Become a non-smoker Stop smoking: finally quit smoking!
You have been thinking about quitting smoking for a long time, but somehow it never works out? You are not alone. According to the German Medical Journal, about 20 percent of male and female smokers try to get rid of their vice every year.
However, about 73 percent of smoke-stoppers relapse again. And that’s why 26.2 percent of Germans still smoke overall, and 22 percent of women (as of 2021).
How can I quickly become a non-smoker?
The most important prerequisite for giving up smoking is your own will: "A smoker must come on her own and bring the desire to become a non-smoker", says Hans-Joachim Ruhr, a Berlin psychologist.
studies say women find it even a bit harder than men to quit smoking. Read more: That’s why it’s so hard to quit smoking. But of course there are tricks and strategies to make it successful. We have collected them for you here.
When is the best time to quit smoking?
The best time to quit smoking is on days when you’re really sick of smoking. "When such a day comes, you should take the opportunity to stop smoking immediately, without resolution, without planning. It works amazingly well", says Dr. Christoph Kroger from the Munich Institute for Therapy Research. Plainly said: Use your current disgust and cultivate it!
By the way, deliberately provoking this state of total oversaturation is proving less successful: although there have been attempts to make quitters smoke until they get sick, the relapse rate has been too high to recommend this method. These are the 8 biggest smoke-stop lies.
How to become and stay a non-smoker?
As I said, it all comes down to your inner attitude and determination. You have to work on this if the weariness doesn’t set in on its own. Internalize the following 5 points. They have proven to be particularly helpful in finally becoming a non-smoker:
1. Don’t "smoke less, but quit completely
Say goodbye to the illusion of slowly decreasing your cigarette consumption in order to eventually arrive at zero. "Being completely smoke-free at some point through gradual reduction rarely works", says Kroger. "More promising is to quit completely from one day to the next." By the way, this does not only work on symbolic dates. New Year’s Day is as good as any other day of the year for this.
2. Collect facts and figures
Did you know that there are about 4500 harmful substances in one cigarette?? And that your body needs 72 hours to break down the toxins from just one cigarette? With such numbers and facts you should feed your brain from now on regularly.
What many smokers also don’t know: According to studies, smoking stimulates the production of the brain messenger dopamine, which then triggers a feeling of satisfaction. But to maintain this, the nicotine dose must be steadily increased. "When you hear that, many smokers realize how stupid smoking actually is", explains Kroger. This is probably one of the reasons why the book "Endlich Nichtraucher!" by Allen Carr that states such facts, helped so many people quit. By the way, the bestseller is also available in a special edition for women.
It helps many women to read the success stories of others parallel to their own withdrawal, for example Smoking Cessation by Peter Kruse, which by the way is also helpful for a non-smoking partner to support you on your way to becoming a non-smoker. Or the book written with a touch of humor by Nicole Gabor Stop Smoking for Women. If you like yoga, you can find helpful yoga poses in the book Quit Smoking by Julia Lapenti, which will make it easier for you to quit smoking.
At the same time, it helps many women to keep a stop-smoking diary in which they record their physical rollercoaster ride. It’s motivating to note how addiction slowly turns into physical well-being.
If you want your body to release stimulating substances, you might as well do sports and enjoy the endorphin rush, such as running:
- Training plan
- Introduction to running training
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- Exercise plan
- Getting started with running training
- Varying running exercises
- 10 pages PDF, available on all devices
It’s an important step in your career as a runner: the first real endurance run, so literally a run that lasts, and longer than from here to the bus. The goal: jogging for 30 minutes at a time. You know what? With our specially designed training plan you can do it!
For this you need nothing more than a pair of running shoes and sports clothes. Over the next 12 weeks, a variety of interval and endurance runs await you, getting you one step closer to running 30 minutes at a time! Don’t worry: We’ll start slowly and work our way up, so you can celebrate success on a regular basis.
If you want to run for 30 minutes at a time for the first time, you should work towards this goal with professional guidance. Our training plan is the perfect foundation – download and start running right away!
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3. Set your sights on advantages
Ask yourself: What would you miss without a smoke? Why do you want to quit? What do you expect from it? From the answers you form your strategy. Think about the benefits you’ll get right away: you won’t smell like cold smoke anymore, you’ll have more money. Your immune system becomes more stable, you get sick less often.
Very important: Find alternatives to smoking if you want to relax, chat comfortably or look cool. You need something up your sleeve. Drinking helps a lot: Get yourself a cool water bottle (z.B. by Aoogo), fill it with mineral water and spice it up with a tasty syrup (z.B. Yo with lemon-mint flavor). E-cigarettes, by the way, are absolutely not an option you should consider: Here are the reasons.
4. Get through withdrawal
"First of all, it is important to "get through" the first 2 weeks, says Kroger "You should remember that even severe withdrawal symptoms are ‘only’ like a cold – they will pass." Exercise, drinking water, kneading a stress ball and biting on a chili pepper in the worst case are proven withdrawal aids. Tip: The longer you ignore greed, the easier it will be to resist it.
5. Seek help
If you just can’t seem to get off the fags on your own, there’s no shame in seeking help. According to one study, subjects were over 2.5 times more likely to quit smoking if they had professional and medication support than if they didn’t.
What changes in the body of a non-smoker?
You have been nicotine-free for a few days? Bravo! Stay strong and remember: not smoking anymore is not a loss, but a gain! A little taster: studies show that smoking severely impairs your sense of smell, but after just 2 days without a fag, for example, you can smell better again – and you smell better yourself, too, ask your loved one!
After 6 months your immune system will be able to fight off germs and pathogens more successfully. The number of days you spend in bed with a cold will drop significantly, according to studies. After one year, your risk of heart attack and stroke will be cut in half, and after 5 years, the risk of typical smoker cancers such as lung and esophageal cancer will also be reduced. In this article you will learn in detail how your body recovers after the last cigarette.
Not smoking has only advantages! Forget about homespun plans, cutting back on cigarettes or switching to e-cigarettes. The most successful way is to consider the disadvantages and just quit when you are sick of smoking anyway. Now, immediately. Good luck!