So you’ve made the decision to quit. Congratulations! Now you’ll need a few tried-and-true ways to change your bad habit — whether it’s problem drinking, eating or smoking — and stick with it.
5 Tips for Kicking Bad Habits
To end any bad habit, it's important to inform others that you plan to change. Publicizing your quit date — especially to a large audience like on Twitter or Facebook — makes it embarrassing to back down. Going public also tells your drinking buddies or other compatriots in vice that you are serious, and that they shouldn't pressure you into unhealthy behavior. "You want to have at least one person whom you know, if you call that that person, will tell you, 'Don't smoke,'" says Christopher Kahler, professor of community health at Brown University. "Particularly if you are going out to parties and family events, if you have somebody who knows what your intention is, that's a very important thing." Next: As Your Doctor About Quit Drugs SPECIAL REPORT: See Healthland's Full Guide to Life in 2011
