Quitting Smoking.  - By Dave Hamilton

There is no magic cure to stop nicotine craving. There is no food wand a nutritionist can wave to stop you wanting craving a cigarette.  I myself have quit probably around nineteen or twenty times for at least three days, I did mange three months without and only cracked when I split up with my ex and subsequently re-discovered the delights of the pub.  I’m a bit more sober these days but I do still currently smoke, although I am writing this in preparation of another attempt, hopefully my final one.  It gets easier every time, or at least I know what to expect. I have found from background in nutrition and the research I’ve done each time I quit, there are things you can do to make the transition from a smoker to a non-smoker that little easier. 

Exercise – Anything to get the blood pumping, cycling is my particular favourite. Take off into the country without your wallet or cigarettes. Not only are you aiding the nicotine leaving your system you are also making healthy changes in your lifestyle.   

Drink plenty – water, herbal teas, fruit juices all help.  Avoid caffeine and alcohol as much as you can as these can reinforce nicotine cravings or with alcohol lower resolve or will power.  It might be an idea to try and quit coffee or tea well before as the association with tea or coffee and a cigarette can be very strong for some.    

Don’t substitute -  Try not to chew gum or chew on a pen or any of the other recommendations that are often made.  This again is not breaking the cycle of addiction, each gum is instead of a cigarette.  Rather than giving something up you should try and see it as stopping doing something that is very bad for you. 

Avoid sugary foods. These can trigger cravings a low GI diet is recommended during the transition period.  Also avoid refined carbohydrates – white bread, white rice, pasta instead go for brown or wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta and brown rice.

Ginger, an infusion of ginger helps clear the airways and loosens some of the mucus that can be produced when quitting.

Dairy - try to also avoid dairy due as this can cause excess mucus production.

Weeding – Not as strange as it sounds, when I say weeding I mean hacking into large patches of brambles or very over-grown weed beds. Anything that gets all the anger out is good, chopping wood, smashing things up, your friends and family will thank you for it. 

I’ve always found the first three days are the worst and I usually aim for a three day break in the calendar. If this is not possible try having your last cigarette just after work on a Friday and use the weekend to quit.  Not all have cravings as bad as I so you may even want to experiment with quitting at work. 
 
Nicotine takes just 48 hours to leave the body, so if you’ve got through that there is no reason to start again.  After a week your sense of taste slowly comes back and your sense of smell improves. The mantra I keep in my head in times of weakness, which seems to work, is ‘That’s just not going to happen’.  I use my best Alan Partridge internal voice but it’s kept me quit for some time so it obviously works for me.  If I’m offered a cigarette in a pub I just think, ‘That’s just not going to happen’, I  hope this time it’s not.