When it comes to challenges, quitting tobacco can feel like climbing a mountain while carrying a bag full of cinder blocks. It’s possible, but it’s tremendously difficult in the beginning. In order to stay tobacco-free, you need to hold yourself accountable. Here are four tips on how to say no to tobacco without losing your daily momentum.
Find a Good Substitute
Tobacco use, like smoking or dipping, become a daily habit. To just tell yourself to stop can be difficult. It can leave you thinking, “Well, what do I do now?” Doing nothing will likely lead you back into tobacco use. Instead, you need to find something to keep your hands and minds busy. Instead of smoking, you can try vaping and getting a kit from a place like The Vape Mall. You can also try writing how you’re feeling during cravings, as this will keep your hands busy and keep your mind focused.
Re-Label Yourself
You’re probably incredibly used to seeing yourself as someone who uses tobacco. In order to make it past tobacco addiction, you have to stop seeing yourself as a tobacco user. When you wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are not a tobacco user. If someone offers you a cigarette, politely decline and tell them that you don’t use tobacco. What you think of yourself is incredibly important. As long as you don’t let yourself be known as a tobacco user, you can prevail.
Think about Your Future
Tobacco is incredibly unhealthy. While some of the negative health effects are quickly noticeable, like shortness of breath, others come later. With every smoke or dip, you might be closer to lung or oral cancer. While using it might provide you with a momentary wave of pleasure, it’s severely outweighed by the disadvantages. Coming face-to-face with how harmful tobacco is will make a big difference.
Reward Yourself
If you’ve gone even one day without using tobacco, that’s cause for celebration. It might not seem like much to you, but it’s seriously impressive. Set goals for yourself and reward yourself accordingly. You can use the money that you aren’t spending on tobacco on something nice, like a new outfit or nice dinner for you and your significant other.
There’s no one you should quit tobacco for more than yourself. It might please others, but you need to make sure you understand how much this will benefit you. It might not be the easiest process, but it’s one that will make you feel incredibly accomplished.