5 Psychological Techniques To Quit Smoking

Why is it so difficult to quit smoking ? Smoking is an act that can destroy our health. However, why don’t we quit? Even why do we often use mental delusions to silence our conscience?

The responsible for this coconut washing has been, and continues to be, the tobacco industry. With your direct mail. Or through literature or cinema, he has achieved that tobacco is associated with glamor, beauty or assertiveness. In short, qualities that most of us would like to have. Who does not remember Marilyn Monroe holding a cigarette between her fingers in a sensual way? And who wouldn’t want to look like her?

Certainly, smoking has everything but sensuality. The tremendous consequences it has for our health are known to all: wrinkles, bad breath, yellow teeth, increased risk of heart attack, lung cancer … But even so, human beings are still hooked on this drug. One of the most difficult to get rid of, because it is so normalized that we do not even realize that it is a drug like any other.

I like to smoke

Lie. Nobody likes to smoke . Although many smokers tend to affirm this emphatically, simply because they are addicts, within them there is a “bug” that asks them for food every time they are hungry, it is the withdrawal syndrome that speaks for them.

The proof is that the first time they tried a cigarette they didn’t like it at all, nobody really likes it. It doesn’t have a pleasant smell or taste, but its addictive power confuses you and makes you believe that you actually love it so you can get hooked.

It is convenient that you accept this reality and that you begin to convince yourself that it would be very beneficial if you considered quitting smoking once and for all. Stop making excuses: you don’t like it, it doesn’t do you any good, it’s slowly killing you, your quality of life is worse, you annoy non-smokers, it’s no longer glamorous …

Psychological techniques to quit smoking

Psychology has developed several cognitive-behavioral techniques to help smokers quit. However, these techniques will only work if the person is fully determined to quit smoking and is motivated to do so.

According to the meta-analysis carried out by researchers Vera, MP, and Sanz, J. (2006).,  Cognitive-behavioral techniques turn out to be a clinical strategy to stop smoking not only effective, but more effective than drug therapy. Next we will see 5 examples of these techniques:

1. Control stimulate

It consists of removing or eliminating any stimulus associated with the behavior of smoking. That is, everything that makes you want to smoke. It can be coffee, alcohol, seeing ashtrays at home, going to a smoking club … In certain cases, it is even recommended to leave certain friendships for a while. But if this is too complicated, at least tell all of our friends that we want to quit smoking. Ask them, please, not to offer us, or not to smoke in our presence.

2. Change cigarette brand

We must progressively change the brand from the one we normally smoke. It is about reaching the brand that contains the minimum of nicotine and tar, in this way, our body will adapt to the reduction of substances little by little.

3. Progressive reduction

We will reduce the amount of daily cigarettes by 20% each week, until we reach total abandonment. You have to record what you smoke daily to see if we have met our goal. On the other hand, there is also a reduction in the amount of cigarettes smoked. If, for example, the person smokes the cigarette up to the filter, now they have to leave 1/3 of the cigarette without smoking, the following week 1/2 without smoking …

4. Delay smoking and tolerate anxiety

If we smoke as soon as we wake up, we have to set a goal of delaying that cigarette for at least half an hour. As we delay, we will learn to live with that annoying anxiety, we will realize that it is not as bad as we think and also at the end of the day, we will verify that we have smoked less. To take it better, including relaxation techniques is more than recommended.

5. Cognitive exercises

Be aware that tobacco is a drug that controls us, damages us and robs us. It is very important that every time you have a strong urge to smoke you maintain an internal dialogue. You must remind yourself how harmful tobacco is to you. Also, don’t hide the truth: you don’t need tobacco, your life will be better without it, you actually want to quit, etc.

Quitting Smoking: Final Thoughts

Smoking carries serious health risks. In fact, many people try to quit without success, because getting rid of tobacco is very difficult. Fortunately, there are effective psychological techniques that can help you. If this is your case, we recommend you go to your psychologist to establish a treatment program.