If you frequently drink or smoke, there are some effective ways to kick the habit. Overcoming your addiction can benefit your health and help you make other positive lifestyle choices. Here are a few methods that might help you beat your addiction on your own.
Have Someone Hold You Accountable
You don’t have to be entirely on your own as you try to move past your smoking or drinking habit. Having someone to talk to about any cravings or slipups you might have can help you make progress. This person should be a close friend, family member, or a professional working in the area of addictions—like a therapist. Psych Central suggests finding someone to guide you toward better physical, mental and spiritual health. Your mentor can provide additional support if you happen to regress in your progress. Some twelve-step programs even match people with sponsors to enforce a system of accountability.
Being held accountable might sound a little bit intimidating to you, but it is powerful and can really help you. This is true especially in the beginning when you might not be able to control your addictive habits for your own sake but can with a little peer pressure. As you continue to be accountable to others, you’ll learn how to hold yourself accountable.
Exercise to Control Cravings
Working out can help distract your mind and keep you from wanting to grab a cigarette or drink. You’ll have an easier time setting new goals and working toward achieving them when you exercise. Another advantage of exercising is that it naturally lowers stress levels and is often effective in promoting better mental clarity. Jogging, cycling and swimming are some of the best fitness activities to try. Just be cautious about exercising too much while trying to kick the habit, as this can lead to an exercise addiction.
Change Your Reaction
Many people act on their addictive behaviors when they are feeling a certain way—depressed, sad, lonely, anxious, etc. Analyze yourself and recognize your trigger points. In those moments, do something other than what you normally would do (like smoke or drink). Instead, react by participating in another activity. As mentioned above, exercise may be a great choice for you. However, a few other activities that might be good are cleaning, playing video games, writing a letter, etc. Pick something that you like to do and do it in the moment of addictive need rather than seeking out the addiction itself.
Switch to Vaping
Vaping is a great substitute for smoking cigarettes and comes with much fewer health risks. Instead of using tobacco products, you’ll be using e-liquid, like that from The Vape Mall, to create a vapor that you’ll inhale. This fluid is placed into an atomizer and heated to create the vapor that you’ll inhale. You can choose from e-liquids that come in flavors like strawberry, bubblegum and chocolate mint. There are also tobacco flavors that can simulate the experience of smoking a cigarette without the dangers.
Choose Foods That Fight Cravings
Certain foods work well in combatting cravings and are especially good to eat in the early stages of fighting your addiction. Rice, wheat bread and bananas are among the best foods for curbing alcohol cravings. To kick a smoking habit, try eating some oranges, nuts or cheese. The properties that are found in cinnamon have been shown to work well in combatting cravings. Other foods that might help you stay on track include cloves, leafy vegetables and dairy products.
Overcoming your smoking or alcohol addiction can help you live a fuller, more gratifying life. By taking the right steps, you’ll have an easier time beating your addiction.