How to Realistically Quit Smoking: 24+ Steps to Take Right Now

Quitting smoking is challenging. You may have heard the term, “quitting nicotine is harder than quitting heroin,” and according to some research, that sentiment is true.

Combining nicotine dependence and the habitual nature of smoking is what makes it such a brutal vice to overcome, but some ways you can quit smoking include:

• Medications
• Cessation devices such as vapes, inhalers, gums, and patches
• Counseling

This article discusses the various quit-smoking aids available, how to get through nicotine withdrawals, and resources to help you when it seems impossible to quit.

How to Quit Smoking: Goal Setting and Available Options

Smoking tobacco can lead to various harmful health effects, such as various cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and heart disease. It is the leading cause of preventable death.

Because of that, medical professionals have worked tirelessly to help smokers kick the habit through different quit-smoking aids and cessation devices.

Natural/Herbal Therapies

There are several natural approaches people can take when it comes to quitting smoking. They include:

• Acupuncture: Acupuncture involves the use of thin needles placed into various points in the body to help relieve cravings and help people quit smoking. For smoking, the needles are placed into multiple areas in the ear. Research shows that acupuncture can be a great help alongside other smoking cessation devices when quitting smoking.
• Black pepper essential oils: While black pepper essential oil is not a miracle quit-smoking aid, research has shown that it can help reduce intense cigarette cravings in people trying to quit. To use this aid, you place one drop of the essential oil onto a tissue and inhale it for two minutes until the craving diminishes.
• Fresh lime juice: While further research is needed, studies have found that lime juice could be just as effective, if not more so, than nicotine gum. While experiencing a craving, people can consume lime juice to help abstain from smoking.
• Meditation: Meditation and mindfulness involve retraining the mind to improve overall well-being. According to research, using meditation as a way to help quit smoking can be effective in some people by changing the way they cope with specific scenarios that cause them to smoke while also managing the negative feelings of withdrawal.

Medical Ways 

Those who need medical intervention to quit smoking can try oral medications designed to turn people “off” of smoking. These medications include:

• Chantix (varenicline)
• Zyban (bupropion, Wellbutrin)

These medications work by:

• Reducing cravings for nicotine and withdrawal symptoms
• Mimicking the effects of nicotine on the brain so that you don’t feel the urge to smoke
• Reduces enjoyment in smoking by stimulating parts of the brain that nicotine usually attaches to

Medications, although viable and effective, do come with side effects. That said, since these medications are designed for temporary use, the health benefits far outweigh the side effects that could develop when taking these medications.

Cold Turkey

Cold turkey is the most natural approach to quitting smoking. It involves picking a quit date and completely removing tobacco from your life in one go.

People who quit this way will have to deal with nicotine withdrawal symptoms that are much worse than if they used a smoking aid. However, quitting smoking cold turkey can actually be a viable way to kick the habit.

Many studies examined the success rates of quitting smoking cold turkey and found that cutting it out and sticking to it may be the most effective way to quit smoking over all other types. However, it depends on how heavily a person smokes.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy has been studied as a possible aid in quitting smoking. A hypnotherapist leads a person into a meditative and focused mental state. This is designed to open someone’s mind up to more suggestive advice. Then, the hypnotherapist targets specific triggers and adverse outcomes of smoking to help “trick” the mind into quitting.

Research surrounding hypnotherapy as a quit-smoking aid has found that it could be beneficial for those who want to quit, but when used alone, people may find that success rates are low. The best way to use hypnotherapy to quit smoking is alongside other cessation aids, such as nicotine replacement therapy.

Counseling

Counseling for quitting smoking involves meeting with a mental healthcare specialist to discuss the impacts smoking has on a person, as well as their current lifestyle and state of mind. In recent studies, counseling has been shown to increase the chances that a person succeeds when quitting smoking by roughly 40–80%. Individual and group counseling can be used effectively.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Nicotine replacement therapy, or NRT, works by delivering small amounts of nicotine to the body while a person refrains from smoking cigarettes. Over time, the amount of nicotine is lowered.

This gradual method helps to reduce the withdrawal symptoms that develop in people who are quitting smoking while slowly decreasing the amount of nicotine they get over time.

Some possible NRTs include:

• Patches
• Gum
• Inhalers
• Lozenges
• Nasal sprays

Each person will choose the right amount of nicotine they need in their NRT based on a conversation about how much they smoke per day. By getting the proper level of nicotine in the body through NRTs, successfully quitting can be more manageable.

Quit Smoking Apps

Many people turn to quit-smoking apps to help them get over their cravings. Many apps will offer different information and support to stay on track, such as:

• How your health has changed while you're quitting
• How much money you're saving by not purchasing cigarettes
• Daily rewards

The research regarding the success of these apps is limited and mixed. That said, many people can see success if they adhere to the app and stay strong during the process.

Can You Quit Tobacco Quickly?

Quitting tobacco can be a difficult journey because of withdrawal symptoms and the fact that people have to change a large part of their lifestyle to suit their new non-smoking ways. Because of this, it may be challenging to quit quickly.

That said, specific methods of quitting smoking, such as cold turkey, are effective at ridding the body of nicotine fast. Even if you do happen to quit smoking quickly, you will likely still experience withdrawal symptoms for two to four weeks after your last cigarette.

How to Get Through Nicotine Withdrawals

Dealing with nicotine withdrawals can make a person feel as though they are losing their mind. The mental and physical symptoms of withdrawal can be challenging to cope with, even if you’re aware that it’s simply the nicotine leaving your body.

To cope with these withdrawals, you can:

• Avoid certain situations or activities that trigger you to smoke
• Find a substitute for smoking, such as chewing gum, vegetables, or hard candy to keep your mouth busy
• Deep breathing exercises while cravings are strong
• Reminding yourself that the feelings will pass
• Take a walk or engage in other physical activities you enjoy
• Reduce caffeine and sugar intake
• Meditate or practice mindfulness
• Develop stress and relaxation techniques to self-soothe when dealing with the mental aspects of withdrawal
• Seek out support from friends, family, or a support group

Reminders If You Relapse

Since quitting smoking is so hard, it’s normal to have a relapse. In fact, it can take anywhere from eight to 10 attempts to succeed.

So, if you do relapse, it’s important to go easy on yourself and give yourself some grace. Quitting smoking is the hardest thing that many people will have to do in their lifetime, and knowing that can make a relapse much easier to deal with.

Other ways to approach another attempt after a relapse include:

• Staying positive: Every time you try to quit smoking, you’ll be a little closer to becoming a person who doesn’t smoke. Don’t let negativity weigh you down, and think positively about your next attempt.
• Learn from any mistakes: Pay attention to what drove the relapse and then work on eliminating that trigger the next time you try to quit.
• Set a new plan of action: Even if you relapsed, you don’t have to accept defeat. Set a new action plan in motion and stick to it again.
• Regroup: If you tried cold turkey and relapsed, maybe on the next attempt, you could try a new approach, such as using NRTs. There is no harm in getting help.

What to Do Instead of Smoking

There are many things you can do instead of smoking while going through withdrawals and dealing with cravings. They can include:

• Chewing gum
• Sucking on hard candy, suckers, or straws
• Keeping fresh, low-calorie vegetables on hand, such as carrots or celery, to chew on when you have a craving
• Calling a friend to help combat a craving
• Squeezing a handball
• Beading or needlework
• Changing your routine
• Exercising
• Deep breathing exercises
• Talking to someone about how you’re feeling
• Meditating
• Taking a shower or bath
• Telling yourself no out loud when you feel close to giving in to a craving
• Practicing affirmations about how much better your health will be once you quit
• Wearing a rubber band around your wrist and smacking it when you’re up against an intense craving

Resources to Support Those Working to Quit Smoking

There are many resources you can turn to if you want to quit smoking. They include:

• American Cancer Society Quit for Life
• American Lung Association Lung Helpline & Tobacco Quitline
• National Cancer Institute Smokefree.gov
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Be Tobacco Free
• American Lung Association Freedom from Smoking
• Nicotine Anonymous

These resources are available to people who need support when trying to quit, whether it be someone to talk to when going through a terrible period of cravings and withdrawal to meetings and community support.

Nicotine Anonymous has meetings all over the country that could help connect you with other people who are quitting smoking as a way to push you toward success.  

Summary

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do, and if you've tried to quit before, you already know that. While the physical addiction is challenging in and of itself, the mental habit can be just as hard to break because of how used to smoking you may be in specific situations.

While quitting is difficult, dealing with the consequences of long-term smoking is something that no one wants to have to face. That's why it's vital to stop, even if it takes 100 tries. The more you try to quit, the closer you will be to becoming a person who used to smoke.

If you need help, contact your healthcare provider and support resources. With the right mindset, know-how, and support team, you can do anything, including quitting smoking.