Smoking is undeniably detrimental to the health of the smoker. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking-related illnesses will kill 50% of smokers who do not quit smoking. Depending on gender, smoking robs the smoker on average of 13.2 or 14.5 years of life. In addition, prior to death, the quality of life is often severely diminished by smoking-related illness.
According to the American Lung Association, tobacco-caused disease is the leading cause of preventable death, killing nearly 400,000 people each year in the U.S. alone. Cigarettes contain about 600 ingredients that create more than 4,000 chemicals when burned. Of these, at least 50 are known to cause cancer. Also, exposure to this toxic tobacco smoke is harmful to other people, especially children, and pets.
There are many methods for quitting smoking. Some rely on medication, some on behavior modification, and some on willpower alone. The best way to quit smoking is whatever way works for the individual under the current circumstances. There is no wrong way. Consider one of these free methods that have proven effective for other former smokers.
Quit Smoking by the Clock
Quitting smoking by scheduling cigarettes on a set timetable has proven effective for some people. The idea is to smoke only at certain intervals and lengthen the time in between cigarettes until full cessation is achieved. For instance, on the first day, cigarettes are scheduled every hour on the hour. The second day, smoking is scheduled every two hours. On day three, the interval increases to three hours and so on.
The actual schedule can be adjusted to meet the needs of the smoker. Often, a specific interval lasts for several days or a week. The key is to wean the body slowly from nicotine while lengthening the time between cigarettes until it just isn’t worth it to remember to smoke. This method works especially well for those who already have a set schedule and must plan for smoke breaks anyway.
The only hard fast rule with this method is that cigarettes must be smoked at the specified times and if that time is missed for any reason, no make up or adjustment of the schedule is allowed. The smoker must wait for the next scheduled time.
Quit Smoking to Save Money
Some people respond well to financial incentives. At the current price of cigarettes, smoking even a generic brand is expensive. Quitting smoking will immediately free up valuable cash that will add up to a significant sum in a short period of time. Rather than literally burning up dollars with every pack of cigarettes smoked, put that money to better use elsewhere.
Calculate exactly how much money is spent on cigarettes each month. Write this amount down at the top of a piece of paper and create three columns underneath for low, medium and high cost items. On a separate piece of paper, brainstorm a list of things to buy or do and how much each costs. Choose 10-12 items from the list to transfer to the columns on the first sheet.
Based on expense, place at least two items into each column. Calculate how long it would take to afford each item by quitting smoking and reallocating the money typically spent on cigarettes. Choose one item from each column as a reward for quitting smoking. Make sure to actually put aside the money saved and buy or do the reward item as soon as the needed amount is available.
Quit Smoking Today!
It doesn’t matter which smoking cessation method is used as long as the smoker successfully quits. While these two free methods may not work for everyone, they have worked for some smokers in the past and will work for some smokers in the future. Remember that quitting smoking is a journey. Find the right route and start quitting today!
For more information, see also Successful Way to Quit Smoking and Alternative Methods to Quit Smoking.
RES101
Crystal Marie - Crystal Marie is a wilderness-dwelling granny, quilter and freelance writer. In addition to enjoying the grandkids, she creates custom ...
Join the Conversation