20 Quick Tips to Help You Quit Smoking by Fred Kelley

1. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit. Think about

some of the most difficult things you have done in your life and

realize that you have the guts and determination to quit

smoking. It's up to you.

2. After reading this list, sit down and write your own list,

customized to your personality and way of doing things. Create

you own plan for quitting.

3. Write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting):

live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell

better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about

smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on

paper and read it daily.

4. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit.

Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let

them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and

even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.

5. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your

cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it. Prepare your

mind for the "first day of the rest of your life". You might

even hold a small ceremony when you smoke you last cigarette, or

on the morning of the quit date.

6. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance

from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.

7. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible

with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body

recover from years of damage from cigarettes. If necessary,

start slow, with a short walk once or twice per day. Build up to

30 to 40 minutes of rigorous activity, 3 or 4 times per week.

Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

8. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe

in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few

seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth. Try doing

your breathing with your eyes closed and go to step 9.

9. Visualize your way to becoming a non-smoker. While doing your

deep breathing in step 8, you can close your eyes and begin to

imagine yourself as a non-smoker. See yourself enjoying your

exercise in step 7. See yourself turning down a cigarette that

someone offers you. See yourself throwing all your cigarettes

away, and winning a gold medal for doing so. Develop your own

creative visualizations. Visualization works.

10. Cut back on cigarettes gradually (if you cut back gradually,

be sure to set a quit date on which you WILL quit). Ways to cut

back gradually include: plan how many cigarettes you will smoke

each day until your quit date, making the number you smoke

smaller each day; buy only one pack at a time; change brands so

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BIO:

** Article © Copyright 1999 Fred Kelley of QuitSmoking.com. Visit the web site at http://www.quitsmoking.com for great information and products designed to help you stop smoking.

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