Juggling your personal and professional lives can be challenging enough. When you throw children into the mix, it can become even more so. As a result of this challenge, parents often develop ways of coping with the stress of parenthood which can develop into lifelong habits over time.
One of the most popular ways to relieve stress is smoking cigarettes. The nicotine inside causes the brain to release a chemical called dopamine, which can make the person smoking feel sensations of pleasure and relaxation. Over time your body starts to crave these sensations, and since negative emotions or moods can be a prime trigger for smokers, it can cause a vicious cycle. Although bad moods and stress are standard, whether a new parent or a seasoned one, too much negativity can hinder your chances of quitting and keeping you and your children smoke-free.
Especially since the children of smokers are four times as likely to take up the habit, parents must resolve to quit smoking to set a good example for their children. Understandably, this can be challenging, which is why we’ve listed several helpful ways that parents can quit cigarettes for good below:
Experiment With Cigarette Replacement Products
If parents want to quit smoking, you can find many treatments over the counter at shops, pharmacies, and on prescription to help ease cigarette cravings and reduce withdrawal symptoms. There are so many cigarette replacement products on the market nowadays, with more being developed as of this writing, that it can be challenging to know what to try first.
The best cigarette replacement product will significantly depend on your personal preference, medical history, age, and whether you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Some of the most common cigarette replacement products used among smokers are nicotine replacement therapy, medication like Bupropion, and e-cigarettes.
Over the last several years, the latter option has become quite a popular smoking cessation aid in the UK. Available in different flavours, puff capacity, strength etc., e-cigarettes or vapes like Elf Bars are considered safer to smoke and can even help smokers quit.
Learn more about e-cigarettes by visiting independent vape stores like Grey Haze, where you can browse a range of elf bar flavours, read reviews, look at how-to guides, and compare Elf Bars and other brands of e-cigs. Consider visiting their website or following their blog to find out the latest elf bar vape flavour and other vaping-related news today to discover how they could help you quit for good.
Keep Cravings At Bay
Another way parents can endeavour to quit cigarettes for good is by keeping their craving for nicotine at bay by avoiding triggers. Naturally, your urge to smoke will increase when you’re in a place where you’ve smoked before, surrounded by family or friends who smoke, or feeling negative emotions.
The key to avoiding these cravings is to recognise what triggers your urge to smoke and create a plan to prevent them or experience them without resorting to lighting a cigarette. Additionally, try to avoid the ‘one more can’t hurt’ mentality, as undoubtedly, one more will turn into several more, and you’ll only set yourself up for failure.
Avoid setting yourself up for failure within the first few weeks, where the temptation to relapse is the strongest. For instance, if you’re friend invites you out to a bar one night when you don’t have the kids, you could consider declining their offer of the bar and inviting them back to your place for a couple of drinks instead, as you won’t be around other smokers so the cravings will be easier to suppress.
Try Other Methods Of Relaxation
For many parents, smoking is the number one way of winding down and relaxing after a day of changing dirty nappies, calming squabbling children, and watching the same Disney movie on repeat for the last ten hours. When you lean on a crutch, it can be challenging to fight back against these negative feelings once it’s gone.
Therefore, parents must find other ways to relax. Although it might not make the screaming child in your living room go away, it will give you a mental break from the feelings you’re experiencing and help you come back with a new outlook. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can practice relaxation, from surrounding yourself with nature to focusing on breathing techniques.
Once you’ve found a method that works for you, you will find that you can manage your negative emotions much more quickly and are more prepared for when they strike out of nowhere. Participating in stress-relieving activities such as exercise classes, arts and crafts, or even speaking to a therapist can make parents feel more human. This often disappears when we have children, so participating in activities that help us rediscover our humanity can help combat stress overall.