2. After reading this list, sit down and write your own
list,
customized to your personality and way of doing things.
Create
you own plan for quitting.
3. Write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting):
live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell
better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad
about
smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it
on
paper and read it daily.
4. Ask your family and friends to support your decision
to quit.
Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental.
Let
them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable
and
even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.
5. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish
your
cigarettes forever. Write it down. Plan for it. Prepare
your
mind for the "first day of the rest of your life". You might
even hold a small ceremony when you smoke you last cigarette,
or
on the morning of the quit date.
6. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance
from a physician is a proven way to better your chances
to quit.
7. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible
with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body
recover from years of damage from cigarettes. If necessary,
start slow, with a short walk once or twice per day. Build
up to
30 to 40 minutes of rigorous activity, 3 or 4 times per
week.
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.
8. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes.
Breathe
in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a
few
seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth. Try
doing
your breathing with your eyes closed and go to step 9.
9. Visualize your way to becoming a non-smoker. While doing
your
deep breathing in step 8, you can close your eyes and begin
to
imagine yourself as a non-smoker. See yourself enjoying
your
exercise in step 7. See yourself turning down a cigarette
that
someone offers you. See yourself throwing all your cigarettes
away, and winning a gold medal for doing so. Develop your
own
creative visualizations. Visualization works.
10. Cut back on cigarettes gradually (if you cut back gradually,
be sure to set a quit date on which you WILL quit). Ways
to cut
back gradually include: plan how many cigarettes you will
smoke
each day until your quit date, making the number you smoke
smaller each day; buy only one pack at a time; change brands
so
you don't enjoy smoking as much; give your cigarettes to
someone
else, so that you have to ask for them each time you want
to
smoke.
11. Quit smoking "cold turkey". Many smokers find that
the only
way they can truly quit once and for all is to just quit
abruptly without trying to slowly taper off. Find the method
that works best for you: gradually quitting or cold turkey.
If
one way doesn't work do the other.
12. Find another smoker who is trying to quit, and help
each
other with positive words and by lending an ear when quitting
becomes difficult. Visit this Bulletin Board and this Chat
Room
to find a "quit buddy."
13. Have your teeth cleaned. Enjoy the way your teeth look
and
feel and plan to keep them that way.
14. After you quit, plan to celebrate the milestones in
your
journey to becoming a non-smoker. After two weeks of being
smoke-free, see a movie. After a month, go to a fancy restaurant
(be sure to sit in the non-smoking section). After three
months,
go for a long weekend to a favorite get-away. After six
months,
buy yourself something frivolous. After a year, have a party
for
yourself. Invite your family and friends to your "birthday"
party and celebrate your new chance at a long, healthy life.
15. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway,
and most
people don't get enough. It will help flush the nicotine
and
other chemicals out of your body, plus it can help reduce
cravings by fulfilling the "oral desires" that you may have.
16. Learn what triggers your desire for a cigarette, such
as
stress, the end of a meal, arrival at work, entering a bar,
etc.
Avoid these triggers or if that's impossible, plan alternative
ways to deal with the triggers.
17. Find something to hold in your hand and mouth, to replace
cigarettes. Consider drinking straws or you might try an
artificial cigarette called E-Z Quit found here:
http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezquit.htm
18. Write yourself an inspirational song or poem about
quitting,
cigarettes, and what it means to you to quit. Read it daily.
19. Keep a picture of your family or someone very important
to
you with you at all times. On a piece of paper, write the
words
"I'm quitting for myself and for you (or "them")". Tape
your
written message to the picture. Whenever you have the urge
to
smoke, look at the picture and read the message.
20. Whenever you have a craving for a cigarette, instead
of
lighting up, write down your feelings or whatever is on
your
mind. Keep this "journal" with you at all times.
Good luck in your efforts to quit smoking. It's worth it!
Now, go do it!
