QUEZON City, Philippines (September 3) – Want to quit smoking? The Internet gives us several out-of-the-box ideas that may sound crazy but are also strangely effective:
Scare yourself by having a heart attack! Yes, nothing is more effective than almost dying because of heart attack, especially if its smoking-induced. Only the bravest or the most foolish will continue after this episode.
Having your teeth professionally cleaned is expensive, it can be considered an investment. Will you mess up your investment by smoking after having your pearly white teeth cleaned? I don’t think so.
Eat garlic and ginger. They pull out cigarette chemicals from your body, helping you withdraw from your addiction.
Instead of smoking, try brushing your teeth or swishing mouthwash every time you have the urge to smoke. That way you get a clean feeling in your mouth instead of smelling like cigarettes.
If you are married, why not try becoming pregnant. Smoking is a big no-no during pregnancy. Just imagine all of its negative effects on your unborn child’s health.
Become a mountain biker! Feel the adrenaline rush as you go up the slope then witness the magnificent view on the top. Just remember, you’ll never be a mountain biker if you are a smoker.
Aside from the above-mentioned crazy ideas, we also have these simple and practical ideas that will help you quit the smoking habit.
Basically, all that you need is support, simple psychological know-how and motivation.
So, you are trying to quit smoking. You will need lots of support:
A family that quits together and so on and so forth… if there are other smokers in the family, make quitting a family affair.
Nothing sucks more than losing money or even losing in general, so to support your quitting of the smoking habit, have a bet or a challenge with your other smoking friends, for example if one of you lasted for one month without smoking, then the other should treat you to dinner.
Corollary to the aforementioned idea, you can also ask for the help of your friend by asking them to charge you a fine every time they see you or catch you smoking.
Wear a graphic shirt or an accessory asking people not to sell you or give you any cigarettes.
Share your quit-smoking story by writing a blog. Not only will you be pressured to stay true to your words but you may also influence others to quit.
The social media is a powerful tool that can aid you in quitting your smoking habit. Announce your plan to quit smoking in all of your social media. Then ask your friends to show their support and pester you if they see you breaking your promise to yourself.
Here are some simple psychological stuff that you can try out to get the idea of smoking out of your head:
Bury your cigarettes which can symbolize the act of quitting. Also, it would be very hard to dig them up again once you start craving nicotine.
Imagine your cigarettes as monsters that are about to eat you and you have to fight them , superpowers optional! Or whatever else works. Use creative visualization so that you can see in your head your battle against smoking.
Quitting smoking is hard, so you need to stay motivated. Here are some ideas:
Treat yourself by spending the money that you should’ve spent on cigarettes on something fun for yourself.
Walk down the memory lane and reminisce all of the other difficult things and challenges that you’ve conquered to give yourself a confidence boost.
Appeal to your vanity. Look at the effects of smoking on your appearance.
Celebrate each milestone. Every week, every month and eventually every year that you spend without smoking deserves a celebration.
You need to visually affirm that you are doing great by putting your savings in a glass jar. Seeing all of that savings now that you’ve quit smoking will do wonders to your motivation.
Look up all those disturbing facts about smoking then imagine them happening to you.
Imagine your children smoking. Enough said.
(Written by Cleeve Lemuel Carpio, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Lovely Ann Cruz)
