So you want to quit smoking?

Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for your health.

Well, what do you do now?

Here are some steps that may help.

Set up a plan for quitting:

· make a list of your reasons for wanting to quit

· identify your barriers to quitting—decide now how you will deal with these

· identify your “smoking triggers,” and plan how you will deal with them

· ask your family and friends to help you quit

· set a quit date—avoid times that may be more stressful or when you cannot avoid being around people smoking, such as holidays

· ask your physician about medication or nicotine replacement

· look for a support group

Quitting:

People who use a withdrawal schedule are more likely to succeed at quitting than people who go “cold turkey.” Your physician can help you determine the best schedule for you, but these are the basic steps.

1) Calculate your amount of time between cigarettes by dividing the number of minutes you are awake by the number of cigarettes you smoke per day.

2) Based on this, set up “smoking appointments” when you will have a cigarette. If you miss the appointment, skip that cigarette.

3) Each week, your schedule should be lengthened to allow 1/3 fewer cigarettes.

4) Quit after the 4th week.

Staying Smoke-Free:

After you quit, getting through the first couple of weeks will be difficult.

Support from family and friends will be especially important. If you think about having a cigarette, look at your list of reasons to quit and your plan of how to deal with your personal triggers.

If you return to smoking, do not get discouraged.

It doesn’t mean that you can’t quit. Many people take a few attempts to quit before they succeed. Before trying again, try to figure out what caused you to slip and incorporate this into your next plan.

As always, please feel free to contact us for any information or if you need our help.

We want you to succeed quit smoking!