Reducing smoking before quitting can ease the worst of the withdrawal.
Smokers who want to reduce the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms that accompany quitting smoking may find that cutting down on their cigarette intake before quitting altogether may help. The CDC reports that only 4% to 7% of smokers who try to quit smoking cold turkey are successful. Smokers can still experience withdrawal symptoms when they reduce smoking; mitigating those symptoms can make cutting down easier.
Avoiding Alcohol
Many smokers find cigarettes to be a necessary complement to drinking. This is particularly true for those who are prone to smoking more often in social settings. It's easier to manage your cravings if you avoid alcohol while you're reducing your cigarette intake.
Changing Brands
Choose a different brand to smoke while you're cutting down. Choose a brand that you particularly dislike. You'll be less inclined to smoke when you don't care for the cigarettes you have on hand.
Drinking More Fluids
Drink more water when you reduce your cigarette intake. Water helps to flush nicotine and other toxins from your system, which lessens the intensity of the withdrawal symptoms.
Exercise
Half an hour of daily moderate exercise can help dial down your cravings. A University of Exeter study using functional magnetic resonance imaging indicated that the brain was less responsive to triggers that encouraged smoking after 10 minutes of exercise. Researchers hypothesized that exercise increased the production of neurochemicals such as dopamine to produce a natural feeling of well-being.
Oral Substitutes
The craving for cigarettes has an oral component. Smokers trying to cut down can gain some relief by chewing on a stick of gum or piece of hard candy on hand. The need to satisfy the oral craving frequently leads to weight gain in people reducing their cigarette intake, but exercise and satisfying the craving with healthy, low-calorie snacks can mitigate this.
Providing a Monetary Incentive
Monetary incentives that drive home the expense of smoking can help stiffen your resolve. Keep a jar on your dresser and put the money you would have spent on cigarettes every day into it. Actually seeing the money you've thrown away on your habit is a stronger disincentive to smoking than just the abstract notion of the cost. You may also want to offer family members a small bounty if they catch you smoking at home. Choose an amount that's just enough to sting and put you back on track.
Using a Nicotine Substitute
Nicotine gum and patches give smokers a measured dose of nicotine to reduce withdrawal symptoms without the attendant toxins and carcinogens that accompany cigarette smoking. Nicotine gum can also help mitigate the oral craving that's part of the desire for a cigarette. These products tend to be most effective for smokers who smoke less than a pack a day.
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