Quitting smoking can be one of the most difficult things to do, but fortunately today there are more and more ways to help smokers kick the habit for good. Whether you’ve tried multiple times to quit and failed, or you’re just now starting to consider quitting, there are plenty of tactics you can use to help ensure that your next cigarette will be your last one. Here are just a few of the best techniques to quit smoking and start living a happier and healthier life.

Consider switching to an e-cigarette/vape

The advancement in technology has done a lot to help society, and the e-cigarette is another great invention that can have a positive effect on your life. They do not contain many of the chemicals and tars that are found in traditional cigarettes, and because you can monitor and regulate the amount of nicotine you intake, they can help you slowly reduce your dependency until you no longer find yourself craving it.

The e-cigarette may seem like a complicated gadget, but how it works is like this: a battery-powered device converts liquid nicotine into a vapour or mist that is then inhaled by the user, who satisfies their nicotine craving without in-taking many of the hazardous fumes in traditional cigarettes. If you’re still unsure how e-cigarettes work, take a look at these yocan evolve instructions, which explain how to use a vape. The e-cig/vape has been implemented as a quitting tool by a number of health agencies around the world, including the NHS in the UK.

Start changing your daily routine

Part of the reason smoking is so difficult to quit is that it has become a regulated part of your life: you take a coffee break at work, and have a cigarette; you eat a meal, and then have a cigarette; you have a drink at the bar, and go out for a cigarette… the list goes on and on. Breaking this routine will help you curb your cravings, and while it might mean that for a while you have to forgo some other things you enjoy, in the long run it is more than worth it.

Avoid being around other smokers

One of the most tempting times to lapse back into the habit of smoking is when you see others around you who are “enjoying” a cigarette. It might be difficult, but getting away from smokers in the act of smoking is an absolute must for quitting. Similarly, if you live with a fellow smoker, than your chances of successfully quitting will increase exponentially if you quit together. If you really can’t avoid being around other smokers and they refuse to quit with you, consider asking them to smoke something like a backwoods cigar instead of a cigarette. Cigars often contain fewer of the toxic chemicals that are found in cigarettes, meaning you’ll be exposed to a “less dangerous” smoke.

Picking the right to time to quit smoking can help you avoid encounters with smokers. In the winter, for example, when it is colder out and there’s more rain and snow, you are less likely to want to head outside on a break from work or with a drink from the bar, where you will be forced to observe others smoking.

While it might seem like a nearly impossible feat, people quit smoking everyday, and with a little bit of planning you can soon be on of them.

Images by Nicoletta Ciunci used under the Creative Commons license.