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Congratulations! The most important step to quitting for good is the will to do so!
Follow this step by step program to escape the bondage of tobacco! Quitting is not easy for most people. Here you'll find ideas that have worked for many people. Your friends at the Lung Association support you. Good Luck!
You may find it useful to print out each page as you go through the weeks of this program.
Preparing to Quit
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Know what makes you want to smoke. Various situations can trigger your impulse to reach for a cigarette. A few of them may be:
- After a meal
- Anger
- Boredom
- Break/End of a work day
- Drinking coffee
- Driving
- Facing a family crisis
- Gaining weight
- Getting off or waiting for a bus or plane
- Having a drink with friends
- Meeting new people
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- Reading the newspaper
- Seeing cigarette ads
- Stress
- Taking a work break
- Talking on the telephone
- Watching someone else smoke
- Watching TV
- Working under pressure
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Your "smoking behavior" has become so deeply rooted in your day-to-day activities that you may be unconscious of the habit of reaching for a cigarette. To give up smoking, you have to unlearn these habits by recognizing the triggers. What are some of your smoking triggers?
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Action List
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 Pick a date for quitting completely (about 2 weeks from now). Pick an easy day, a time of fairly low stress (i.e. not the day of a big exam, evaluation at work). Circle that day on your calendar; putting it in writing makes it more official.
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Make an appointment to have your teeth cleaned on your quit day, if possible.
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Eliminate smoking completely in two or three high risk situations or reduce your consumption.
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Make Smoking Difficult:
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Change your smoking routine.
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Change to a less desirable brand of cigarettes.
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Only buy one pack at a time.
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Discard your lighter; use matches.
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Carry your cigarettes in a different place.
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Wrap your carton with an elastic band.
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Smoke with the opposite hand.
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Hide all your smoking paraphernalia.
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Inhale less of each cigarette and smoke less of each cigarette.
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Delay in lighting up.
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Cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke in a day.
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Get A Support System:
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Persuade your spouse or a friend to give up smoking with you and support each other.
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Tell your family and friends that you are stopping smoking and you will need as much support as possible. Discuss with your family what gets on your nerves and ways of handling it; write things down. Example: What bothers me is kids playing rock music when I come home from work. Solution: Kids use headphones or don't play music until after dinner. If someone else in the family smokes, ask them to smoke outside. Remember, you want to avoid triggers.
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Ask a buddy to walk through this process with you, someone who is committed to being available for you anytime you need. Your buddy may give up something important to them like drinking pop or coffee, watching TV, or chewing nails. Make a contract or a specific plan with this person. This buddy agreement should include a promise on your part to make a daily check-in by phone or in person. (See the section I'm a Friend of a Smoker).
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