How to Quit Smoking (Step 1: Cutting Back Smoking)

Quit smoking isn’t easy. Especially for heavy smokers, quit smoking can be really stressful since you have acutely been addicted to nicotine. Nicotine causes your brain to crave the simultaneous stimulation and relaxation that you can gain from cigarettes. To completely quit smoking in real quick may be kind of difficult, but don’t be frustrated! You can do it step by step. In this article, we will give you some tips to slowly cut back your smoking habit. How to do it? Here are the tips.

Track your cigarette uses 

First of all, reflect on yourself regarding your smoking activities. Track your consumption; how many cigarettes you smoke in a day? Is there any day you usually smoke more in a week? Try to notice if there is any pattern and what triggers you. For instance you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, and in weekends the number increase because you usually hang out with your friends who are also smokers.

Set your daily cigarette allowance and smoking schedule

After knowing your cigarette use pattern, start to set up your daily cigarette allowance and smoking schedule. Since cutting out smoking completely may lead to another kind of suffering, you can set a goal to consume a number of cigarettes you smoke in a day and when you will smoke them. For instance, you start to consume 15 cigarettes a day. After slowly you get used to it, you can decrease the number to 10 cigarettes a day. Additionally, designate your smoking time; if you will smoke 10 cigarettes a day, you can smoke one cigarette in the morning, three at work, two after lunch, two in the evening, and two before bed. It will help you to avoid smoking when you feel bored since you have that allowance and schedule. Stick with it!

Set up rewards and consequences regarding your commitment in cutting back smoking

To maintain your commitment in cutting back smoking, you may try to apply rewards and consequences towards your action. Reward yourself if you can meet or exceed your goals, and apply the consequences if you cannot. For instance, if you succeed to smoke only 10 cigarettes a day, you might reward yourself a pan of pizza, a glass of wine, or free time. Otherwise, if you fail to only smoke 10 cigarettes a day, you have to do a punishment, like one hour of stretching, put a dollar in a jar, etc. Choose consequences that can benefit you in some ways. The system of rewards and consequences can help you to be more discipline and stay committed to you goals of cutting back smoking.

Those three steps should be tracked continuously in order to make a progress. At the end of the day, the key is your commitment in quit smoking that will moves you. It may be not as easy as it said, but keep spirit!

Reference:

WikiHow. (2019). Limit Smoking Cigarette.