Now, why should you listen to my Mom when she gives you advice on how to quit smoking? Because she used to smoke a pack and a half a day for years – and then one day quit cold turkey and hasn’t had a puff since. The day she quit was in 1967 – 40 years ago. She’s lived on both sides of the coin, knowing what a smoker (and non-smoker) has to go through. If you are serious about wanting to quit smoking, listen up.

Go Cold Turkey

Mom advises that all those who really want to quit smoking should not bother with medicines or patches and just stop cold turkey. This is, granted, an incredible shock to the system, so expect to have to stay home from work a couple of days. Mom was a homemaker in 1967, so she was able to easily schedule a few days off. But Mom says going cold turkey will let you know right away the worst the cravings can get and help you get over them faster.

Keep Your Hands Busy

One of the pleasures of smoking is that it gives you a pleasurable activity for your hands. Your hands will grab for things and become very restless after you quit smoking. She took up knitting when she went cold turkey, which kept her well occupied and, because of the repetitive nature of knitting, went into a soothing, almost meditative state. So, if you can’t knit, do something to keep your hands busy, whether it’s with cooking, doing woodwork or solving crossword puzzles.

Eat Lots Of Celery

Mom missed having the cigarette in her mouth, so she compensated by eating lots of crunchy celery. She really enjoyed the crunch. But she knows that not everyone likes celery. Since your mouth will want to be busy, try sucking on sugarless candies or chewing gum. Just eat something to soothe the need to stick something in your mouth.  You will be prone to weight gain, so try to pick low calorie munchies.

Keep Your Inspiration Close

One of the reasons Mom went cold turkey was because of the man who lived across the street. This man was dying from emphesema. Every morning, he’d unhook himself from his oxygen tank, crawl outside, smoke, and then crawl back in the house to hook himself to the oxygen tank again. Watching this horrible ritual every day helped give Mom the inspiration to quit smoking once and for all.