Smoking is bad for your dental. It causes cancer and the earlier you chuck the habit the better. However, quitting smoking is easier said than done as it’s less of a habit and more of an addiction. Only a firm resolve, and a drastic change to your routine can help you curb the temptations of a cigarette. Breaking the nicotine addiction is obviously not going to be walk in the park, as it will take some doing. But yes, people have gone on to quit this deadly habit to never smoke again, so there is a silver lining on the horizon.
You can try some of these things to quit smoking –
1. Find a reason
What is forcing you to quit smoking? Why do you want to give up cigarette? Are you worried about the health? Don’t you want to suffer from ailments to the lungs, heart and mouth? Do you really care about your near and dear ones?
If you have found a reason good enough to keep you away from smoking, you can then be sure of achieving success with the task. The motivation must come from within, it must keep in mind your health and your well being in regard.
2. Pick a date
Once you have found a reason to quit smoking, you can easily go ahead and pick a date for doing the same. Whether it’s the next week or next month, you can settle on any date and be ready to honour the deal.
Right after picking a date, you must start cutting back on the frequency of cigarettes leading up to the settled day. You must prepare yourself, both mentally and physically so that the quitting is less painful than it should.
3. Change your routine
You can’t quit smoking unless you alter your routine. Since cigarettes are now a part of your routine, you must break the schedule and make the habit go away gradually. For example, if you smoke right after getting off the bed, try to wake up to a hot cup of tea or coffee instead to hit the habit hard.
If you smoke after the meal, make sure you chew some gums or chocolate instead to disturb the addicted routine a bit. You can go for a short walk as soon as the mind starts filling up with the thoughts of smoking.
4. Wait out cravings and triggers
When you are on the path to ditching smoking, there will be intense cravings and trigger, accompanied with anxiety, dry mouth and plenty of unease along the way. You will feel as if only a cigarette can make you feel better and some even cave into the intensity of that temptation.
The cravings will be the hardest in early stages and if you start waiting them out, their intensity will surely dwindle. They want last beyond three to five minutes and if you could bide those tough moments, the victory will be yours for taking.
5. Stay busy and drink lots of water
Boredom shouldn’t be an excuse to smoking. And if it does, you can then look to find ways to staying busy to curb the bad habit altogether. But yes, being busy can keep your mind off smoking and this can hell big time in quitting the habit slowly yet gradually.
You can chew gum, do meditation, watch TV, take a walk around the neighbourhood, read a good book, cook some food, or best still, can spend time with the family to avoid focus on the smoking. And yes, drinking lots of water through the day, icy cold water in particular, can help curb the triggers for smoking.
Apart from following these tips, you can also consult the dentist to know root canal treatment cost and remain prepared for a better dental health in future.