The Relationship Between Smoking Cessation and Self-Control

Self-control is often what’s missing when people fall into the trap of cigarette dependence. 

Quitting smoking takes a lot of effort—it’s all about training your mind, managing your emotions, and replacing old habits with healthier ones.

It gets even tougher when you’re trying to set your quit-smoking goals and stick to them. 

Starting a smoke-free lifestyle isn’t a walk in the park, but once you manage it, you’ll feel proud and start noticing the many benefits you didn’t realise were waiting for you.

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Read on to discover how self-control is key to quitting smoking and how you can use this knowledge to help you on your journey.

The Relationship Between Smoking and Self-Control

Smoking is incredibly addictive, and even if you know it’s harmful to you and those around you, it can feel impossible to resist lighting up another cigarette. 

You’re not alone—there are even lung cancer survivors who keep smoking, despite knowing it’s the cause of their illness.

Even the most determined person needs to keep an eye on their self-control to avoid giving in to temptation. But don’t worry—it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. 

You can strengthen your self-control by acknowledging your setbacks, holding yourself accountable, and not beating yourself up over mistakes.

Another helpful approach is setting a clear timeline for quitting and creating realistic goals that you can work towards each day, month, or year. 

Quitting smoking is a process, and each attempt, even if it doesn’t work out, brings you closer to success. In fact, science supports the idea that you can build resilience and self-control by trying, failing, and then trying again.

Over time, you’ll find yourself ‘getting in the groove’ and making more progress with each attempt, until you finally kick the habit for good.

How Self-Control Manages Stress

Confidence is key to taking control of yourself, and it’s something you build up by facing your setbacks and staying resilient. 

When you trust that you can bounce back from failed attempts, it becomes easier to spot what went wrong and figure out how to avoid it happening again. 

Strengthening your self-control and boosting your confidence can also help you manage stress better, without reaching for a cigarette.

Many former smokers who’ve stayed smoke-free for over a year have learned to fully trust themselves. 

They’ve probably found healthier and more effective ways to deal with anxiety from work or other parts of life. There are plenty of safe, non-addictive options to try, like meditation or working out.

Temptation doesn’t just vanish after quitting, even if it’s been years. 

What truly matters is how you build yourself up to be a more responsible and confident person, without relying on any addiction.

The Benefit of Self-Control During Withdrawal

Nicotine withdrawal is extremely challenging, even with the help of tested and proven coping strategies. But a disciplined person trying to quit has the biggest chance of stopping smoking for good.

Self-control lets them resist the temptation to stop smoking better than others. At the very least, they would recognise they’re greatly tempted to smoke and think about the benefits of quitting smoking to realign their feelings.

An awareness of their condition also makes them consider asking for help from a GP, which is the most effective path to smoking cessation and finding relief for the growing pains of nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

How to Improve Self-Control

Improving self-control as you start your quit journey comes naturally. To improve it even further, here are some effective steps to help you.

Set Clear Goals

A goal is a great motivator that encourages you to develop the discipline necessary to achieve it. Your life goal isn’t just to enjoy the flavour and ‘highs’ you can get from a cigarette, right? 

You probably want to be physically better upon retirement, travel the world, or build the business of your dreams. Set your goals and write how stopping smoking will help you achieve these goals. 

For example, if you stop smoking, you can save a significant amount of money that’s typically enough to pay your children’s school fees or a down payment for a new car each year. 

Build a Support System

You develop better confidence and self-control within a supportive environment. Having your family and friends not involve you in any smoking activity lets you focus on your quit journey. 

They would even gently remind you about your goals and might even join you in forming new and productive habits to help you quit smoking.

Identify Triggers

Identify your smoking triggers and stay away from them for a while to keep temptations at bay. To improve your self-control, practice meditation and mindfulness, two effective methods of keeping your actions in check. 

Starting new habits and fruitful hobbies also helps you avoid triggers and gain more focus and concentration on what you’re doing. Some months or a year after doing this repeatedly, you’ll have the confidence and self-control to resist the urge to smoke when exposed to your triggers.

Practice Delayed Gratification

Self-control starts by controlling your urges with an effective reward system. For example, after going through a month of withdrawal, you can give yourself something you’ve always wanted for a long time, regardless of its price and your need for it. 

By delaying your gratification, you develop better self-control and give yourself a huge confidence boost that you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

Implement Self-Care Strategies

Lastly, take care of yourself. Too much control over yourself can be stressful and cause anxiety, so learn how to let go of anxiety and let loose safely and properly without cigarettes. 

For instance, spend a weekend going to a beach or sightseeing in a destination you haven’t visited before.

Quitting With the Help of Experts

Now that you recognise the need for change and to quit smoking, you’re on your way to improving your control over your urges and yourself. To make it easier, work with experts – they can help you much better than anyone you know personally.

Work With GPs

Want a clear path to success? Work with a GP who has helped many successful people quit the habit for a year. They can create a customised smoking cessation plan with your needs in mind and prescribe the best tools to handle cravings and withdrawals.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) Products

These gums, lozenges, patches, and inhalers work best when you have a GP’s tailor-made smoking cessation plan in place. The small nicotine dose they introduce should greatly help you in the first few weeks of quitting.

Nicotine Vaping Products (NVPs)

GPs also recognise that not everyone finds NRT products effective for their respective needs, allowing them to prescribe NVPs sold only in pharmacies.

Here’s a bit more to know about pharmacy-sold NVPs. NVP products sold in pharmacies are made under stringent pharmaceutical standards on the manufacturing process and ingredients, are toxicologically assessed for inhalation, are locally insured, and are specifically designed to help you stop smoking.

The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking.

Stay away from illegal NVPs found under the counter in convenience stores and tobacconists, as these have poor manufacturing quality, questionable ingredients, and may be just as hazardous to your health as smoking, if not worse.

Summary

Self-control has a positive relationship with smoking cessation, and it can even help ex-smokers beyond their quit journey by improving their focus and pulling them away from any temptations in the future. 

You’re probably reading this because you want to stop smoking and have more self-control. You’re in the right place to get started.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference:

• https://ascopost.com/issues/august-10-2022/how-smoking-cessation-after-a-lung-cancer-diagnosis-improves-overall-survival/
• https://www.gbhoh.com/the-benefits-of-accountability-in-addiction-recovery/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4469947/
• https://www.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective