How to Quit Smoking Gradually

Quitting smoking "cold turkey" can be a daunting idea for many people. They dread the thought of dealing with physical, mental and emotional cravings while at the same time trying to overcome the mindless habit that smoking has become during so many of their activities.

However, there is an easier way to give up smoking that works well for many people; gradually cutting down the frequency of smoking before quitting altogether.

There are many ways to do this, and all of them can be equally effective:

- Keep track.

Sometimes just being aware of how much you are smoking each day can help you to smoke less. Because smoking is often a "mindless habit," you may not realize that you are smoking more than you think. There are a couple of ways to use this method. If you tend to smoke in only one place, like at home for example, try emptying all of your ashtrays each morning before you smoke your first cigarette. At the end of the day, count how many butts have accumulated in the ashtrays and write the figure in a notebook. Each day as you smoke, keep in mind that you'll have to count every single butt and write it down later; that alone may help you to smoke less.

Another technique is to tape a small piece of paper to your cigarette pack and make a mark every time you smoke a cigarette. If you finish one pack and open another, simply move the paper to the new pack and continue making a mark every time you light up. At the end of each day, tally up your marks and write the total in a notebook.

The goal with this method is to gradually reduce the amount of cigarettes you smoke each day until you are down to just a few, then quit completely.

- Start with less, smoke less.

You can also set a firm limit to smoke only the amount of cigarettes you start with each day. If you normally smoke one pack a day, you'll start with that amount. On day one, you smoke the full pack of 20 cigarettes. On day two, you remove one cigarette from the pack and put it away somewhere and only smoke the 19 cigarettes in your pack. On day three, remove two cigarettes and store them away, smoking only 18 cigarettes. Continue like this each day, gradually reducing the amount of cigarettes you smoke each day.

If you feel it's too intimidating to cut down daily, try extending the timeline a bit by reducing the number of cigarettes weekly instead of daily.

- Disassociation from other activities.

Another helpful method is to first disassociate smoking from your other activities. Do you always smoke while you're talking on the phone? What about when you watch TV, drive, or use the computer? Try no longer smoking during these activities. It will probably feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but you will adjust little by little. Do you always smoke after a meal? Try holding off for half an hour or more to get yourself used to not smoking when you finish eating. When you finally do quit smoking completely you'll have a much easier time and not feel so lost.

All of these methods of quitting smoking gradually have one thing in common: the necessity of being determined to stick with it. If you are not motivated to cut down or quit smoking, you simply won't do it. If, however, you are ready to kick the habit for good, you may actually find it enjoyable to reduce your intake of nicotine and look forward to the day when you finally say with conviction, "I quit!"

Make Quitting Smoking Easy

There's no doubt that quitting smoking can be one of the most daunting challenges you'll ever face, but you may be surprised to know that it doesn't exactly have to be torturous, either. There are plenty of aids that can help you quit smoking with less discomfort, like nicotine replacement products, hypnosis and more.

But one of the most powerful techniques is already in your possession, whether you know it or not! This technique is one that you already use every single day of your life. You use it when you're sick, when you're feeling great, and when you're working through challenges. It can make all the difference between success and failure, no matter what you're doing at the time.

What is this technique? Self-talk.

Don't dismiss it - when you really think about it, self-talk is truly powerful.

Have you ever accidentally talked yourself into being sick? Perhaps you woke up with a slight headache, then spent the morning telling everyone that you didn't feel good and by the end of the day you were not only suffering from a much worse headache but also body aches and other symptoms? On the other hand, perhaps you can remember experiences where you talked yourself into being well too.

Using self-talk to help yourself through the stages of quitting smoking is not only simple, it works! Your thoughts have immense power to shape your perception of everything that happens to you.

What do you think would happen if you quit smoking and then complained mentally about it the whole time? "This sucks. I want to smoke, but I can't. It's not fair that other people can smoke but I can't. I'm so sick of these cravings already, how am I going to make it through a few more weeks like this? I can't do this. Maybe I should wait until I'm less stressed..." On and on it goes - and before you know it, you've talked yourself into smoking again!

On the other hand, you can use this same type of self-talk to HELP yourself through your quit.

Here's how to do it:

When you wake up on your first day as a non-smoker, you're likely to experience some feelings of anxiety. You might have thoughts like, "Oh, that's right, I've quit smoking. Man, I really want to smoke. Maybe I should quit tomorrow instead..." As soon as you become aware that you are thinking thoughts like this, immediately turn it around. Say with confidence, "Today is going to be a GREAT day! I have officially quit smoking and I feel better already. (take a deep breath) It's so good to be able to breathe again, and it's going to get even better as I go along!"

Throughout the day, periodically say things like this to yourself: "I'm doing really GOOD at this! Not smoking is actually easier than I thought it was going to be. I've had a few cravings, but nothing that I can't handle. I can handle anything if I really set my mind to it. I'm so proud of myself."

When you do experience cravings, simply talk yourself through them. "Okay, I'm having a craving. It's just a feeling and it will pass. Having a craving doesn't mean I have to do anything about it. If I just ignore it, it will go away on its own. I'm okay. This is manageable, I can handle it."

These are just examples of some positive self-talk that you can use, but feel free to improvise. You could also be a little more aggressive, like this: "I refuse to give in to your call, nicotine! You will not beat me. I'm stronger than you are, and I'm proving it every time I refuse to smoke."

The important thing is to avoid using negative self-talk because it will simply push you back toward the desire to smoke again. If you catch yourself thinking or speaking negatively, turn it right around and affirm how great you feel, how strong you are, and so on. In no time at all, you'll really start to believe it.

As the old saying goes, "You are what you think."