How To Quit Smoking

Category: Health News

(Source: The Natural Remedies Encyclopedia)This information should be read along with the feature, How to Quit Alcohol, from the same source. The information in each of these two sections is helpful for both those who want to quit smoking and those who want to quit drinking alcoholic beverages. The principles are similar.

The best way to quit smoking is to stop all at once – none of this tapering off business. It is better to have a few rough days, and be through with it, than to drag it out for weeks and months. Slow torture is no fun.

Decide to quit-and do it with positive enthusiasm. Do not be negative, thinking how much you miss it. Be thankful you are getting rid of the habit.

After quitting, the hardest part becomes the first three days: but, by the end of five days, the majority of individuals find the craving definitely less or gone. Continue for 10 days, and you make it.

Say to yourself :”I choose not to smoke.” The power of the will is important. It is the key to victory. Keep repeating your decision throughout the day from morning till night. The more you say it the more you mean it.

You know the issues that are involved; the future for yourself and your loved ones. You know what a miserable life it is to smoke and have it constantly getting in your eyes, costing you money, and craving it in places where smoking is not permitted. And you know it is going to shorten your life.

The facts are out there; you hear them all the time: cancer of the throat, lung cancer, emphysema, hardening of the arteries, slowing of mental activity and reflex responses, cholesterol buildup, reduced heart action and physical endurance, blood pressure problems.

Just one statistic: Dr. Harold F. Dorn studied 200,000 military veterans: and he found that the death rate among all types of cigarette smokers was 58 percent higher than among non-smokers.

There are over 2,000 known harmful chemicals in tobacco; and 400 of them are known to be carcinogenic. These are facts.

Make a decision to quit. Make a list of reasons why you are quitting. Read over the list while you are quitting.

Learn to depend on prayer. Only God can give you the help you need. There are no atheists in foxholes; and you had better not be one now. This is a crisis in your life; and you need Gods help.

If you can, find someone who will pray with you and for you, someone who is a real friend and not just a critic. Call your friend on the phone and talk to him when things get rough.

Carry with you some Bible promises:

“I can do all things through Christ that strengthen me.” – Philippians 413.

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:57.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thou God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee.” Isaiah 41:10.

Believe that these promises were written just for you and your need, just now. Repeat them often.

Get rid of all your tobacco products, including ash trays and all the rest.

Stay away from other smokers as much as possible for the next two weeks.

Two or even three times a day, take a warm bath for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Relax and enjoy it. This will help soak the poisons out quicker.

Since you will be tense at this time, the baths will help relax you. (Frankly, while you were smoking, you were tense all the time!)

If you are able to take it and have no cardiac problems, hot showers, hot baths, or steam baths (best of all) will get the nicotine out quicker.

It is a known fact that the quicker the yellow nicotine leaves your body, the quicker the addiction goes with it.

When you go off tobacco, you are likely to find that your sweat at night will yellow the sheets. That is good; you want the nicotine out of your body.

After the bath of shower, take a “cold mitten friction” by vigorously rubbing your skin all over with a coarse face cloth.

Each time you crave a smoke or drink, begin slow deep breathing. Slowly take in as much air as you can; then exhale it slowly. Repeat your resolve: “I choose not to smoke; I choose not to drink.”

As often as you can, go outside in the open air and breathe deeply. There is energy in fresh air; and it will help you to clean you out.

Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water daily. Do this between meals. If necessary, keep a record of how much water you are drinking. This helps flush out poisons.

Take no alcoholic beverages, none at all. They will cloud your mind, weaken your will power, and you will go back to smoking.

Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruit is especially important now. There was a man who hitched a ride across country. He slipped into a refrigerator car and got locked in. It was full of oranges. By the time he got out – about six days later – he found he had no craving for cigarettes. Eating them took away the craving. The vitamin C in the oranges also helps destroy the poisons in your body, lessening the craving.

You may find that you may gain some weight. But getting rid of the tobacco is far more important than the few pounds gained!

You are increasing your will power; and you will be able to use it to lessen the amount of food you eat, so you can get your weight back down.

Walk outdoors for 15-30 minutes after each meal, breathing deeply as you go. Don’t just sit after a meal; for this is the time of the day that you will especially want to smoke. Instead get outside and walk.

Open up the curtains, raise the windows, and let in the purifying sunlight and air. There is a tobacco odor all over your house. Get it out. This is important.

Avoid mustard, spices, pepper, vinegar, ketchup, hot sauce, chili and horseradish. These foods tend to arouse cravings.

Skip all sweets, pastries, cake, ice cream, and chocolate during the first 10 days at least. Avoid rich, sugar-heavy deserts.

Heavy smokers often like highly spicy foods; they frequently eat a heavy meat diet, plus gravies, fired foods, and other rich foods. Avoid them if you want success in kicking the habit.

If you are starting to get squeamish, ask yourself: How serious am I about this?

Do not use fish, fowl, meat, tea, coffee, or cola beverages. The uric acid, ammonia, purines, and other wastes in meat is what gives it that special flavor. It also stimulates your nerves and increases your craving for nicotine and alcohol. The caffeine in tea, coffee and cola drinks can also trigger your nerves that, in a matter of minutes, you will have an uncontrollable desire to light up.

A lot of sugar in the diet makes you more jumpy and irritable. This is because it steals B vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. Calcium helps strengthen and calm the nerves.

Do not try to solve any major problems just now. Make life as pleasant as possible; keep on the positive side.

Be thankful for your blessings and name them. Thank God for help and ongoing victory. Keep praying, even after you have gotten the victory over tobacco.

Avoid all sedatives and stimulants.

Tobacco raises blood sugar for 2 to 3 minutes; and this is part of its addictive power. So, if necessary, carry a few prunes in the pocket you formerly kept your cigarette pack in. If the going gets rough, chew on one.

Do not go where people are drinking liquor. Avoid old friends who like to drink

Gentian root is an herb that can be chewed. It removes the taste for tobacco. Chamomile is another helpful herb. You can chew the blossom between meals when you want to smoke

The most important part of this program is the earnest prayer to God. Commit your life to Him, and your future will be much happier than your past. Place your will on the side of God. Determine that, with His help, you will succeed.

A sweat bath once a week will help eliminate the nicotine from your system. Keep in the open air as much as possible.

Keep your mind occupied. When tempted, repeat, “Through the power of God, I choose not to smoke.”

When you need to, phone your prayer partner. Carrot sticks or raw celery at the close of a meal will lessen the craving. Chewing raisins or prunes helps somewhat.

You will notice that each time the craving comes, it will subside quicker than the time before.

When your friends tell you that you can’t do it, do not become angry; but pleasantly tell them to wait and see. (They only tell you that because they don’t think they could do it.) Take the initiative: Tell them they need to quit too.

If you know you are going to be in a situation where people are smoking, prepare for it. Meet in a positive manner. Your days of slavery to the tobacco leaf are over with.

Vitamin C is a great help for cutting the smoking habit. Take vitamin C tablets with water or juice.

Vitamin B complex is also important. Take a B complex supplement at each meal.

Hot water with lemon juice is helpful. Go on a fast for a day or two at a time, drinking only hot water and lemon juice. That will clean the poisons out the fastest. Remember that the quicker they are eliminated, the quicker the craving will go.

Keep positive. Keep busy doing something. Keep praying. Keep thanking God. Keep thinking of the bright future for you and your loved ones.

Now that you have kicked the habit, live for others. Find ways to bring more happiness into the lives of those around you. Encourage others to find the better way of life you have discovered. There are principles in How to Quit Alcohol, that will also help you to quit smoking. Be sure to read them.

Back To Feature Menu

More in Health News

Leave a Comment