Keep Off Cigarette Habit: What to Do After You Quit Smoking

So you’ve decided to throw away that last pack of cigarette and put a stopper on smoking for good? But the nicotine cravings are still stronger than ever and it is taking all of your willpower to not go out and buy a stick.

This is exhausting. It is mental gymnastics and may require more out of you than anything in your life. But with the right disposition and the dedication to life with cleaner lungs, it is possible to stay clean after you quit smoking and to avoid even worse nicotine cravings.

So how exactly can you do that? Teen Drug Addiction, a provider of Teen Rehabilitation in Los Angeles, California, gives you these tips to help you stay clean and off that stick of cigarette:

• The Chewing Gum Method
  You may have heard of this before, especially if you’ve been smoking for a while. It is probably one of the most popular ways to assuage a craving for nicotine. After a few days of quitting, you may feel the urge to smoke again, especially as you enter withdrawal. Once this urge begins, try chewing gum in order to keep your mouth busy and your mind off the urge.
• Go for a walk.
  Again, if the urge hits you, the idea is to keep yourself distracted and to keep your mind off of thinking about your next cigarette. Go for a walk in an area where there are not many smokers or a park with tall trees so that the fresh air hits you instead of polluted air.
• Drink a glass of water.
  When we are dehydrated, feelings of anxiety are often triggered and this can also trigger the urge to smoke. When this happens, it is advised that you drink a glass of water to push away that urge.
• Keep your hands busy.
  While you are walking or simply waiting for something, this may compel you to smoke as being idle often pushes people to light a cigarette. One tip to avoid such weakness is to keep a portable hobby. This can be in the form of a mobile game or even solving a Rubik’s cube while waiting for your stop on the train.
• Pack up on healthy snacks.
  Snacking is one of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. But you can turn this around to your advantage. Like chewing gum, snacking can help you keep your mind off of your cravings, but make sure that these snacks are not as harmful as your stick of cigarette. Some healthy snacks include slices of apple or yogurt.
• Remind yourself why you quit in the first place.
  Breaking a habit is one of the hardest things to do, and even harder when it evolves into an addiction. Many people quit because loved ones have asked them to, or a loved one has died because of smoking, or because it has been gravely detrimental to their own health. Write yourself a list of the reasons why you quit smoking and read it every day to remind yourself that there is much more to strive for, including a life of cleaner lungs.

When you feel that addiction to smoking is much more powerful than you are, you have to remember that the brain is one of the strongest organs in our body. The human being can do anything we set our mind to. At Teen Drug Addiction, as a center that focuses on Teen Substance Abuse in Los Angeles, we strive to provide the best solutions that will help you with your addiction. Hope is never lost as long as you have the willpower.