The resolution to really stop smoking in the new year is now two weeks old, but it still doesn’t seem to work? A concept by Ernest Groman, scientific director of the Nicotine Institute in Vienna, is intended to help you become smoke-free in five steps.
1. Plan, analyze, observe: If you know in which situations you’ll reach for a cigarette, you’ve already won half the battle. Therefore, analyzing your own habits is the first step to quitting smoking. Structured planning of everyday life is also helpful.
Image: Victoria Posch
2. Reduction in week one: Quitting smoking radically is not always possible or manageable. It is often easier to reduce cigarette consumption in the first week. If necessary, aids such as nicotine replacement products can be used. There is also a wide range of modern products such as e-cigarettes and tobacco-free nicotine pouches. Although nicotine is consumed with these products, its harmfulness is less than that of conventional cigarettes.
3. Stop date in week two: In the second week it helps to have a fixed date for the last cigarette, which should also be entered in the calendar. The aids mentioned can make it easier to quit smoking completely or at least reduce the number of cigarettes smoked through their use.
4. Persevere and distract: Now it’s time to hold on! If the days are filled with activities, it distracts from the desire for a cigarette. New routines help you avoid falling into old patterns. To avoid temptation, tobacco products should be kept out of sight and should be left at home when you go out. Exercising in the fresh air also helps.
5. Try again: If you still pick up a cigarette, you shouldn’t give up. For addicted smokers, quitting smoking is not a sprint, but a marathon. But perseverance and alternative paths are worth it and will help your health in the long term.
