How Daily Rewards Can Help You Quit Smoking

How Daily Rewards Can Help You Quit Smoking Addiction Nicotine Use How to Quit Smoking Print How Daily Rewards Can Help You Quit Smoking for Good By Terry Martin facebook twitter Terry Martin quit smoking after 26 years and is now an advocate for those seeking freedom from nicotine addiction. Learn about our editorial policy Terry Martin Updated on July 13, 2018 Morsa Images / Digital Vision / Getty Images More in Addiction Nicotine Use How to Quit Smoking After You Quit Nicotine Withdrawal Smoking-Related Diseases The Inside of Cigarettes Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Coping and Recovery For most of us, the early days of smoking cessation involve quite a bit of  work. Nicotine withdrawal and the associations we have between the activities in our lives and cigarettes can be consuming. Thoughts of smoking are incessant and uncomfortable. We wonder if well ever be free of the urge to smoke or doomed to be forever enslaved  to  nicotine addiction. While this phase of recovery is challenging, the good news is that the discomforts are all temporary. Better days are ahead, as long as you find ways to manage nicotine withdrawal successfully. As smokers, we all know how big a deal it is to not smoke for an entire day. So, early on, its important to celebrate each and every smoke-free day we complete. Doing this achieves  more than positive reinforcement, although that certainly plays a part. Lets take a closer look. Life is hectic enough as it is without the additional tension that smoking cessation throws into the mix. Daily rewards  help us in a few important ways. Daily Rewards Can Reduce Stress While its true that smoking cessation will eventually help us to live a less stressed life, initially, quitting tobacco tends to increase stress. Learning to navigate the day without smoke breaks is hard. We have leaned on cigarettes for everything from waking up in the morning to relaxing after a meal and dealing with anger. Now we have to learn to manage the activities in our lives without smoking, and we feel the tension that creates. At the end of each smoke-free day, choose rewards that help release the stress of the day and recharge your batteries for the day ahead.  Think time alone with a good book and a cup of tea, devoting an hour to a favorite hobby, a long soaking bath or going for a walk on the beach with the dog. Activities like this can work wonders for rejuvenating body, mind, and soul. Daily Rewards Provide a Replacement for the Instant Reward of Nicotine Smoking gives us an instant hit of nicotine, causing a release of dopamine in our brains. Dopamine makes us feel good, and researchers believe that its this chemical reaction is why some drugs are addictive. Over time, we come to expect this little feel good hit numerous times a day.  Its called instant gratification, and when we quit, we miss it.  Giving ourselves a small daily reward helps to relieve some of those pleasure hits we miss.  While its not an instant reward were receiving multiple times a day, it does give us positive feedback on a daily basis.  Its also training us to wait for rewards in a gradual way. Daily Rewards Motivate Us We all need to hear that were doing well and that the task were working so hard to accomplish is worth it.  It inspires us to keep going until weve overcome the temptation to smoke. For most of us, that takes a year of smoke-free living, but dont worry.  The angst of nicotine withdrawal fades and with every passing month, we are stronger and more motivated to make the change a permanent one. Healthier ... Wealthier, Too Speaking of rewards, lets not forget the money saved when we quit smoking. With cigarette prices reaching upwards of $10 to $15 per pack here in the United States, the money adds up quickly. Why not collect the cash you would have spent on cigarettes in a jar and use it every so often to reward yourself with something special? Monthly smoke-free milestones are a great time to splurge on yourself. Save up for a trip or some other luxury when you reach a year smoke-free. Think about it: a pack a day smoker will save $ 3650 in one year at $10 per pack. You deserve to have  tangible rewards that were purchased with cigarette moneyâ€"and think what powerful motivators they are. Final Thoughts Make a list of simple rewards that you can use to help motivate you, along with some ideas for special rewards for bigger non-smoking milestones. Feed your health and well-being with a daily reward that has meaning for you, and keep your quit program at the top of your priority list for as long as it takes. Its worth the work, and easier to accomplish with a few well-deserved rewards sprinkled in along the way.