Tropicana May-June 2023 #148 The Passion Issue

TROPICANA MAGAZINE
Over seven million people die annually from tobacco
use, and another 1.2 million die from being exposed to
secondhand smoke, according to the World Health
Organisation. It’s never too late to quit, so don’t give up if
you’ve been trying or considering it.
Cold Turkey
Quitting cold turkey requires some strategies such as
getting rid of all the cigarettes in your house or office,
changing your routine so that you never have to be in a
situation where you feel the urge to smoke, not drinking
alcohol or coffee if you usually have a cigarette with these,
using positive self talk like “I’m doing great today, and
I can do it!”, having diversions to help you get through
urges, and reading up on willpower.
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Gradual Withdrawal
Another method for quitting smoking is progressive
withdrawal, which involves gradually reducing the number
of cigarettes you smoke each day. This method gradually
reduces the amount of nicotine in your body. It is logical
to cut back before your quit date to minimise withdrawal
symptoms, but this might be difficult to achieve. Note that
simply cutting back (rather than quitting) provides very
little health benefits.