A to Z of Stopping Smoking

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a specific form of therapy which helps you recognise negative beliefs and thinking and helps you to change them. Unlike some other forms of therapy it isabout dealing with current problems rather than focussing on the past.

There are many useful books on CBT, teaching techniques which can be applied across various areas of your life. Here are a couple of useful ideas you might want to try. 1. Change the way you think about your cravings. Perhaps you consider feeling the urge to smoke a weakness, and that makes you feel even worse, which means you reach for a cigarette. Instead, remind yourself that cravings are a sign that you are succeeding in not smoking. Each time you successfully fight off your urges to smoke you are getting closer to a time when you won't crave cigarettes at all. 2. Reward yourself. Often we punish ourselves when we make a mistake and take our successes for granted. CBT encourages you to remember the many times you have succeeded instead of focussing on our mistakes. So if you do succumb to a craving and smoke a cigarette, instead of beating yourself up, remind yourself of all the times you resisted your urges to smoke, and use that to encourage your next attempt.