Newbies,
Many quitters have found they can replace their need or cravings with a healthy substitute. We’ve surveyed successful quitters and it seems that they’ve found three main groups of substitutes that help them get through peak times of withdrawal.
We’ve tried to put them together for you on this page, so write down which specific substitutes might work for you.
1. Keeping Physically Active
For many people, physical activity seems to be a good substitute for cravings. This doesn’t mean that you need to buy an expensive gym membership, run five miles a day or start pumping weights. By physical activity we mean that you do something simple, but physical, to distract yourself from cravings.
If you think that you smoke for the following reason, a physical activity plan may be right for you:
• I find that I smoke to get energy, to stay alert or for the physical pleasure of inhaling and exhaling.
• I’m very addicted to nicotine and I’ll miss its calming effect on my body.
• Smoking is part of my routine and I’ll miss it at my usual times.
2. Eating Healthy Snacks
Eating healthy snacks is a good substitute for smoking. Many of our quitters have also said that carrying around a bottle of water was key to their success, and that they imagined themselves rinsing the nicotine from their body with each sip. Also, remember that if you add physical activity to your daily routine, weight gain will be less likely.
If you smoke for the following reasons, a healthy eating plan may be right for you:
• I enjoy having a cigarette in my hand, and I’ll miss the ‘hand to mouth’ ritual.
• I’ll miss the physical pleasures – like inhaling tobacco and exhaling tobacco smoke.
• Smoking is a social thing for me and I’ll miss smoking with my friends.
Members,
Have these strategies helped you in your quit?
Ashley, Health Educator
