On World  No Tobacco Day, May 31 2016, some inputs by Dr Salik Raza,  Chest Specialist , Park Group of Hospitals

1. Decide to Quit Smoking – Successful quitting can be done by planning and commitment and not by luck. To quit smoke you need to pick the date and mark it on your calendar. Tell friends and family about your Quit Day. Get rid of all the cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and at work. Don't forget to consult your doctor for the same in case of depending on drugs to quit smoke.
2. Stock up - These oral substitutes can be very supportive — sugarless gum, carrot sticks hard candy, cinnamon sticks, coffee stirrers, straws, and/or toothpicks.
3. Set up a support system - This could be a group program or a friend or family member who has successfully quit and is willing to help you. Ask family and friends who still smoke not to smoke around you, and not to leave cigarettes out where you can see them. Practice saying, “No thank you, I don’t smoke.”
4. Keep active — Try walking, exercising, or doing other activities or hobbies which you love to do.   Think about how you can change your routine.  Use a different route to go to work, avoid situations where the urge to smoke is strong. Spending more time with loved ones can be motivating.
5. Mind your Intake - Drink lots of water and juices. Begin using nicotine replacement if that is your choice. Drink tea instead of coffee. Eat breakfast in a different place or eat different foods. Drink less alcohol or avoid it completely.  Drinking orange juice apart from other fruits such as lemons and pomegranates can provide your body with adequate levels of Vitamin C, which can help you kick the habit faster.
6. Keep it on Priority - Vegetables such as celery, carrots, spinach, cucumber, zucchini and egg. Keep plant leaves in your mouth for a bitter taste, which helps to reduce your dependence on nicotine.  Milk and dairy products has an added advantage which prevents one from enjoying a cigarette, as it leaves a horrible taste in your mouth which will make you want to put out your cigarette.
7. Small but powerful - Licking a little salt with the tip of your tongue or eating something salty will stop the craving that one will have for a smoke. Herbs like Ginseng not only helps you when it comes to weight loss but it also helps to quit smoking. It should be used only3-4 times in a month.

8. Alert- Foods such as peas and corn should be avoided as this will stimulate one’s desire to smoke again. If you are smoking for very long, then it becomes linked with a lot of the things you do like waking up in the morning, eating, reading, watching TV, and drinking coffee. It will take time to “de-link” smoking from these activities. This is why, even if you are using a nicotine replacement, you may still have strong urges to smoke.