Smoking tobacco is both a physical addiction and a psychological habit. The nicotine from cigarettes provides a temporary—and addictive—high.
Eliminating that regular fix of nicotine causes your body to experience physical withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Smoking can also be a way of coping with depression, anxiety, or even boredom. Quitting means finding different, healthier ways to cope with those feelings. Smoking is also ingrained as a daily ritual. It may be an automatic response for you to smoke a cigarette with your morning coffee, while taking a break at work or school, or on your commute home at the end of a hectic day.
But it can be done. While some smokers successfully quit by going cold turkey, most people do better with a tailored plan to keep themselves on track. A good quit plan addresses both the short-term challenge of stopping smoking and the long-term challenge of preventing relapse. It should also be tailored to your specific needs and smoking habits. Take the time to think of what kind of smoker you are, which moments of your life call for a cigarette, and why.
This will help you to identify which tips, techniques, or therapies may be most beneficial for you. Are you a very heavy smoker more than a pack a day? Or are you more of a social smoker? Would a simple nicotine patch do the job? Are there certain activities, places, or people you associate with smoking? Do you feel the need to smoke after every meal or whenever you break for coffee? Or is your cigarette smoking linked to other addictions, such as alcohol or gambling?
Choose a date within the next two weeks, so you have enough time to prepare without losing your motivation to quit. If you mainly smoke at work, quit on the weekend, so you have a few days to adjust to the change. Let your friends and family in on your plan to quit smoking and tell them you need their support and encouragement to stop. Look for a quit buddy who wants to stop smoking as well.
You can help each other get through the rough times. Most people who begin smoking again do so within the first three months. You can help yourself make it through by preparing ahead for common challenges, such as nicotine withdrawal and cigarette cravings. Throw away all of your cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, and matches. Wash your clothes and freshen up anything that smells like smoke. Shampoo your car, clean your drapes and carpet, and steam your furniture. Your doctor can prescribe medication to help with withdrawal symptoms.
One of the best things you can do to help yourself quit is to identify the things that make you want to smoke, including specific situations, activities, feelings, and people. A craving journal can help you zero in on your patterns and triggers. For a week or so leading up to your quit date, keep a log of your smoking. Note the moments in each day when you crave a cigarette:.
Many of us smoke to manage unpleasant feelings such as stress, depression, loneliness, and anxiety. When you have a bad day, it can seem like cigarettes are your only friend. These may include exercising, meditating, relaxation strategies , or simple breathing exercises.
For many people, an important aspect of giving up smoking is to find alternate ways to handle these difficult feelings without turning to cigarettes.
Even when cigarettes are no longer a part of your life, the painful and unpleasant feelings that may have prompted you to smoke in the past will still remain. Many people smoke when they drink. Try switching to non-alcoholic drinks or drink only in places where smoking inside is prohibited.
Alternatively, try snacking on nuts, chewing on a cocktail stick or sucking on a straw. Other smokers. When friends, family, and co-workers smoke around you, it can be doubly difficult to give up or avoid relapse. In your workplace, find non-smokers to have your breaks with or find other things to do, such as taking a walk. End of a meal.
For some smokers, ending a meal means lighting up, and the prospect of giving that up may appear daunting. However, you can try replacing that moment after a meal with something else, such as a piece of fruit, a healthy dessert, a square of chocolate, or a stick of gum. Nicotine withdrawal begins quickly, usually starting within an hour of the last cigarette and peaking two to three days later.
Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks and differ from person to person. They will get better in a few weeks as the toxins are flushed from your body.
It helps to be prepared in advance by having strategies to cope with cravings. Distract yourself. Do the dishes, turn on the TV, take a shower, or call a friend. Remind yourself why you quit. Get out of a tempting situation. If so, a change of scenery can make all the difference. Reward yourself. Reinforce your victories. Whenever you triumph over a craving, give yourself a reward to keep yourself motivated. Find an oral substitute — Keep other things around to pop in your mouth when cravings hit.
Try mints, carrot or celery sticks, gum, or sunflower seeds. Or suck on a drinking straw. Keep your mind busy — Read a book or magazine, listen to some music you love, do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle, or play an online game. Keep your hands busy — Squeeze balls, pencils, or paper clips are good substitutes to satisfy that need for tactile stimulation.
Brush your teeth — The just-brushed, clean feeling can help banish cigarette cravings. A US study revealed that some foods, including meat, make cigarettes more satisfying. Others, including cheese, fruit and vegetables, make cigarettes taste terrible. So swap your usual steak or burger for a veggie pizza instead. You may also want to change your routine at or after mealtimes.
Getting up and doing the dishes straight away or settling down in a room where you don't smoke may help. The same US study as above also looked at drinks. Fizzy drinks, alcohol, cola, tea and coffee all make cigarettes taste better. So when you're out, drink more water and juice. Some people find simply changing their drink for example, switching from wine to a vodka and tomato juice affects their need to reach for a cigarette. And think about this: the combination of smoking and drinking raises your risk of mouth cancer by 38 times.
There's also support available from your local stop smoking service. Did you know that you're up to 4 times more likely to quit successfully with their expert help and advice? A review of scientific studies has proved exercise, even a 5-minute walk or stretch, cuts cravings and may help your brain produce anti-craving chemicals.
Nicotine replacement therapy NRT can double your chances of success. Then it causes depression and fatigue. The depression and fatigue — and the drug withdrawal from nicotine — make people crave another cigarette to perk up again. Some experts think the nicotine in tobacco is as addictive as cocaine or heroin.
But don't be discouraged; millions of people have permanently quit smoking. These tips can help you quit, too:. Put it in writing. People who want to make a change often are more successful when they put their goal in writing. Write down all the reasons why you want to quit smoking, like the money you'll save or the stamina you'll gain for playing sports. Keep that list where you can see it. Add new reasons as you think of them. Get support. People are more likely to succeed at quitting when friends and family help.
If you don't want to tell your family that you smoke, ask friends to help you quit. Consider confiding in a counselor or other adult you trust. If it's hard to find people who support you like if your friends smoke and aren't interested in quitting , join an online or in-person support group.
Set a quit date. Pick a day that you'll stop smoking. Put it on your calendar and tell friends and family if they know that you'll quit on that day. Think of the day as a dividing line between the smoking you and the new, improved nonsmoker you'll become. Throw away your cigarettes — all of your cigarettes. People can't stop smoking with cigarettes around to tempt them. So get rid of everything, including ashtrays, lighters, and, yes, even that pack you stashed away for emergencies.
Wash all your clothes. Get rid of the smell of cigarettes as much as you can by washing all your clothes and having your coats or sweaters dry-cleaned. If you smoked in your car, clean that out, too. Think about your triggers. You're probably aware of the times when you tend to smoke, such as after meals, when you're at your best friend's house, while drinking coffee, or as you're driving. Any situation where it feels automatic to have a cigarette is a trigger. Once you've figured out your triggers, try these tips:.
Expect some physical symptoms.
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