Let's be honest. After years of nicotine addiction, quitting smoking isn't easy. Thankfully, it doesn't have to apply to you, as by putting the right tips into place, you can easily quit smoking.

Wondering how to go about it? Here is how to quit smoking easily:

Don't Over-rely On Nicotine Replacement Therapy

It's foolish to quit smoking cold turkey, as it's a matter of days before you fall off the wagon and go out looking for the stick.

Nicotine replacement therapy is meant to bridge the gap and ensure that you get your nicotine fix without smoking cigarettes.

You can use plenty of nicotine replacement therapy products, such as gum, patch, tobacco-less nicotine pouch, and many others.

As long as you are using the right product and following the guidance given by a tobacco specialist, it's a matter of months before you fight the addiction and live a nicotine-free life.

While nicotine replacement products are meant to help you quit smoking, and you are supposed to use them for a couple of months, so you have an easy time transitioning from a smoker to a non-smoker, some people use them as a replacement for cigarettes for years. Others even never quit them.

This is wrong, and you shouldn't use them this way as they end up being too expensive and beat the reason for taking them.

One of the primary reasons some people end up using them for too long is that they don't gradually reduce the nicotine they take, so they stay in the loop for years, well past the recommended maximum usage time.

To have an easy time quitting smoking and the replacement products, work closely with your doctor and develop a plan on how to reduce your dependency on these products without triggering cravings slowly.

When you have been an addict for a long time, it's common to have urges, and you may want to take as much nicotine as possible and keep taking the pouches or patches for as long as possible, but don't.

The best way to reduce your intake of these replacement products is to create distractions. If you are at home and are bored and all you feel is popping a nicotine pouch, distract your mind with something else. For example, you can take a glass of water instead of a nicotine pouch.

Avoid Smokers

You will definitely have a hard time quitting smoking if you continue hanging out with friends who smoke. So, the first thing to do for you to have an easy transition is to cut off smokers from your life.

If they are your workmates and you can't avoid them, avoid hanging out with them during a coffee break, at lunch, when going home, or at any other time when they are likely to smoke.

The purpose of doing this is to reduce the triggers that might take you back to smoking. If your friends are still smoking, they won't give you the desperately needed push and inspiration.

To have an easier time, find new friends who don't smoke and expose you to the smoke you are trying to avoid. It will even be better to hang around people who have successfully quit smoking.

Avoid your smoking friends the same way you should avoid parties and other situations where you are likely to come across cigarettes and alcohol.

Have An Accountability Team

Due to ignorance, pride, or both, most smokers try to kick the smoking habit on their own, which is often a challenge.

To have an easy time, you should have an accountability team that not only encourages you to proceed with the quest but also gives you the fire to quit smoking, as you don't want to be labeled as a loser after everyone else has kicked the habit.

You must be wondering where you can find the accountability team, right? Well, there are plenty of places to find one. One of these places is from a counseling group.

Besides taking the nicotine replacement products, it's always recommended that you undergo behavioral counseling, a comprehensive approach meant to help and fasten your transition to a non-smoker.

Studies show that when you undergo behavioral counseling, you are two times more likely to remain tobacco-free than someone that attempts to go at it without the interventions of a counselor.

During the counseling meetings, find like-minded people you can walk the journey with. You can also ask your counselor to recommend a few people to add to your team.

Don't Have "Just One"

If you have tried quitting drugs, alcohol, or anything, you must be aware of the "just one" myth. Here the person looking to kick a habit will look for justifications to break down and have "just one" beer, cigarette, or other things.

In most cases, the "just one" cigarette or beer leads to a relapse, and you find yourself in the same place you were before you made the quitting decision. This is because you cannot stop the vice once you take "just one."

So, to avoid falling into the trap, avoid convincing yourself that you should take "just one" cigarette, as you don't need it.

Even if you have serious cravings, avoid them and instead find distractions that will take your mind away from the cigarette.

Conclusion

It's possible to quit smoking easily, but you need to be strategic about how you go about it. It's okay to use nicotine replacement therapy to help you quit smoking, but you shouldn't be over-reliant on it.

It's always wise and easy to walk as a team, so build a support team around you that you can be accountable to.

Finally, avoid having "just one" cigarette as chances are high you will go back to extensive smoking. Fight the urges by engaging in other activities that take your mind away from the cravings.

Thankfully, cravings last 5-10 minutes, so if you are keen on them, you will easily fight them and live the nicotine-free lifestyle you have always dreamt about.