You’ve probably heard of using nicotine gum or a nicotine patch to quit smoking, but some people prefer to use more creative methods for quitting the habit. Maybe you’ve tried all of the traditional methods without success or maybe you just want to stand out from the crowd.
In either case, read on to learn some weird and wacky ways people have quit. You can try them yourself or use them as inspiration for your own unusual technique.
Wager Your Way to Becoming a Nonsmoker
Some people report success with making a bet to quit smoking. If you choose this method, you can decide on the terms of the agreement such as how long you have to quit and the final prize. This can work with another fellow smoker or even a nonsmoker who wants you to have success.
You can also look for competitions, such as one sponsored by the World Health Organization, that rewards quitters with cash prizes.
Pay the Consequences
Have you heard of a jar to help you stop using profanity? You can do the same thing for cigarettes. Every time you smoke a cigarette you can put a dollar into a jar. At the end of the week, the money goes to someone else – it could be your child, your spouse, or a coworker.
Aversion Therapy
There are all kinds of ways you can connect smoking with something you don’t like. For example, some people wear a rubber band on their wrists and snap them every time they crave a cigarette. The idea is that you connect the pain with the craving.
Still others have done things that seem a little more disgusting such as eating a dog biscuit, licking an ashtray, eating your cigarettes or looking at photos of cancerous organs. You can try anything that you think will turn you off.
Chain Smoking Marathon
Have you ever heard of too much of a good thing? Some people choose to smoke and smoke until they just get sick of it. This means blocking off a day so that you can smoke one cigarette after another with no breaks.
You can make the experience even worse by doing it in a closed room that will fill with smoke. For many people this makes smoking a more negative experience and helps make it a bit easier to quit for good.
Find a Clever Substitute
Many people choose to chew gum or eat sunflower seeds to help quit smoking. But you can also find more unusual substitutions such as sucking on a pacifier or tweeting instead of smoking.
