Day 4
“I know the solution. When we have a world of only now with no shadows of yesterdays or clouds of tomorrow, then saying what we can do will work.”
- Goldie Ivener_
The following are some helpful hints that ex-smokers have found useful to fill some of the needs that smoking once did. For example, many smokers feel a sudden loss when they don’t have a cigarette as a prop to keep their hands busy.
- Find other things to do with your hands. Playing with things like string, a click pen, a smooth pebble, paper clips, rubber bands or clay can be helpful.
- Other activities that involve the hands, like crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, pick-up sticks, and playing cards can fill the gap when you seem to have nothing to do.
- If you are in a class and start to feel antsy or irritable, carry a small pad of paper and pencil with you for doodling.
You may feel the need to put something in your mouth to replace the cigarettes.
- You may have found that a plastic straw, swizzle stick or cinnamon stick is a good stand-in.
- Other things that will work are toothpicks, breath sprays, breath mints, lozenges, brushing your teeth often, and cough drops. If you choose chewing gum or hard candy, it is best to buy the sugarless kinds.
These suggestions can help only if you have a few of them handy. Stock up now so that you will have them when you feel the need.