Ready to Quit Smoking? Get Your Home Ready, Too

​Smoking kills nearly one person every minute, so if you’ve decided to quit, you've made a great decision. The next step is essential: make sure everything around you is part of the quitting process. Immediately after quitting, you can burn candles to help get rid of the cigarette smell, and rid your home of loose butts and ash trays. But there are also ways you can make your home your own personal quitting assistant.

Rearrange Everything for Smoke-Free Living

As soon as you stop smoking, you start to feel the health benefits. To keep them coming, you’re going to want to completely transform your former smoking areas. Move the furniture around in places you used to smoke. Better yet, if possible, remove anything you used to use to sit on when you went for a smoke. This will convert the space into a smoking-intolerant haven. In those same spaces, you can put up visual representations of your various reasons for quitting: photos of loved ones, pictures of things you could do before you started smoking, anything that will serve as motivation.

Make a Whole New Smoke-Free Space

Smoking used to take up time, and that time is going to have to occupied with some new, positive activities. When that has to be accomplished at home, you’ll need a space in which to read, paint, draw, sew, write or do whatever else that will keep your mind focused on recovery. Grab some paint swatches and go to work. Dedicate the space completely to your new, healthy lifestyle. Move things around, buy some new furniture, grab some cool art for the walls—have fun with it! This is your chance for a great new start.

Craving-Killing Accoutrements 

Go out and grab anything you need to help you overcome cravings. Then put them anywhere and everywhere feasible. Some may have to be limited to the kitchen such as carrots, celery sticks, fruits and other healthy snacks you can reach for and grab quickly. But other items such as sugar-free gum or sweets can be strategically placed virtually anywhere. The same goes for games and puzzles of various sorts. Put them on the tops of end tables or coffee tables, or even underneath a favourite lounger or sofa.

Things to Replace

There may be some items that are so strongly linked to your old habit that you have little choice but to completely replace them. One example would be your pillow. The aroma of the cigarette smoke will be so deeply inside your pillow’s fibres, it may be impossible to get them out. The same could be true for your old lounger if you used to smoke in it. While you can keep the actual bones of the chair, it may have to be completely reupholstered. It may feel drastic, but this could be just what you need to make this decision a permanent one.

If you’ve decided to quit smoking, congratulations. You’re on your way to a healthier, happier life, and you deserve praise for your courage. With a few adjustments, your home can be more than just a place of peace, but a perfect quitting partner.