Many people look to address the physical addiction when they try and quit smoking and use cessation aids to help them. However, they often forget the mental addiction to nicotine, which can also be hard to overcome, especially if you have little willpower. When you want to quit smoking successfully, you will need to address both the physical and mental addictions before you can succeed. Below is some advice that deals with both the physical and psychological addiction of smoking that may help you quit for good and start living your life smoke-free.
Dealing With The Physical Addiction
Coping with physical addiction is the easy part when you are looking to give up smoking. If you have a lot of willpower and are strong-minded, you may be able to quit going cold turkey successfully. However, many people are not strong enough to do this, so look to use a cessation aid to help them. There are many available, such as e-cigarettes, nicotine gum, patches, and sprays, that you can use to help control your urges and cravings for a cigarette. However, the best e-juice available to buy cannot help you with the mental side of nicotine addiction.
Recognise Your Triggers
One of the first things you will need to do when trying to cope with the mental addiction to nicotine is recognising what triggers you into wanting to smoke. Many ex-smokers have no physical addiction to nicotine anymore, but there are times when they feel a strong urge to smoke, which is usually when they are in a situation that triggers the craving. Everyone has different triggers, but common ones are after eating, socialising with friends, and drinking alcohol. When you understand and recognise what triggers your mental cravings, you can then address them and increase the chances of not smoking again.
Coping With The Mental Addiction
Once you can recognise the triggers that make you want to smoke, you can start doing something about them. In an ideal world, you can remove yourself from the situations that may cause the trigger, but this may also mean leading a solitary life and not seeing friends anymore or going to the pub. However, there are ways to cope with what triggers you to want to smoke, and one of the best things to do is keep your mind occupied. After you finish eating, you can go and do the washing up instead of sitting around thinking about how much you want to smoke. When you go out with friends drinking, sit inside rather than outside, so if there are smokers in your group, they must go outside.
Everyone is different, so we all have different triggers and have various techniques to deal with them. The trick is to find what works for you and help control the mental aspect of quitting smoking. It takes a tremendous effort to quit smoking, with or without using a cessation aid, and it may help you by speaking to someone about the problem. The best place to start is your doctor, who can go through all the available options and the support you can use in your local area.