Tuesday, September 18, 2007

How to Deal With Cold Turkey Cravings

How to Deal With Cold Turkey CravingsAre there any easy ways to quit smoking at all? Certainty there are many ways to break the smoking habit, but none of them are truly easy. One of the most effective ways to quit smoking is to stop smoking completely without any type of drug or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). This way is commonly known as cold turkey.

The cold turkey method is not fast or easy. Smoking is a physical and emotional addiction that's as strong - if not stronger - than any other drug addiction. Al smokers, who ever tried to break the habit, know how difficult it can be to quit. For every one, who is going to quit smoking, one of your biggest challenges will be cravings. They can strike at any time, they are expected, but it is still hard to resist. After you get through your first day, the withdrawals start.

The intensity of the withdrawals depends on how much nicotine you normally intake. Withdraws include, but are not limited to: irritability, nausea, shakes, and insomnia. If you used a large amount of nicotine a day, you should expect to feel intense withdrawals and be pretty much useless for the first few days. Whenever a craving strikes, try one of these tips:

Relax: If you feel a craving, find a quiet place to sit. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing so it becomes deep and rhythmic. Relax your body as much as possible. Just ten minutes of relaxation may be all it takes to get rid of your craving.

Exercise: Create natural, feel good endorphins that give us a rush of pleasure with exercise. Next time you feel a craving, immediately head outside for a walk. Try to do some simple breathing exercise. Exercise helps get energy and beat that craving for a smoke.

Get Support: Get help of a support network, whether it's friends, family, co-workers or an online message forum. When you feel the urge to smoke, call or chat with someone in your support network. Just getting support from your loved ones can remind you why you chose to quit smoking in the first place. Ask your friends and family to support you.

Educate yourself: Go online, visit the library or access your own resources to read about nicotine addiction. Stay focused on your desire to quit smoking. If you feel a craving strike, start rereading all your quitting resources.

Quitting smoking can be one of the most difficult challenges you ever try to accept. But with knowledge and willpower - plus a little creativity - you can fight the cravings and be on your way to a smoke-free life!

Monday, September 3, 2007

Reasons to Quit Smoking Cold Turkey

Reasons to Quit Smoking Cold TurkeyGoing to quit smoking cold turkey is a life changing decision and it is best to make it with as much information as you can get. Cold turkey is one of the oldest and widely used methods to help people quit smoking. People who quit smoking cold turkey ultimately choose not to use any quit smoking aids to help them stop smoking. Contrary to the popular beliefs of those selling quitting aids, about 90% of all long-term successful ex-smokers quit smoking cold turkey. There are a quite a few people, I know, who have quit smoking cold turkey. So I know it can be done! There's a number of good reasons to quit smoking cold turkey, finding the right one for you is what matters most.

You should consider the facts if you decide to quit smoking cold turkey:

When making the choice to quit smoking cold turkey, it is imperative to understand that withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, fatigue and more, may be fairly intense, but they will wane after just a few days. This time is the most difficult because you might feel sick from withdrawal. You may have none or just one or two withdrawal symptoms because they will differ from person to person and from time to time. Doing a little extra research on the possible withdrawals will help prepare you to better deal with them if you do experience them.

Another imperative element you will need to quit smoking cold turkey is support. Support from others is a key element in helping you throughout the entire quit smoking process and beyond. That is why you should get all of the stop smoking support that you can in order to quit for good. People who actively arrange a support system for their stop smoking goals are more likely to succeed.

While having strong willpower is imperative, ultimately your success depends on how badly you want to quit and whether or not you believe you can do it. Most people who have tried to stop smoking have been unsuccessful due to the method they chose to help them stop smoking. Techniques like taking a walk or calling a friend when you feel like smoking will help you to be able to be successful while you are trying to quit smoking. The good news is, if you are not a winner trying to quit smoking cold turkey, then you will be happy to know that there are other effectual treatments available.