Our 9 top tips on how to quit smoking during Stoptober

If you have anticipated your participation, you may have already prepared to quit smoking and are ready to make a quit attempt on the first day of Stoptober. However, if you haven't, don't panic! You still have October, so why not take advantage of this month to prepare and be ready to quit before the end of the month?

Depending on your smoking habits, you may need more or less time to feel ready to quit smoking. Kwit’s preparation program for smoking cessation, will support you and help you find the most appropriate strategies to stop smoking! So, why don’t you prepare yourself with us to be a non-smoker by the end of the month?

It's a fact: smoking is expensive. Therefore, the financial aspect can also be a motivation to quit! Get a money box and fill it with the unspent cigarettes money.

At the end of this quit smoking challenge, you should already have a nice amount of money! So, seize the opportunity! Treat yourself to something that you've been wanting for a long time.

The nicotine contained in cigarettes and vape activated the reward system. Your body then secreted dopamine, the happiness hormone, which could artificially create a certain state of well-being.

As you make a quit attempt for Stoptober and begin your new smoke-free life, it may be helpful to find other sources of pleasure that also activate this reward system. This is especially true if you don’t want to use nicotine replacement products.

Put the money and time you save not smoking into something that makes you happy, and enjoy the benefits of quitting! A creative activity, a trip, sports, etc. Physical activity, or sports in general, whether intense or gentle, can be an excellent alternative to activate the reward system.

The general consensus is that smoking is dangerous for your health. However, you may find that smoking is beneficial in certain situations (social relationships, activation of the reward system, emotional management, etc.). You tend to focus on these “beneficial” effects that appear quickly (but do not last) rather than on the harmful effects of smoking, which can take longer to appear.

Reconsidering your relationship with cigarettes and learning to perceive tobacco as danger will increase your motivation to quit. Take the time to think about all the associated risks in the long and medium term. Reflect on the impact that smoking has on your everyday life! Remember those times in winter when you had to go out in the freezing weather or those Sunday evenings when it was impossible to find a tobacco shop open. Think about how much money you burn (literally) every month on cigarettes.

At the same time, think about all the benefits of quitting smoking. Like:

• Regaining your sense of taste and smell. Your sensory acuity, in general, will improve.

• Preserving your health and that of your loved ones.

• Liberating yourself from the dependence on a toxic substance.

• Regaining a good respiratory capacity.

• Saving money.

• Etc.

Some of these thoughts might help increase your motivation.

Nicotine substitutes are effective in fighting physical dependence on nicotine, which is felt through withdrawal symptoms (irritability, fatigue, stress, etc.). These symptoms are strongest during the first month of your smoking cessation.

Accordingly to your dependence level and your consumption habits, this resource could help you for Stoptober by making it easier for you to participate in this stop smoking challenge. Ask your doctor for advice.

When you stop smoking, your body goes through changes that may affect your emotions. You were used to smoking, perhaps for many years, so it will take some time to adapt to change your habits.

To increase your chances on success, we suggest you do some breathing exercises. These exercises can be helpful to:

• Manage your stress levels.

• Calm yourself down.

• Resist the urge to smoke.

• Give you a boost of energy.

• Etc.

For Stoptober, check out Kwit! Our quit smoking app has resources and exercises that help you stop smoking.

On your way to your new life without tobacco, free of cigarettes, you may encounter a few obstacles: withdrawal symptoms, cravings, even relapses. Failure to succeed after the first quit attempt, even for Stoptober, should not bump you down and prevent you from trying again! What matters is that you don’t get discouraged.

Obstacles can even be an opportunity as they come up on your journey. They allow you to better understand your relationship with cigarettes and thus find solutions to quit smoking for good. For instance, every time you feel like smoking, you can log it in your Kwit application. You can also fill the context in which the craving occurs, your state of mind, and find strategies to deal with the urge.

In addition, the application allows you to register the number of smoked cigarettes. Gradually, using the statistics provided, Kwit will enable you to better understand your dependence and help you overcome it.

Making a quit attempt during Stoptober gives you a significant advantage over your dependence: the strength of numbers. Every year, several hundred thousand people stop smoking thanks to the Stoptober campaign. All these people understand what you are going through, because they are going through the same. There are many opportunities to help each other out during October.

The group dynamic also motivates you to continue on your way to your new tobacco-free life. It is as if the collective effort multiplied your energy, increasing your chances of success during this stop smoking challenge. Indeed, the figures from previous editions suggest that the number of smokers who have been abstinent for a year is higher among those who took part in the Stoptober challenge.

Have you thought about using a quit smoking app when participating in Stoptober? Relaying on a pocket-size mate has many advantages:

• You'll find support at any time of the day or night.

• You’ll keep track of your journey.

• You'll have advice adapted to your experience as a former smoker.

• You can boost your motivation.

• And much more!

A smoking cessation application such as Kwit can help you to better live this experience and make your participation in the Stoptober challenge a success. So don't wait any longer to downloading it and join the more than 2.7 million Kwitters who have already trusted us!

Note: our application will guide you during, and long after, the end of this stop smoking challenge!

Did you like this article? Find here our guide with all our resources for Stoptober!

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