Smoking has become one of the most damaging behaviors, leading to many health problems such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, and hypertension among them. These major health issues, along with the cost, are top reasons why many smokers seek out smoking cessation programs, nicotine gum and lozenges to help them quit smoking for good. Here are a few effective tips to help you kick smoking:

1. Identify your triggers

A trigger is an activity, place, or person that triggers you to smoke. Once you decide to quit smoking you should take a look at when you smoke and why you do. It could be a friend who is a heavy smoker that tempts you with the smell. It could be a morning coffee, a beer, or a campfire that fills your senses with smoke. You may smoke each time you finish a meal and need a way of making sure you have something to replace this activity. Certain locations can also act as a trigger, including bars and clubs, so you may need to avoid it during the first weeks after you quit smoking.

2. Maintain a healthy diet

One of the issues that are commonly seen when you decide to quit smoking is an increase in appetite caused by nicotine working its way out of your body during the withdrawal process. A well-balanced diet can help you to feel more alert and avoid the low blood sugar that can spark the craving for a cigarette that causes you to struggle to quit. Eating three well balanced meals per day can help you feel full and avoid the problems of hunger brought on by cigarette cravings. Keeping healthy snacks handy can help to keep your blood sugar up and fight off any cravings.

3. Drink lots of water

Water is vital to feeling healthy and having a positive state of mind. Whether you are looking to quit smoking or simply live a healthier lifestyle, you will need to drink water to help you flush nicotine out of your system and lessen associated cravings. You can choose to drink herbal teas and fruit juices, but drinks containing caffeine will often act as triggers making it difficult for you to stop smoking.

4. Medical aids

In the past, going it alone (aka: quitting cold turkey) was the only option, but today there are many aids available to help you quit smoking. A nicotine patch, nicotine lozenges, or nicotine gum can help you through the early cravings of the first few days or weeks to make it easy for you to quit smoking effectively.

5. Keep a journal

We all have our personal reasons to quit smoking, but we often lose sight of these when the cravings for a cigarette are strong. Making notes on your personal reasons to review whenever you feel a craving coming on. Maybe you want to quit smoking for better health, to be able to play with your kids, to achieve a fitness goal, or in the wake of a health diagnosis. Either way, a daily reminder of your long-term goals may help support you to remain steadfast on your journey to quit smoking.