How To Quit Smoking

Set a dated goal to quit, create your plan to quit from below, and take action on it. Success. Good luck, you can do it.

You may think that willpower is all it takes to quit smoking. But the truth is that it takes much more. It also takes planning, support, coping, and changes to your daily routine. If you are really concerned about withdrawal, you may want to consider using medication such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy to help manage your symptoms. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

There are three main steps in getting ready to quit: You will need to prepare yourself, set a quit date, and get support. You should prepare yourself to quit at least a week before the date you expect to quit smoking.

How to Prepare Yourself to Quit

Decide positively that you want to quit

Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be.

List all the reasons why you want to quit

Every night before going to bed, repeat one of the reasons 10 times.

List the pros and cons of smoking

Focus on the pros; they will be your reward for going through with your plan.

You can create a "Survival Kit" to help you, once you decide to quit

In the “Survival Kit”:

Place the name of someone who has agreed to be your “Quit Smoking Buddy.” A good choice would be someone who was once a smoker and successfully quit. Pick someone you can talk to or call when the cravings become unbearable, someone who will be understanding, but firm.

Include a list of things you can use as substitutes for the pleasures of smoking for the first several weeks of nonsmoking. For example, oral satisfaction can be derived from chewing gum, chewing on toothpicks, munching carrot or celery sticks, or chewing and/or puffing on a straw. These substitutes won’t replace nicotine but can help keep you focused.

Keep your hands busy with finger puzzles, pencils, or rubber bands

Print out the Smoker's Recovery Plan to record information for your survival kit. Print several copies and paste them around your house and carry one with you.

Remove triggers to smoke

The times, places, and situations that give you the urge to smoke are called triggers. You should start changing things in your daily routine that trigger your urge to smoke. Look at the following list of typical triggers. Do any of them ring a bell with you?

Typical triggers:

Working under pressure

Feeling blue

Talking on the telephone

Having a drink

Watching television

Driving your car

Finishing a meal

Playing cards

Drinking coffee

Watching someone else smoke

These triggers can be anticipated and avoided. Here are some things you might try to avoid them.

Tips to avoid triggers:

Keep your hands busy; doodle, knit, type a letter.

Avoid people who smoke; spend more time with nonsmoking friends.

Find activities that make smoking difficult (gardening, washing the car, taking a shower). Exercise to help knock out that urge; it will help you to feel and look good as well.

Put something other than a cigarette in your mouth. Chew sugarless gum or nibble on a carrot or celery stick.

Avoid places where smoking is permitted. Sit in the nonsmoking section of restaurants, trains, and planes.

Reduce your consumption of alcohol, which often stimulates the desire to smoke. Try to have no more than one or two drinks at a party. Better yet, have a glass of juice, soda, or mineral water.

Develop strong personal reasons to stop smoking.

Develop these reasons in addition to your health and obligations to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting for a light, etc. Think of the money you waste.

Begin to condition yourself physically

Start a modest exercise program; drink more fluids; get plenty of rest; and avoid fatigue.

Set a target date for quitting

A target date for quitting can be a special day such as your birthday, your anniversary, or the Great American Smokeout. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation so that you're already committed to quitting when you return. Make the date sacred, and don't let anything change it. This will make it easy for you to keep track of the day you became a nonsmoker and to celebrate that date every year.

Get support

Bet a friend you can quit on your target date. Put your cigarette money aside for every day, and forfeit it if you smoke. (But if you do smoke, DON'T GIVE UP. Simply strengthen your resolve and try again.) Ask your spouse or a friend to quit with you. Tell your family and friends that you're quitting and when. They can be an important source of support, both before and after you quit.

Choose a smoking buddy (or several buddies)

Who would be good support for you while you quit smoking? Write down the name (names) and how to contact your buddy. Print out the Smoker's Recovery Plan to write down your buddy’s contact information as well as the reasons you want to quit. Keep it with you for the times when you are tempted.

Aids to Quit Smoking

Quitting isn't easy, but it can be done. For most people, the best way to quit is some combination of medicine, a method to change personal habits and emotional support. Here is a review of quit-smoking aids.

Nicotine patches

These patches provide a measured dose of nicotine through the skin. As the nicotine doses are lowered by switching patches over a course of weeks, the tobacco user is weaned off nicotine.

Patches can be purchased without a prescription. Several types and different strengths are available.

Nicotine gum

Nicotine gum is a fast-acting form of replacement. It's available without a prescription and comes in 2 mg. and 4 mg strengths. Chew the gum slowly until you notice a peppery taste. Then, place it against your cheek, chewing it and placing it next to your cheek off and on for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Nicotine nasal spray

Prescription nasal spray delivers nicotine quickly to the blood stream. The spray immediately relieves withdrawal symptoms and offers a sense of control over nicotine cravings. Because it is easy to use, most smokers report great satisfaction.

Nicotine inhalers

The prescription nicotine inhaler is a plastic tube with a nicotine cartridge inside. When you puff on the inhaler, the cartridge provides a nicotine vapor. A nicotine inhaler is the closest thing to smoking a cigareete.

Nicotine lozenges

Nicotine lozenges are available in two strengths, 2 mg and 4 mg. Smokers determine which dose to take based on how long after waking up they normally have their first cigarette.

Zyban

This prescription antidepressant comes in an extended-release form that reduces symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. It can be used alone or together with nicotine replacement.

Chantix

An average of better than one in five smokers who used Chantix quit smoking during six clinical trials involving more than 3,600 chronic cigarette users. Participants had averaged 21 cigarettes daily for 25 years. People who used Chantix were more successful in kicking the habit than those who used Zyban, the agency added.

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