How to QuitPractice makes perfect
What will it take for me to quit smoking?
Most smokers try to quit multiple times and in many different ways before quitting successfully. Chances are you've tried to quit before, and you know it can be tough to stay motivated.Before you get started
Know
Know your reasons for wanting to quit. Think of them during tough times.Prepare
Planning builds confidence and helps to manage your triggers.Understand
Understand that quitting is a process. Don’t be tough on yourself. If you slip, get right back on track.Consider medications
Stop-smoking medications, when used correctly, can boost your chances of quitting successfully by curbing nicotine cravings during your quit.Combination nicotine replacement therapy, or combination therapy, combines the patch and gum or lozenge for long and short-acting relief from cigarette cravings. This can be especially helpful for heavy smokers (20 or more cigarettes per day).
Learn more
Tried medications before? Talk with your healthcare provider to be sure you have the right dosage, duration of use, and medication type for you.
Find your support
Tell your healthcare provider you're thinking about quitting.
Ask for support, like stop-smoking medications to help stop cravings and relieve withdrawal symptoms. Your health provider can prescribe medications that are best for you.
Find those family members and friends who will support your quit efforts. Ask them to be there when you need someone to talk to or help you through a tough situation that might bring you back to smoking.
Talk with a Quit Coach now or request to be called for support, a plan to quit, and strategies to stay quit.
Find those family members and friends who will support your quit efforts. Ask them to be there when you need someone to talk to or help you through a tough situation that might bring you back to smoking.
Talk with a Quit Coach now or request to be called for support, a plan to quit, and strategies to stay quit.
Consider a quit date
When you are ready, try to choose a quit date within the next two weeks, this will give you time to prepare.
Write down your quit date or set it in your calendar to help strengthen your commitment to quit.
Know your reasons to quit. This will help to keep you motivated.
Ask yourself,
“Do I want to quit to…”
improve my health
be around for my family members and loved-ones
save money
look, feel, and smell better?
Carry your reason with you or a picture of those you are quitting for to keep you going during tough times.
Practice
Cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke per day gradually.
Cut out the easiest cigarettes first, then move to the ones that are harder to let go of in your
daily routine.
Try quitting for half a day, then a day, then two days.
For each practice, think about what you learned, what worked, what didn’t work, and
what you can do differently.
Managing triggers and urges
There are two types of triggers: habit and emotional. These may include daily routines, events, activities, or feelings. To learn what your triggers are, try tracking when you smoke and how you feel when you do. Do you smoke when you feel stressed or excited? When you drink alcohol or coffee?Once you know your triggers, you can plan ways to manage them. Change some of the ways you go about your daily routines – here are some tips to help you manage different triggers.
Urges come and go, and typically last five minutes. Hold off smoking during those five minutes, and those urges will go away.
Ask others not to smoke around you and not to smoke in your living space and car.
Reframe how you think about smoking
Breaking free from cigarettes can bring on feelings of loss, like losing a “friend.” Working on how you think about smoking
can be very helpful.
Begin to think of yourself as a nonsmoker, look at other nonsmokers, and picture yourself as one of them. When you begin to have feelings about what you miss about smoking, stop and list all the benefits you are getting by quitting, and remember the reasons you wanted to quit in the first place.
Begin to think of yourself as a nonsmoker, look at other nonsmokers, and picture yourself as one of them. When you begin to have feelings about what you miss about smoking, stop and list all the benefits you are getting by quitting, and remember the reasons you wanted to quit in the first place.
Reach for a quit kit
Be prepared for cravings with your quit kit. Start by trying any of the following, and find what works for you.
Snacks –
licorice, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds can calm feelings of hunger and offer a low-calorie snack
Activities –
word puzzles or a stress ball can provide distraction during cravings
Cravings –
toothpicks, stir sticks, straws, or cinnamon sticks can provide craving relief.
Chew or hold these in your mouth when you feel a craving.
Opportunities to learn, slips and relapse
Slips are part of the quitting process. A slip can be having a puff or one or two cigarettes after you quit.
Be easy on yourself. This is a brief setback – get right back on track.
A relapse is going back to smoking regularly – this happens when you give in to a slip.
Learn more
A relapse is going back to smoking regularly – this happens when you give in to a slip.
Learn more
Last updated 2/22/2021 3:41 PM
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