Sip cold water and eat small meals
Sipping cold water through a straw can help replace the act of sucking on a cigarette. It also releases dopamine, a feel-good brain chemical that can help ease bad moods, research shows. Eating small meals can also help you get past the urge to smoke. Choose lean, healthy foods to avoid weight gain.
Note instant rewards
You don't have to wait long to begin enjoying the benefits of a smoke-free life. Keep a written list of the good things as you begin to notice them. They might include feeling in control, saving money, smelling better, tasting food more vividly, and feeling more energetic. When the urge to smoke strikes, look at your list as a reminder of what you've gained from quitting
Brush your teeth often
One of the instant perks of quitting is that your mouth tastes better and your breath smells better. Brush often. That way, you'll be less inclined to light up a cigarette and foul that clean, fresh mouth.
Avoid alcohol
Drinking it is one of the most common things that makes people go back to smoking. Here's why. Alcohol breaks down self-restraint, and that can erode your commitment to quitting. Many people also associate the act of drinking with smoking, so it may trigger you to light up.
Find your own no-smoking zones
When the urge to smoke strikes, go somewhere you can't light up -- a movie, the mall, or a store for example. The more distracting the place is, the easier it will be to ride out cravings.
Remember your reasons for quitting
Write down a list of all your reasons to stop smoking. Make copies and post them wherever you spend time -- in the living room, at the office, beside the bathroom mirror. Put them where they are easy to see, so you're reminded wherever you go.
Be active every day
Exercise offers a powerful distraction from cravings. When your body is active, it sends out natural chemicals that help your mood and ease your stress. Walking is one of the easiest exercises for most people. Choosing a few different activities might help you stay motivated, though. Set aside time to be physically active every day -- especially in the first month after you've quit smoking.
Put something else in your mouth
Part of the urge to smoke is having something in your mouth. In place of a cigarette, pop in chewing gum (we suggest a sugar-free option), candy, or a healthy snack when you feel like you want to light up. Be sure to have something with you at all times. If you're concerned about gaining weight, stick with low-calorie options.
Secure a lifeline
Ask someone to be there for you when you need support. The best choice is a friend who is also a former smoker. But anyone who cares for you and wants you to quit smoking can help when times get tough.
Limit caffeine
Caffeine helps some people get going in the morning and stay alert when they're tired. But it makes others feel tense, jittery, and stressed. Breaking your nicotine addiction can boost those effects. If caffeine makes you jumpy or anxious, cut back on it.
Be alert to bad moods
Negative emotions -- stress, anger, frustration -- are another common reason people go back to smoking. Bad moods happen to everyone, and chances are you'll feel more than your fair share of them during the first few weeks of quitting. Find ways to distract yourself. Get together with friends or do something else you really enjoy.
Be patient and stay on track
Once you make it through the first two to three weeks, you're well on your way to a lifetime free of nicotine addiction. But be prepared in case you falter. Remember: One lapse doesn't mean you've failed. Just consider what went wrong. Then think up ways to prevent the same problem from happening again.
---
A "Quit Smoking" Timeline
20 minutes after you quit
The effects of quitting start to set in immediately. Less than 20 minutes after your last cigarette, your heart rate will already start to drop back towards normal levels
Two hours after you quit
After two hours without a cigarette, your heart rate and blood pressure will have decreased to near normal levels. Your peripheral circulation may also improve. The tips of your fingers and toes may start to feel warm. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms usually start about two hours after your last cigarette. Early withdrawal symptoms include:
• Intense cravings
• Anxiety, tension, or frustration
• Drowsiness or trouble sleeping
• Increased appetite
12 hours after you quit
Carbon monoxide, which can be toxic to the body at high levels, is released from burning tobacco and inhaled as part of cigarette smoke. Because carbon monoxide bonds so well to blood cells, high levels of the substance can prevent these cells from bonding with oxygen, which in turn causes serious cardiovascular problems. In just 12 hours after quitting smoking, the carbon monoxide in your body decreases to lower levels, and your blood oxygen levels increase to normal
24 hours after you quit
The heart attack rate for smokers is 70 percent higher than for nonsmokers. But, believe or not, just one full day after quitting smoking, your risk for heart attack will already have begun to drop.
48 hours after you quit
It may not be life-threatening, but deadened senses”specifically, smell and taste”are one of the more obvious consequences of smoking. Luckily, after 48 hours without a cigarette, your nerve endings will start to re-grow, and your ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
3 days after you quit
At this point, the nicotine will be completely out of your body. Unfortunately, that means that the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal will generally peak around this time. You may experience some physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, or cramps in addition to the emotional symptoms. To fight the mental symptoms, reward yourself for not smoking; use the money you would have spent on cigarettes to treat yourself to something nice.
2 to 3 weeks after you quit
After a couple of weeks, you'll be able to exercise and perform physical activities without feeling winded and sick. This is due to a number of regenerative processes that will begin to occur in your body; your circulation will improve, and your lung function will also improve significantly. After two or three weeks without smoking, your lungs may start to feel clear, and you'll start breathing easier. For most smokers, withdrawal symptoms dissipate about two weeks after quitting.
1 to 9 months after you quit
Starting about a month after you quit, your lungs begin to repair. With properly functioning lungs, your coughing and shortness of breath may continue to decrease dramatically. Even for the heaviest smokers, withdrawal symptoms will go away no more than several months after quitting
1 year after you quit
The one-year mark is a big one. After a year without smoking, your risk for heart disease is lowered by 50 percent compared to when you were still smoking.
5 years after you quit
A number of the substances released in the burning of tobacco”carbon monoxide chief among them”cause your blood vessels to narrow, which increases your risk of having a stroke. After five to 15 years of being smoke-free, your risk of having a stroke is the same as someone who doesn't smoke.
10 years after you quit
Smokers are at higher risk than nonsmokers for a daunting list of cancers, with lung cancer being the most common and one of the most dangerous. Smoking accounts for 90 percent of lung cancer deaths worldwide. It may take 10 years, but if you quit, eventually your risk of dying from lung cancer will drop to half that of a smoker's. Ten years after quitting, your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas also decreases.
