Read on to find out a few of the best tips for tapering down your nicotine intake.
Lowering your nicotine intake and eventually quitting altogether can be very difficult if you are unsure what you should and shouldn’t do. However, there are several steps you can take and tips you can use to make it easier.
I’m writing this article because I’m a knowledgeable expert on wellness – with about 2 million books sold globally.
Plus I founded the therapist recommended self-paced online course called The Anxiety Cure.
I love to help people to live calmer, happier, healthier lives. So I put together this article with tips for how to taper down your nicotine usage.
If you are struggling to quit smoking or looking for ways to lower your nicotine intake, here are some of the best tips and tricks you can use.
If you are vaping or using vape pens containing nicotine salts, you should first lower the nicotine percentage in your vape liquid. This is one of the easiest ways to wean yourself off nicotine, as it is gradual, and the differences are almost unnoticeable.
If you are a smoker, it is best to switch to a vape for the above reasons; you have far more control over how much nicotine you are ingesting.
Another easy way to control your nicotine intake is to make your own vape juice. Nowadays, it is easy to get the ingredients you need, and you can gradually lower the nicotine at a rate that suits you.
Once again, if you are a vape user, using a vape that has a refillable tank is a great way to see how much vape liquid you are consuming. You can limit yourself to one or two refills a day, and by combining that with liquid that has less nicotine, you will be well on your way to completely quitting.
Finally, once you have reached the point of not needing nicotine, you can continue to vape by using a zero-nicotine vape. Nicotine isn’t the only reason people smoke or vape; it is often one of, or a combination of, wanting nicotine and needing something to do with their hands or mouth.
A zero-nicotine vape will give you all the sensations of smoking but without the nicotine and will help you not relapse.
Setting a smoking timer can also help lessen your cravings, as smoking, whether it be cigarettes or a vape, is often a mindless activity for smokers. This means that you aren’t paying attention to just how much you are doing it.
If you set a time, you control when you can and can’t smoke, and therefore your body begins to adjust to time without nicotine.
Since mouth feel and “something to do with your hands” are two parts of smoking, replacing those two things with something else can help you not crave nicotine. Gum is one of the best choices and one of the most common.
If the gum isn’t enough, you can combine it with a fidget toy of some kind that will keep your hands and mind busy, especially when a craving hits.
Many smokers will have a trigger or two that almost always leads to having a cigarette or using their vape. This can be anything from finishing a meeting to having your morning coffee or stepping outside after dinner.
While you can’t avoid all of these smoking triggers, it is a great idea to start developing alternative habits. Do something different after your work meeting, like going for a walk, and break the habit you have created with nicotine.
Building on the previous point, it would also be a good idea to change your habits. Once again, instead of having a morning coffee, have a cup of tea or a bottle of water. This will trick your brain into thinking you aren’t doing the thing that leads to smoking.
You can do this with any habit, too. As long as you change the time of when you do the thing or change what you are doing completely, you will slowly fall out of the habit of needing to smoke or vape.
There is a ton of stress associated with smoking and vaping, whether that be the stress to ingest nicotine or the stress caused by not being able to smoke. To fight this, you need to find a way to deal with the stress.
A stress ball is a good choice, but an even better option is exercise. Whether it is wearing yourself out at the gym, or going for a walk, physical activity is a brilliant way to reduce that stress.
Finally, you need to be patient. This isn’t a process that can happen over a couple of days; it can take you weeks, even a few months, to totally wean yourself off of nicotine. Because of this, don’t force yourself to rush.
Cold turkey sounds like a great idea, but more often than not, you end up caving as the shock to your system is too much to handle. Instead, but slow and consistently, if you follow the tips and tricks above, it is inevitable that you will stop needing nicotine. It isn’t easy, but it is possible with patience and determination.
Think about subscribing for free weekly tools here.
No SPAM, ever! Read the Privacy Policy for more information.
