How to Quit Smoking (Proven Tips)

70% of people who smoke cigarettes report that they would like to quit if they thought they could and they say this if they thought they could. It's not that they have little self-discipline, it's because it's actually way way harder than you think. Every year more than 700,000 or more people die because of smoking related diseases and every person today in the modern world knows the dangers but they can't quit. So coming back to why and how you can quit. Now there are a couple of methods that have been shown to help people quit. I'm nervous for this one. This is quite a personal video. I hope that it helps somebody. This video is why you should quit smoking and how you can do it. I'm going to give you some tips that will hopefully help you. Loads of people still do it. I've been traveling around the world and I see it's still a huge habit that many of the population still do but why when it's obviously that it's still so bad for you? Why do people still feel the need to take part in a quick sicky break multiple times a day? So we're going to talk a bit about what it actually is and where the idea of smoking comes from and I'm also going to share a bit of a heart-to-heart that I have with some people close to me about smoking. Tobacco is derived from the leaves of the genus Nicotiana plant. It's from the nightshade family and it's indigenous to North and South America. Native American shamans, shamans I hope I'm saying that right, developed tobacco use for religious rites. Simultaneously people practicing medicine also started using tobacco in many different forms in many different cultures. It helped to combat illnesses such as asthma, earaches, bowel problems, fever, sore eyes, depression, insect bites, burns etc. So when you think about it that way it doesn't sound that bad. The nicotine in the tobacco has well-documented health benefits but here's where it all goes wrong. Big tobacco companies need to make profits. They add chemicals to their cigarettes, everybody knows this, but have you ever heard of the big tobacco scandal? In 1999 the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against a major tobacco manufacturer and they were to hold the industry accountable for more than 50 years of conspiring to defraud the public in relation to the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act. Big tobacco, an industry which for decades has knownly addicted and endangered the lives of millions of people for their own profit. Now of course they have to share the truth about the deadly products which includes declaring those at the point of sale. People who smoke do so because they're addicted to nicotine but the harm is not necessarily from the nicotine. That comes from the tar, the carbon monoxide and the other chemicals in the smoke. Cigarettes have more than 4 000 chemicals. I'm going to list some of them in a second and they're just absolutely ridiculous. Smoking is a social issue, it's peer pressure. Hollywood movie stars in the 1920s 30s and 40s all smoked. It was made to look glamorous and cool even now after all of the education and had totally been shunned from screen at the turn of the millennium. In 2019 a report by the CDC found that the number of times tobacco use appeared on screen in PG-13 films jumped from 120 percent between 2010 and 2018 so it slowly creeped back up. In 1962 the American television network CBS, they assured tobacco companies that the TV set is the greatest cigarette vendor machine ever devised. Cigarette companies and TV companies have been in bed together for decades and big tobacco companies pay actors, or they did, I don't know if they still do, to be in commercials and infomercials, adverts, whatever you call them, to sell cigarettes. Imagine if they were truthful in these adverts that would be amazing and they're saying I love to put these chemicals, these 4 000 chemicals, into my body. I feel so fresh and young. That would be amazing but we know that's not how it works unfortunately. So what are the chemicals? Well to name a few, in fact let's not name them, let's show you. Arsenic used in rat poison. Acetic acid found in vinegar. Acetone, the main ingredient in paint thinner and fingernail polish remover. Ammonia, this is a typical household cleaning fluid. Benzene found in gasoline. Butane found in lighter fluid. Pesticides and paints and many many many more. These are just the chemicals that I went around the local store, bought them and then what you do is you set them on fire, inhale deeply into your lungs. Oh beautiful. I'm going to do an interview with my mum because then it's going to get a bit emotional because she smoked for 15 years. So mum, you smoked since you were 15 years old? Yeah. Yeah and do you remember what it was like when you first started smoking? Do you remember how you felt like? Was it a big deal? I just thought it was... Just something that you did? Just something. And when you started, when you first started when you were 15. And you could buy cigarettes easily then in the shop and nobody questioned you or anything. You could even go and shop and buy one or two. Were they expensive? I don't remember. Probably at the time. Did everybody smoke? That's why people used to buy packets of five as well. Did everybody smoke then? Most people. Some of my friends didn't like it. It wasn't um, it wasn't frowned upon. It was more like your partner. Social. Social. How much did you smoke when you... What was the most you smoked in a day? When I first started smoking? No, like the whole time that you smoked. What was the most that you smoked in a day? About 10. About 10 a day. And how many would you smoke on a weekend? About 20. 20. And that was a weekend when you were drinking. When you were smoking, how would you describe your health? Well, I thought I was okay really except that if I got a cold, a really heavy cold, it took longer for it to clear up and I was coughing more and more in the night time and I couldn't sleep very good. Would you say like you had a smoker's cough? Probably, yeah. Did you ever notice it? Bit wheezy. Only when I had a cold. It took longer for it to get rid of it. So apart from when you had a cold, you didn't feel any of the negative health? Not really. Really? Apart from probably your clothes smelt and things like that but loads of people around you. Yeah. It was the same. You could smoke in the pubs back then. You could smoke in the pub. You could even smoke in the hospital when you had your baby. You could smoke on the bus. There's only one place you couldn't smoke and that was the church. So let's talk about when you first stopped. I want to talk about how to stop smoking. So when you first stopped, what was the number one thing that you noticed about your health when you very first stopped? Did you notice anything immediately? Well I think your breath feels fresher, your clothes smells nicer and then like I say when I got a cold, it seemed to clear up quick and the cough wasn't there lingering on for weeks afterwards. So your immune system is better. What about your skin and how does your skin feel? I never noticed any difference in my skin. You mentioned before that your skin, you looked better and younger. Well I wouldn't say younger like. You said that your appetite was better. Yeah, your appetite gets a bit better. So do you think that's why people think that they put on weight when they quit smoking but they really don't? The appetite's not suppressed. It depends really. I feel like you put on weight when you stopped smoking. I did put on a little bit of weight but then I suppose that's just until you get used to not smoking and then your weight just stabilises. But everybody's different. A lot of people did put on weight and they couldn't get rid of the weight. So it's just people's got different metabolisms that's all. Yeah. So how long have you stopped smoking now? How long has it been? Ten. Ten years plus since I was born. Then mainly in California you couldn't bloody well smoke anywhere so it wasn't worth the effort. What advice would you give to somebody who was trying to quit? Just keep going. Don't give up. Even if you stop smoking for a week and start again, just keep going. Stop. You'll get there in the end. Something will just click and it'll make you want to do it. But for anybody who doesn't smoke, just don't start. Yeah. Pamir, are you proud of Nana for quitting smoking? I'd imagine if she didn't. Good job, Pamir. If you can't pack in for your own children, you're packing for your grandchildren. What would happen? What would you say to Nana if she still smoked now? Party country. Nana, you need to stop smoking. That's bad for you. You'll never do it again. No, no, no, no, no. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. I'm going to put this in the trash. Listen, you two don't do it. Not only will you not smoke cigarettes, you won't take any kind of drugs. I won't even touch it. You won't take any kind of drugs. Friends, I'm only going to have friends who don't smoke and who know that here. Yeah, Mum, I'm so proud of you for quitting smoking. Thank you. Love you. 70% of people who smoke cigarettes report that they would like to quit if they thought they could. And they say this if they thought they could. It's not that they have little self-discipline. It's because it's actually way, way harder than you think. How many countless times I've had to stop someone with an IV with fluid in their arms from going outside because they needed a cigarette? And they've been that desperate that they've just ripped the IV out of their arm and ran outside because they needed a cigarette. That's how addicted they are. That's how hard it is to give up. So they literally ripped the IV out of their arm to get outside and smoke. Actually, the success rate of quitting smoking, when people try to go only 5% are successful. Even with a cancer diagnosis, they say, I'm not smoking again, despite the fear of the negative health effects and not to mention the financial cost, the health cost, everything combined, it's still only a 5% success rate. There's a huge number of things that I could list off that you already know that are negative about smoking. Like it makes your skin look bad, it lowers libido, it disrupts your hormones, it disrupts your vascular function, your brain function. It does all of these terrible things. And yet most people who try and quit, they simply can't do it. Of 5% that succeed of quitting, a full 65% of them relapse within a year. It's a really depressing picture, but it's not to say that people can't quit. In fact, they can. Now, there are a couple of methods that have been shown to help people quit. Some are behavioral, some are pharmacological. And I just want to touch on the behavioral ones first because it's a really powerful method for quitting cigarette smoking. Now, when I say hypnosis, I know a lot of people think of hypnosis, you know, you're on a stage with a hypnotist and they're trying to get you to do all of these funny, weird things, say certain things. But what I'm talking about is clinical hypnosis. This is where the person, the patient actually directs their own brain changes towards a specific emotional or behavioral goal. Now, it's not just one quick hypnotic session and you're free of cigarettes. It takes work and you need to find a reputable way to do this. And it can be daunting, but there are studies, several studies actually, and I've linked them below that have shown that using a specific form of hypnosis, people can achieve complete and total cessation of smoking cigarettes. And also there's no reason to believe that this can't carry over into vaping because I need to touch on vaping also. This is a big, big problem, especially among teenagers, adolescents. You can also do hypnosis on apps. There's a few apps that I've listed down below and results have shown that they're quite remarkable for quitting. But like everything, it takes continuity. It's not just a magical switch. You have to work, do it in junction with other things that are working for you. I've listed an article down below that breaks down some of the pros and cons of these apps. So have a read through them. Let me know if you've tried it before, if they've worked for you, I'd love to know. Every year, more than 700,000 or more people die because of smoking related diseases. We've all heard of these statistics before. And even though you see less smoking, typically in the US and Canada, even in Northern Europe, some places there's still many, many people smoking. It's quite shocking actually. And people who would like to quit, but they just can't. I've been traveling for the last few years with my family and we educate our girls on the of smoking. We were out at a restaurant somewhere and they yell like, mama, that person's going to die. But they understand how bad it is for you. Especially, I think we're sitting in a restaurant in France and they were disgusted by how many people are sitting having a coffee and a cigarette. You know, it's everywhere. And every person today in the modern world knows the dangers, but they can't quit. It's really hard. As many as 75% of people who try and quit relapse within the first week. And that's how powerful the nicotine is. Remember, it's the nicotine in the cigarette that's powerfully reinforcing, but it's also the oral habit, the motor habit. You know, there's this thing about the sensory receptors in the lips. So people like bringing things towards the lips, food, cigarettes, et cetera. And as a consequence, there's a reinforcement pathway. And from the behavior perspective and the dopamine released from the nicotine itself, making it so, so hard to quit. So talking about the pharmacologic approaches, one of the main ones that's received a lot of attention is Welbutrin. It's a medication that increases the release of dopamine. And it's also used for the treatment of depression. If you want to try this, you'll have to get a prescription from your doctor so you can speak to your healthcare provider and weigh up your options and see if it's going to work for you. But there are some side effects that you need to be aware of. But it might work for you to get you over the initial hard phase of quitting. So coming back to why and how you can quit. Now, we have to talk about dopamine in order to offset some of the withdrawal symptoms of smoking or vaping. And a very common approach for people to try and quit smoking or vaping is to use nicotine itself to try and prevent you from seeking the nicotine through a cigarette. So I'm talking about nicotine patches, nicotine gums. There's loads of delivery of devices now. We saw a friend using a little breath spray. It looked like he was just freshening his breath, but it was a nicotine dose. He was getting nicotine into his bloodstream, which maintains the level of nicotine to the brain and the body to the same extent that if they would be smoking or vaping. And then gradually, the idea is that you're supposed to decrease down the amount of nicotine in the brain by reducing the number of nicotine gum or whatever you're using and slowly coming down with that nicotine level over time. But what's best? Nicotine gum, nicotine patch? Well, it turns out actually like a combination approach can be useful if you use like a random intermittent schedule, which is when you don't really know the peaks of dopamine, when the peaks of dopamine are going to arrive. And this is to offset the sudden urge that's going to hit you when you're quitting smoking. So your body isn't expecting it and it offsets the cravings. And so there isn't the expectation and craving. And then all of a sudden, when the dopamine is released, it's extremely high. And this is really going to help with those cravings. Other things to supplement in your quitting journey, of course, there's online resources galore. For example, I'm in Australia right now. So I googled how to quit smoking and the resources that came up. Oh my God, they were amazing. So I've linked those below just so you can see what's available. And you can even access those resources while you're still smoking just to get in touch with people and say, look, I'm thinking about quitting. What's the deal? Now, another thing that's been shown to have amazing benefits is deep breathing. This is really powerful and an extremely important technique. So you can use this every time you want a cigarette. Do the following. Inhale the deepest inhale you possibly can, fill your lungs and then very slowly exhale. Purse your lips so that the air comes out slowly and then you can close your eyes. Let your chin gradually sink down over your chest and you can visualize all the tension leaving your body, slowly draining out from your fingers and your toes, just flowing out. This is a variation of an ancient yoga technique from India and it's really centering. You can use it for when you're stressed or any time that you need to just relax yourself. If you practice this, then you'll be able to use it for, you know, like I said, stressful situations or when you have that massive urge of you want a cigarette and you need a cigarette. And this can be your greatest weapon. During those strong cravings that are going to assault you the first few weeks, remember that urge to smoke only lasts for a few minutes. So if you take a few minutes to do your deep breathing, then the urge becomes further and further apart and the days go by and the urge is not so strong anymore. That urge is going to last just for a couple of minutes. So do your deep breathing and see if it works for you. So avoiding those rituals that remind you is that what you used to do when you would wake up, like have a coffee and have a cigarette. If you change that, change your routine. Another thing to point out is avoiding fatty foods. So obviously your metabolism is going to slow down without the nicotine or a reduction in the nicotine and you might gain a little bit of weight, even if you eat the same amount before quitting. So your discipline about your diet is extra important now. No one ever said acquiring new habits will be easy, but just have that in mind and it's not going to be forever, you know. Your body and your metabolism is going to get used to it again and you're going to get up to where you should be without the nicotine. Another tip is to drink lots of water and fluids to help flush out the nicotine and the other poisons from your body and immediately you'll see your skin start to brighten and glow from all of the poisons leaving your body as the water flushes it out. Next, keep your healthy snacks handy to keep your hands busy. So carrot sticks, gum, whatever you need to get you through it. Another tip that I read was to stretch out your meals. Eating slowly and waiting a few minutes between bites or a few seconds rather between bites is going to help. So then after dinner, instead of a cigarette, treat yourself to a cup of mint tea or a peppermint candy. One study about 25% of quitters found that an oral substitute was really helpful and I've heard and read and saw people chewing on cinnamon sticks. So let me know if you've tried that. I thought that was an interesting tip. Next is go to the gym, sit in the steam room, exercise, change your normal routine, take time to walk or even jog around the block or the local park. You're going to have more time on your hands so starting a new hobby, do something to treat yourself is a perfect way to supplement your quitting journey. Don't forget to ask for support from your co-workers, friends and family. Ask for the tolerance, let them know that you're quitting and you might be edgy or grumpy. If you don't ask for support you certainly won't get it and you'll be surprised by how much that can help. Most importantly, and this sounds obvious but I need to say it anyway, is ask for friends and family members not to smoke in your presence. Don't be afraid to ask them. This is more important than you realise and you're coming off a highly addictive drug so being around other smokers is not going to help. Now on your quit day, hide all the ashtrays, destroy all the cigarettes, preferably with water so you're not tempted to smoke them and don't forget you can always talk to a live human being. You can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. This is a free smoking counsellor. You can call the National Cancer Institute's free smoke and quit line. I've listed the numbers below. The next thing I want you to do is write down 10 good things about being a non-smoker and then write 10 bad things about smoking. Do this and you can refer back to this as many times as you need. Several times a day I want you to repeat, I am a non-smoker. Many quitters see themselves as smokers that are just not smoking for that moment and they have this image of themselves as smokers who still want a cigarette so if you silently repeat that affirmation, I'm a non-smoker, this will help you change your point of view of yourself. It might sound silly but it's actually really, really powerful. Now it's vital to understand that from time to time you're going to be overwhelmed with a desire for just one cigarette and this can happen unexpectedly especially during moments of stress or you know when you're in a familiar situation like you're on vacation or you're at a party. If you're unprepared, succumbing to that one cigarette is going to lead you directly back to smoking and remember the following secret that these surprise attacks and they're definitely going to come. Do your deep breathing, hold on for five minutes and the urge will pass. To get the info and support you need to make the stop and process a little easier, don't do it alone. You need to get help and plenty of it, it's there out there available. If you want to practice another deep breathing exercise that I made a video on that helps you sleep, you can click here and practice this. Let me know what you think of it.