As a healthcare worker, one would think I would be the last to smoke a cigarette. After all, I have first hand experience taking care of people with emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are both classified as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which normally involve oxygen tanks, inhalers, hospital stays, limited activity tolerance, wheezing, coughing, and pneumonia. The sad truth is this is only one problem attributed to smoking.
I've decided to stop struggling to "quit", and instead remind myself daily about the harmful effects it has on my body, and focus on reaching daily, weekly, and monthly milestones to celebrate being tobacco free and eventually nicotine free.
I've heard the best offense is a good defense. So my first step is to prepare to do whatever I can to distract myself from cravings and possibly causing me to go buy a pack of cigarettes. Oral fixation tends occur in the morning and night when I typically smoke. So, having a water bottle handy that I can suck down, sugar free suckers, gum, and grapes will help. To take extra edge off, a cup of relaxing tea may help, especially in the evening. Staying hydrated to help flush out the toxins is essential. Making healthy food choices will be encouraging and also could help detox the body as well.
Aside from detoxing and substituting for cravings, understanding psychologically why I smoke and relapse help as well. Obviously it is a self destructive habit that has lasted for far too long, 11 years. Doing yoga for 10min in the morning and evening to replace the time it takes to perform a destructive act with a beneficial one is also on my To-Do list. Starting tonight!!
This is my plan for today. More to be discussed another day with an update on my progress! Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully if you're looking to quit you can gain some ideas and inspiration too!
