The New Year provides people with the opportunity to make a resolution for the year to come – something that will help to improve their lives. For many smokers, this New Year’s Resolution will often be to quit smoking.
To help you keep your New Year’s Resolution this year and to aid your journey to a smoke-free life, we share some of our top tips for stopping smoking.
You Don’t Have to Stop On New Year’s Day
While many people think they need to quit on the first day of the year to make their resolution count, Action on Smoking and Health have stated that New Year’s Day is actually a bad day to stop smoking.
On New Year’s Day, you may well have a hangover from the night before, or feel tired from staying up late. You might have to visit family or participate in festive activities. All of these factors can add stress to the day, which is something you want to avoid when you’re attempting to quit smoking.
As such, it may be better to view January 1st as the start point for your journey to quitting smoking, using it as a time to plan and prepare for the day you do stub out your smoking habit.
Plan Ahead
Alternatively, if you want New Year’s Day to be the big start point of your journey to being cigarette-free, then make sure you plan for the occasion.
Whenever you decide to quit, it is important to plan ahead to ensure you have the best chance of being successful.
Planning could involve purchasing nicotine replacement products, such as a vape device, nicotine patches or gum. If you choose to vape, then remember to buy E-Liquid online in the strength you need. It may also be a good idea to seek advice from your doctor or stop-smoking support groups who may be able to give you guidance on making the process easier.
Pick a Date
If you are not planning to quit on New Year’s Day, it is important to set a specific date on which you will quit. As a New Year’s Resolution, this date should not be too far into the year.
Why not aim to quit smoking before No Smoking Day in March?
Whenever you choose, make sure you have enough time beforehand ( a couple of weeks) to plan and prepare for your transition away from smoking.
Taking Time Off
Stopping smoking is known to be challenging, so reducing the amount of stressors in your life around the time you plan to quit can be a good idea. You may wish to book off some holiday or start your journey to becoming smoke-free on a weekend to ensure you have a few days set aside that can be as relaxed as possible.
Find Your Cigarette Alternative
One of the best ways to quit smoking is to find yourself an alternative to nicotine. Going cold turkey doesn’t have a great success rate – out of every 100 people, only four will manage to stay smoke-free for more than six months!
For most people, a bit of help is needed to successfully quit smoking. While nicotine patches and gum can help, vaping is by far the best option for helping you to quit smoking.
We’re not being biased here either! Research has found that vaping is 60% more effective as a tool for quitting smoking than nicotine replacement products or quitting unaided.
Notice Habits and Change Routines
Review your current smoking habits, identifying when you smoke, and find ways to change these routines. For example, if you always have a cigarette on your walk to work, try walking a different route.
The association of your normal route with smoking may make your cigarette cravings worse, so to avoid the temptation, going an alternative route can help to break the habit.
Drink Water, Avoid Alcohol
Staying hydrated is really important while you quit smoking. This is especially the case if you are switching to vaping, as people often find they need to drink more water while vaping, particularly when they first get started.
As well as drinking more water, it is also advisable to avoid drinks that might tempt you to smoke a cigarette. Drinks like alcohol and coffee are frequently partnered with a cigarette, so swapping these beverages for water at this time can make it easier to combat cravings.
Find Effective Distractions
It’s likely you’ll experience cravings for cigarettes after you stop smoking. While vapes are an incredible option for sating nicotine cravings in a safer way, as well as replicating the act for smoking, the transition from smoking to vaping isn’t always easy, and it may be beneficial to find additional distractions.
The act of lighting the cigarette, holding it between your fingers and raising it to your mouth can cause you to miss the habitual hand movements when you stop smoking.
As such, it can be beneficial to find something to occupy your hands, like a stress ball or fidget cube.
Don’t Punish Yourself if You Slip Up
Stopping smoking isn’t easy – if it was there wouldn’t be so many support services available, and vaping probably wouldn’t exist!
You may find you have a slip up on your journey to becoming smoke-free. But there is no use in letting an unsuccessful quitting attempt hold you back.
Work out what led you to have a cigarette, and use this to help you avoid future slip-ups.
Here at RED Box Vape, many of our team have been through the process of stopping smoking themselves, so are well aware of the challenges that quitting presents. If you would like to use vaping as a way to help you quit smoking, then our team is more than happy to offer assistance and support during your transition from cigarette to vape!