So New Year's Eve is shortly here and our thoughts are falling to resolutions for the year ahead. For smokers, this inevitably means thinking about possibly, maybe giving up.
If you are a smoker in need some quitting advice, take a look at the pointers below.
(Please note: the advice in this piece has not been dispensed by a medical professional.)
1. Smoking is disgusting
'No it isn't!' you might cry. 'Smoking is great. The first drag of that cigarette first thing in the morning is the best taste ever...'
We know this isn't true. The first cigarette of the day is usually pretty gross, but you smoke through it anyway because you trust it will get good eventually.
Don't 'get through it anyway'. Take that first drag and think: 'YUK. This is horrible. PAH!' and stub it out.
2. The day you give up, keep your routine as normal as possible
Many people associate smoking with other habits - morning coffee, drinking alcohol etc. Whilst obviously whatever works for you, works for you - so if it helps to cut these things out too, do it - there is something to be said for keeping your routine as normal as possible.
Firstly, this is because, giving up lots of things at once is likely to make the whole process more stressful.
And secondly, many 'give up' smoking, but fall off the wagon the moment they have a drink. So if you can manage to keep your usual routine going - having that after-work beer with colleagues and still not smoking through it - there's every chance for further success.
3. Do tell people you've given up
You want people to be there trying to stop you. If no one knows you've given up, no one will 'not offer' you a cigarette.
Similarly, no one will make you feel guilty when you try to pop round to the newsagent the moment you just HAVE TO SMOKE.
4. Remember that cravings pass
They do. Like anything difficult, there is a moment of unbelievable 'ARRRHHHHHHHH'... but trust that those pangs will subside and in time, fade completely.
5. The fear that if you give up, you'll gain weight
Who hasn't had a cigarette to curb their appetite? 'I'm so hungry but I don't want to eat anything, so I'll smoke a cigarette instead.'
Just reading that should be some indication of how unhealthy it is.
Yes it's true, some people gain weight when they quit. But that's only because they replace smoking with snacking. They don't just pile on the pounds automatically...
If you really want to give up, you have to find a way to kick the habit itself, not take up another in its place.
Many people opt for vaping these days as cigarette substitutes. But the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are still not known. Far better to try quitting without (it's the very habit of inhaling something that you have to get over).
If you feel you have to substitute it with something though, try chewing sugar-free gum (in moderation) or drinking fizzy water. Not very exciting admittedly, but they can work.
6. The fear that you won't be part of the cool gang
Yes, it's a pain to be the only one stuck in a restaurant when the entire party clears outside for a smoke. It will require willpower to go with them and not do it yourself, so it's far better (not to mention, warmer) to stay in doors.
Note: there is no such thing as a 'social smoker'. If you smoke cigarettes, you smoke. End of.
Yes, you may worry you'll miss out on titillating gossip not being outside with the 'crew', but you may start up a far more interesting convo with those left indoors instead.
You think about the people you've met through smoking as a reason to continue doing it, but you never think about the people you haven't met because of it, as a reason to stop.
7. Cigarettes are expensive
You really will save money giving up. And it is most gratifying to note how expensive they continue to get once you've given up for good... 'What?! £9.50!' you laugh. 'Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!'
8. Think about the damaging effects to your health
Say you're thinking about giving up - well, the next time you have a cigarette, envisage what each puff is doing to your lungs, the organs that support your entire body.
Imagine them struggling to function as you bathe them in tar... if you do this every time you inhale, it really is quite off-putting.
9. Get through today
You're only likely to increase the cravings if you envisage never smoking again ever in your entire life. Whilst obviously that is the aim, some people may find it too difficult to part with the habit if they think to themselves: 'This is my last packet, my last cigarette, my last drag...'
To get round this, tell yourself: 'I'm just not smoking for today.'
And then tomorrow, tell yourself the same thing.
If it's just for today, it's manageable. But obviously, must be applied tomorrow too.
10. The best way to quit is to stop smoking
As humans, we often adopt strategies to avoid painful facts in an attempt to make them more bearable. For instance, many of us might imagine all sorts of stories and scenarios as to why that guy didn't call, when actually the truth probably is: he wasn't that into us.
A similar mentality is often allocated to quitting smoking. You hear about therapies and courses and tricks and all sorts of things - and whatever works, do it, nothing will be knocked if it's successful - but the underlying fact to all of that is, what you need to do to quit smoking is to STOP SMOKING.
Just stop.
Everyone has the power to do it themselves. And everyone can. You don't need cigarettes to make your life better - they don't take away the stresses like you imagine they do, they will only add to them further down the line.
If there is one thing you can do for yourself this New Year, it is to quit.
Quit, quit, quit.
It will change your life, literally, forever.
The very best of luck, and remember: you CAN do it.