Tag: Urge

How to Help an Alcoholic Stop Drinking

If the person that you live with wants to stop drinking, you have to help as well. When an alcoholic wants to stop, you have to give up a few things that you may enjoy. The person will need your support when they are trying to stop the drinking and change. This is not easy for the person to do and you have to be the strong one again. You have to offer encouragement and not offer judgment. Judging the alcoholic that is asking for help is not going to work. You have to offer compassion and support. They are not just doing this for themselves. They are doing it for you as well.

Talk with them about what they are doing. This should be done when they are not drinking. You can calmly explain how the drinking is affecting the family. You can tell them how it has affected your children and your own feelings. In most cases, the alcoholic does not even realize what he or she has done to the family. They never take the time to see how their drinking affects anyone. All they know is that they were doing what they wanted to do.

Make sure that the person knows that you will stand by them through this time. This is probably one of the hardest things to do, but if you care about this person, you have to stand by them and offer any support that you can. If they join AA and continue to attend meetings, the 12-step program could bring up some bad memories that you do not want to hear, but you must listen and forgive or at least try. This is the hardest part of the 12-step program. It can bring back some horrible memories that could be very upsetting.

Offer to stop drinking in front of them if you drink. This is important until the alcoholic feels comfortable with what they are accomplishing. If the person is trying to refrain from drinking and attending meetings, you do not want to be drinking in front of him or her. You have to make some changes as well. You cannot sit and drink even a few cocktails in front of them because the urge to drink for them will be strong until they learn how to control those urges. They may have an urge and slip, but you could offer help there as well.

Offer to be with them whenever they feel a need to drink. If they feel the urge to drink coming, you can be there for the person. Make the thoughts and urges go away by offering to go for a walk or to take a ride. If you have never had an addiction, you cannot for a minute understand how the person feels inside. It is hard to control the urge if the person has been drinking for so long. Do something or go to a diner for a few coffees and just talk.

When the person wants to drink, think of something else the two of you could do instead. This is the best thing you could do for someone that wants to quit drinking, but is have problems with it. You have to be strong and offer to listen or just sit and hold their hand. You have to be supportive and do whatever you can to make sure that they have another option to drinking. It is not easy to overcome an addiction, but with your support and the help of a group or treatment, they can succeed.

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Stop Smoking: A Friends Reminder

Smoking may lead to an addiction; one thing that is very difficult to keep away from your system. Quitting smoking is a very hard process; thus, if your friend is on the process of doing so he will need all your support to do it. Be supportive and encourage him to defeat his urge to smoke. Be there with him as he tries to stop smoking.

Proper Encouragement

As a friend, your encouragement is your best contribution to your friend’s rehabilitation. Remember, with the right words said at the right time, you are able to push your friend to reach his goal. But, how can you really give encouragement without sounding too much of a nagger?

Encouragement follows after a person finally decides to quit smoking. Once he has the determination to quit, you step in to give him words of encouragement so that he will not lose his focus. This is the time when you have to let your friend feel that you are with him throughout this process and that you will stay beside him until he finally reaches his goal. Sometimes, words are not necessary anymore your acts alone may be enough as encouragement.

You also have to remind yourself of the difficulty of the process that your friend is going through. This reminder will let you understand your friend more, and the better you understand his situation, the more helpful you can be. There may be times when your friend may not stop himself from puffing another stick, but you should not use this against him. Instead of criticizing his mistakes, try to remind him of his progress and steer him away from the said errors. You should not dwell on his mistakes, but on how he was able to correct such afterwards.

And though after quitting, addictive substances such as nicotine and tobacco still remain present within the system of someone who has recently stopped smoking. This is what causes relapse. Thus, the process still continues even after a long time, and you should continue to encourage for as long as your friends battle with smoking continues.

Process of Quitting

People have their own ways of quitting. Some say that it is better to quit all at once; however, there are still others who believe that it should be done slowly but surely. Slowly quitting would mean that nicotine exposure would be decreased moderately by consuming lesser cigarettes each day.

Really, it does not matter how one chooses to proceed with quitting. Whatever method he chooses, you should always be ready to give him the encouragement he needs. To do so, here are some things that may help you give confidence to your friend who needs to stop smoking:

1. When you talk about progress, stay positive and inspiring by pointing out the instances when he has really surpassed a trial.
2. Talk about his slip ups but refrain from dwelling on the matter.
3. You should support whatever quitting technique he may have chosen.
4. Help him avoid situations which may trigger his desire for smoking again.
5. Continue to be a friend!

You do not need to be licensed counselor to give good encouragement. All you need to be is to be loyal and one who cares for a friend. Just stay with them, back them up and make them feel that they are not alone in their attempt to stop smoking.

Ready to Stop Smoking: How to Deal with Habit Cravings

Ready to Stop Smoking: How to Deal with Habit Cravings

Many smokers have been smoking cigarettes for the past years, or even decade. Smoking has become a part of their everyday routine, from the moment they get up from their bed in the mornings up to the time that lie down again for a goodnight sleep. Just imagine how difficult it would be for them to stop smoking, a long-time habit in their routine, when they have been doing it for quite some time already. This is the reason why when they decide to quit smoking, they still have some cravings from time to time; and at times give in to the urge.

Usually, smokers have really allotted a portion of their time for smoking alone. And even without time, they can multi-task and perform their other jobs while they puff a stick. Just a few minutes is what they need to be able to finish one cigarette, and they can make sure that they have just the time to do so.

Smokers can use all the excuses they can get just to be able to puff a cigarette. You may see some people driving their cars with one hand holding a stick while the other holds the wheel. There are also times when you see a smoker light up a cigarette after a stressful event. When people are having fun, dancing in the clubs, drinking alcohol, they too smoke. And the most common time when people smoke is right after a satisfying meal. When they are too full to do other things, they smoke because they feel that it helps them digest whatever they have eaten.

People who smoke can do so every time they feel like doing so. They may bring up excuses like stress, boredom, peer pressure or just the usual its a part of me excuse. The bottom line is that they have these urges and cravings which they feel should be satisfied right then and there. Smoking must have really been a part of their life.

But, if smoking is really a part of your life now, how would you handle these things when you have finally decided to stop smoking? The act of quitting alone is a difficult task, but the part where you have to eliminate a practice from your usual routine is a lot more difficult. However, if you are really determined to live a healthier non-smoking life, you will have a way to do so.

You may try to do other things in substitute for smoking. Some people who have tried quitting may recommend you to chew a gum instead of lighting a cigarette. The important thing is that you have something to keep your mind off the idea that you are craving for a stick. You may try munching and chomping on unsalted sunflower seeds, or you may also try going for a walk when you feel like smoking. As you fight the urge to smoke, you will realize that It will become less harder for you to refrain from smoking the next time your cravings kick in. Trying to stop smoking is not an easy thing to do, but with the right motivations and with sufficient support from others, you can reach your goal and have a healthier lifestyle.

How to Stop Your Cravings When You Stop Smoking

The attempt to stop smoking is a very difficult endeavor. It entails will power and determination just to be able to control the cravings that may accompany the withdrawal stage. See, as a smoker tries to cleanse his body from the nicotine that he consumes, the body would continue to look for nicotine for it to be able to function properly. This craving will urge the smoker to just continue smoking so that his body needs can be satisfied. This is where his focus and strength of mind should come in. He needs to fight off the urge in order for him to start a non-smoking life.

Some smokers who are on the process of quitting resort to drugs to assist them during the withdrawal stage. Several medicines that are publicized by media are offered to the public to help defeat the urge to smoke; and they are designed to give pleasure to the brain in the same way the nicotine affects the brain. Because of these drugs, the smokers will feel exactly the same feeling as if they had just finished a stick; so as a result, there is really no need for the smokers to actually puff a cigarette.

Despite the help that you may get from drugs, you still have to put in mind that you still need to exert effort in order for you to successfully overcome the temptation to smoke. Be reminded that the first few days of your renunciation would really be the toughest, so you should be prepared to face the difficulty. To be able to do so, you should try your hardest to stay away from things which might remind you of smoking.

For instance, you may want to avoid places where you may encounter a lot of smokers, because you might be tempted to join their fun. For some people, they try to replace a cigarette with healthier foods life cinnamon sticks or celery just to satisfy the need to have something pressed between their lips; and if it is your hands which crave for something to hold on to, try to replace the cigarette stick with a pencil or anything which may take its place. If you are the kind of person who associates smoking with drinking, then you may want to avoid drinking alcohol as well. Keep your mind of the idea of smoking, and keep yourself busy so that you would forget the temptation to smoke.

If despite all your efforts to avoid smoking, you are still craving for a puff, you may want to try these few tricks just to satisfy your longing:
Light a matchstick instead of a cigarette, and pretend that it is a cigarette stick that you are holding. This trick may cheat your brain, and it may gratify your urge if it does not, you can always treat yourself with a refreshing bath. Think of why you are quitting, and stay focused. Remind yourself of your objectives, and constantly repeat to yourself that you are strong enough to win this battle against smoking. Do not think that a single stick will have no effect on your struggle to stop, otherwise you might start from the very beginning again. And, do not be afraid to ask for your familys and friends support, because in your journey to stop smoking, you need a strong support system.