Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to flush out toxins and keep cravings at bay. If you dislike like plain water, add watermelon, cucumber, or citrus slices.
Avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners. They cause blood sugar swings, as well as making it more likely you will gain weight. As your blood sugar drops, so does your energy, then you will really will be dying for a nicotine pick me up! Use stevia for sweetening instead. It is diabetic safe, non-caloric, with no carbohydrates.
Avoid coffee and alcohol. Both beverages are emotionally associated with cigarettes, dehydrate you, and also cause cravings. Try Yerba Mate tea to boost your low energy instead of caffeine. This tea is good for your immune system, suppresses your appetite, and you can go cold turkey off caffeine without headaches or lethargy.
Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly crunchy and flavorful snacks like carrots, celery, pickles, apples, and raisins.
Change your habits: if you normally smoke while watching TV, change chairs or rearrange your furniture.
Stay away from other smokers. If you normally take your break at work with your smoking friends, you must find another habit: climb stairs, read a novel, call your mother!
Keep your hands and mouth busy. File your nails, squeeze a stress ball, learn to crochet, chew on a toothpick or gum. If you have a craving, clean your stinky, smoky house for 5 minutes.
Find a support person, either someone who is stopping with you, or an ex-smoker to help talk you through your rough spells.
Make it inconvenient to smoke. Keep your cigarette paraphernalia in the car; smoke only outside your home. Or even roll your own!
Take your herbs and vitamins. I have traditional Chinese herbal pills and teas available, which reduce the irritability of withdrawal, help you sleep, and restore lung function.
Pay yourself for not smoking. Every time you can hold off a craving, put the cost of one cigarette in your piggy bank. You’ll quickly see how much money you are saving. You can use the cash to reward yourself with something extravagant.
Your cravings will fade after only a couple of minutes, believe it or not. If you can distract yourself for just those 2 minutes, you will have won: brush your teeth, take a short walk, massage your hands or scalp, or a stretching break. Remember that boredom is a sign that you need to get busy! 4 big triggers for smoking are Hunger, Anger, Loneliness, and Tiredness (HALT).
Medicare now pays for smoking cessation counseling. Call 1-800-MEDICARE for more info.
Call the Tennessee Smoking Cessation Help Line toll free number 1-877-448-7848 for more support.
Memorial Health Place has regular meetings of Nicotine Anonymous. There you can find a support buddy to help you through your bad times. Call 423-893-9765 for more information.
