Old habits die hard, and its especially difficult to cut out habits that are so addictive.

Here are a few suggestions that will help you tremendously when you are trying to cut down or quit smoking for good:

1. Change your lifestyle and cut out everything that makes you want to smoke

First and foremost, it is very important to cut down on other addictive substances, such as coffee and alcoholl, all of which can increase the desire to smoke. Most smokers associate coffee with smoking or alcohol with smoking, so chances are if you cut out other food or drink items that go hand and hand with smoking, you will decrease the number of cigarettes you smoke in a day. As well, cut out hanging around other smokers or encourage them to stop smoking with you if the former is not possible. Ask friends and family for support while you transition into a non-smoker and let them know that you may need them while you go through this process. Making your desire to quit smoking public will help.

2. Have an active lifestyle full of alternate activities

Let’s face it, when you have been smoking for a while, you will need to find an alternate hobby to occupy your hands and your time with when you decide to quit smoking. So you will need to stay busy to prevent boredom and to keep your mind off smoking. My recommendation is to find a sport or activity that you enjoy, so you can feel good about your health. Try to exercise regularly to help with the withdrawal symptoms, increase motivation and help release the tension you build up when you quit smoking. Exercise also helps with improving circulation and helps with the elimination of toxins that you would have collected as a smoker. Find temporary oral substitutes to deal with psychological ties attached to smoking.

3. Treating your body well

Once you decide to quit smoking or cut down the amount of cigarettes you smoke daily, the body will immediately go into repair mode trying to heal your system especially your lungs. So some of the things you can do to assist the body in its detoxification process is optimize your health are: getting plenty of rest and drinking enough fluids – stay hydrated. You may also do contrast hydrotherapy showers which are great for improving blood circulation in the body as well, improve toxin elimination from the body. Oral fixation substitutes could include munchies such as vegetable sticks (cucumbers, carrots, celery, zucchini), apples or pears, seeds and nuts, sunflower seeds (unsalted) in shells, popcorn sugarless hard candies or gum; or chewing or sucking on ice cubes, or licorice sticks. For your mind, do not forget to treat yourself for being successful at your goal of quitting smoking. With all the cigarette money you will save, you can purchase a new outfit or a new trip. Some of the other things you can do for your mind are:

• Learning relaxation and breathing techniques and do them at least for 10 minutes a day
• Practicing visualizations
• Keeping a positive attitude toward health and life
• Get positive health treatments, such as massage, teeth cleaning to remove cigarette stains, a yoga class or try some acupuncture for relaxation.

There are great programs available to help you with smoking cessation. If you need help with quitting smoking, check out our smoking cessation program, that offers acupuncture and hypnotherapy for help with dealing with the withdrawal symptoms and cravings as well, detoxification of the body.

By: Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, in Toronto.