you understand that this is an addiction, and not just something fun to do."

Seek Help from Above

"Each time I wanted to smoke again, I turned to chewing gum and hard candies, keeping in mind possible weight gain. I also requested that Almighty God would remove this nasty habit."

Resist the Triggers

"Certain situations trigger an intense desire for just 'one more.' Visualizing myself in that situation, using a better way to cope, is helpful in preparing myself to face it the next time, without lighting up."

Swap Nicotine for Potassium

"Bananas can help people trying to give up smoking. The B6 and B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Stressed from trying to quit? Eat a banana! When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack."

Change Your Schedule

"I created blocks of time to not smoke... like, one upon awakening, one at work, one at lunch, one at day's end, etc. I began increasing the time between cigarettes. I finally got twenty-four hours without one and threw out all my cigarettes. I stayed away from smokers, and I told myself that no matter what, I would just not smoke for that day -- 'one day at a time.' One day became two days, and two days a week, etc."

Treat Yourself

"Any money I used for cigarettes I put in a jar marked 'Special Money Only for Mommy.' Now I get my feet done, and massages!"

Focus on the Big Picture

"When you have a cig crave, think of how much better you will be able to breathe. And how much better you smell. And how good food will taste when your taste buds start to work again.

Look at the 'when' and 'why' of your soon-to-be ex-smoking habit. Change your patterns."

Find More Support

Want to find more tips and share the strategies that worked for you? Join the
Fresh Air smoking support group on Beliefnet Community to trade stories and meet others who have struggled with similar issues.