I am en ex-smoker of over 15 years. By the time I was ready to quit I was smoking an upwards of a pack and a half every day and I was still one of those people who showed little to no signs of the negative health impacts of being a smoker. In August of 2011 I got congested and a week later I was unable to breathe. That was the last week I smoked – and I owe the success of my quit to my loved ones and to herbal tea.
Before I tell you the 5 ways that herbal tea can help you quit smoking, I want to drive something home. I was a heavy, extremely addicted smoker. I used cigarettes to mask anxiety and worry, and I felt horrible when I didn’t smoke. I absolutely believed that I needed cigarettes to get through my day and to handle my life. I was definitely not one of those smokers who could just quit cold turkey or only light up when things got tough. Smoking was the first thing I did in the morning and last thing I did at night – no exaggeration. I smoked so heavily and was so addicted and habituated that even when I was unable to breathe I had people in my life convinced that I would be the last person who could every quit. But I did!
My Quit Date: August 17, 2011
Here are the 5 ways that I let herbal tea help me quit. There are hundreds more reasons and benefits, but these stand out time and time again as I watch others around me allow natural plant medicine to help them overcome the addiction, the habit, and the crutch that cigarettes are.
1. Change Is Essential
It may seem small, but the moment you decide to start sipping a tea that helps you with your addiction and habit, things change instantly. You send a message to your mind that it’s time to get better, and you take actual action towards a really healthy change. When you do this, even if it’s as simple as buying a box of
Quit Tea
2. Asking For Help Is Powerful
Sometimes the most wise and powerful thing we can do is ask for help. And who better to get help from than Mother nature Herself? The herbs that we work with when overcoming the smoking addiction and habit come from the same Earth that gives us life-sustaining food and water every day. The plants are wise, and when we choose to let them help us, amazing things can happen. Remember that in its pure form tobacco is also a plant, so using plants to help heal an imbalanced relationship with it just makes sense! When we ask for help by letting the herbs in, we are acknowledging that we are serious about getting better.
3. Our Bodies Love Herbs
Plants are extremely gentle and easy for our bodies to work with. Unlike synthesized chemicals or complex medications, the body looks at plant materials and recognizes them as food. The active chemicals in most medicinal herbs are super easy for the body to digest and use, and they often come with no harmful side effects. In fact, there are herbs that seem to be custom-made to help just about every angle of the quit smoking process!
Peppermint, Mullein, and Plantain
4. Herbal Tea Changes The Mind
How we think is an essential ingredient in how we live. When we take time to do self care and brew up medicinal herbal tea throughout the day instead of smoke, we start making new beliefs in our minds about our worth, our ability, and our health. No matter what you think on a conscious level, every cigarette you smoke reinforces a subconscious belief that you don’t deserve any better and that it’s fair to poison yourself. You know smoking is bad for you, and just because you don’t think about it every time you smoke doesn’t mean some part of your mind doesn’t keep track of what you’re really saying to yourself. Choosing healing herbal tea to help quit smoking instead of lighting up a cigarette sends a new positive message to your mind that you deserve the best and that you can get it. It’s an active meditation and an affirmation of the highest degree!
5. It works.
Having the help, support, changes, and positive energy that herbal tea offers is one of the most effective ways to help make this quit last forever. For me, having herbal tea to turn to throughout the day filled in the blanks when I didn’t have someone to talk to and vent to. It also gave me something proactive to do when cravings hit. It’s amazing how meditative and calming it can be to watch the water come to a boil, get your mug and tea ready, and enjoy the aromas and colors as your tea steeps. The amazing thing is that while you’re living in the moment and enjoying your tea making process, you aren’t smoking! Every cup of healing herbal tea reroutes your life to a new direction that’s healthier, happier, and more free.
If you’re ready to start your quit, or if you need more encouragement from another person who’s been there, done that, and found just how much herbal tea can help you quit smoking, I highly recommend the beautiful post below. It’s a great read and a wonderful place to go in times when you need a little nudge in the right direction or some extra strength.
If nothing else, I hope that this post inspires you to think about letting herbal tea help you with your quit. If you feel inspired, I suggest that you take action right now in this moment. Don’t let it pass! Get some tea right now and celebrate that step. You don’t have to think too far ahead or worry about the details. Just take action and start making those new positive beliefs!
Here’s to a life outside the cloud of smoke…
