There are many health benefits of stopping smoking, but to be successful in stopping smoking for good, it helps to have a plan of action in place. There is plenty of help available to prepare smokers for quitting cigarettes, which when combined with support from friends and family and a bit of determination and strategy, can result in a successful adjustment to a healthier smoke-free lifestyle without the chemicals in cigarettes.
Pick a Date to Stop Smoking
Decide on a date when no more cigarettes will be smoked, perhaps two to four weeks ahead. Giving up smoking is difficult, so try ensure this date does not fall during a time of stressful life events; it will only make the task in hand more difficult. Some smokers find it useful to gradually cut down the number of cigarettes smoked daily in the weeks preceding stopping smoking completely.
The night before the ‘stop smoking’ date, prepare to remove all cigarettes and smoking accessories such as ashtrays and lighters from the home, work place, car, and anywhere else that is necessary. Discourage other smokers from smoking in these places; make them go outside and out of the way.
What Triggers the Urge to Smoke?
In the days leading up to the chosen day to stop smoking, consider the situations that trigger the urge to smoke. Make a note of when and where each cigarette is smoked. Identify the recurring patterns that lead to lighting up a cigarette, and think about strategies for dealing with these circumstances.
For example, the urge to smoke may be triggered by feelings of stress, hunger or boredom, when drinking tea, coffee or alcohol, after finishing a meal, during social activities, when watching television, or when arising in the morning. Try to think of activities to do at these times which will provide a distraction from the thought of cigarettes.
For the first few weeks of abstaining from smoking it may be helpful to avoid situations that make it tempting to have a cigarette, such as pubs, clubs and parties. Plan to try other leisure activities that are not associated with smoking, such as going to the cinema or bowling, or taking up a new hobby. Physical exercise is very effective in reducing stress and helping to control weight gain that may occur in the initial stages of giving up smoking, so consider cycling, swimming, walking or yoga, or joining a health club.
Get Help to Quit Smoking
Although it is possible to stop smoking using willpower alone, many smokers find it very difficult to give up cigarettes without additional help. In the days between making the decision to stop smoking and actually stopping, do some research into the quit smoking aids that are available. Nicotine patches, gum, tablets, inhalators and nasal sprays are very effective in helping with symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and can greatly increase the chances of stopping smoking successfully.
Doctors, pharmacists, stop smoking centres, smokers’ help lines, smokers’ self-help groups, websites and website forums can all offer suitable advice about planning to quit smoking, and will also be able to provide follow up support in case nicotine cravings become very difficult to deal with.
Although it may be difficult to completely avoid being in the company of other people who smoke, tell friends, family and work colleagues about the decision to stop smoking and ask for their support. If they do smoke, ask them to keep their cigarettes to themselves.
As an added incentive to stop smoking, plan to put the money saved from buying cigarettes to one side, and use it to buy a special treat.
For advice about how to help others quit smoking, read How to Help Someone Quit Smoking.
Resources:
- GASP. "Easier Ways to Quit." 2001.
- NHS. "Smoking: Giving up for Life." 2000.
Sharon Kirby - Sharon is a freelance health writer and contributes to various print and online publications. Writing credits include Nursing Times, Good ...
