It has been observed that women smokers have a harder time quitting smoking than men. Women seek psychological rewards from smoking and tend to smoke more while spending time with friends who also smoke. However, quitting smoking is a more challenging task for women than men, and it’s not a single event that can happen in a day.
The key to quitting smoking is your determination to do so. Women should start by realizing the health risks of tobacco and nicotine. The women who are addicted to nicotine also have to cope with withdrawal symptoms that occur due to cutting out tobacco use. You need to change your behavior and find other ways to manage your mood in order to win the battle of quitting smoking.
I am currently fighting this battle myself. I’ve tried everything – patches, gums, medications – everything except hypnosis. I was on Chantix for about 2 months and went from 2 packs a day down to almost half a pack a day – but then my doctor stopped me from taking it because I had three seizures back to back within a 24-hour period. So now I am back to battling this monster on my own.
This post lists down some useful tips to help women quit smoking.
Try Replacement Therapies
Nicotine replacement therapies work for many smokers and help them manage their cravings for nicotine and cope with withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine patches, nasal sprays, tobacco strips and sticks, nicotine gums, e-cigarettes, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness are some of the famous and effective nicotine replacement therapies that can help women quit smoking.
Vapes are popularly used as a healthier alternative to tobacco smoking. That is because vaporization is believed to be less harmful and less addictive than smoking tobacco.
E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. “While we don’t know exactly what chemicals are in e-cigarettes,” says Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, “there’s almost no doubt that they expose you to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes.”
However, there has also been an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with vaping. As of Jan. 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 60 deaths in patients with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI).
“These cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids. This is especially true for vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),” explains Blaha.
Therefore, you should buy an e-cigarette and premium e-liquid in Australia, that have not been modified or contain THC if you wish to use them as a quit smoking aid.
Get Yourself Moving
Adding a physical activity such as a fast walk, workout, or a brisk swim to your daily routine can help you manage nicotine cravings. Get moving and use the money you save from cigarettes to buy a gym membership. Long periods of smoking may have reduced your workout stamina, and you may feel lethargic. However, you should not give up and start by walking one or two miles a day. You will gradually improve your stamina.
Get Behavioral Support
Quitting smoking can be a real challenge due to emotional and physical dependence on smoking. You should learn to deal with this dependence after the day you commit to quit smoking. Seek help behavioral support from the counseling services, make friends that are non-smokers, read self-help guides on quitting smoking. Behavioral support includes individual counseling and group therapy to written advice or information that help women quit smoking. Individual counseling is usually the best type of behavioral support that works for women to win the battle against nicotine addiction.
Take Care of Your Diet
Some foods make your after-meal cigarettes more satisfying. You are more likely to find your after-meal smoke more pleasurable when you had meat at dinner. However, other foods such as vegetables, fruits, and cheese do not really make your cigarette taste great after you had them in your meal. This way, you can trick yourself and avoid the meals that make smoking more delightful and pleasing for you. Include more veggies in your diet and avoid eating steaks and other dishes made with meat. Also, change your after-mealtime routine. Strolling in your backyard or doing your dishes right away may also help divert your mind from nicotine cravings.
