For most smokers, quitting requires more than sheer willpower. In order to maximize your chances of success, you will need to understand how addiction works and which strategies have worked for others. You will then be in a position to create an effective plan to quit smoking. This plan should take into account both the physical and psychological aspects of your addiction to smoking, and should anticipate common difficulties such as periods of intense craving for nicotine.
Step 1
Commit to quitting "cold turkey". The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Reports that cutting down or smoking cigarettes with lower tar and nicotine result in no long-term benefit--you will eventually return to your old smoking habits.
Step 2
List your personal reasons for quitting, advises the American Lung Association. Write these reasons down, copy them, and place copies in prominent places around your home and office--taped to your bathroom mirror, for example. Be sure to choose your real reasons for quitting--it's OK if you are single and more concerned about your attractiveness than you are about getting lung cancer, for example, as long as you are highly motivated to quit.
Step 3
Set a quit date several days to several weeks in advance. If you work during the week, set your quit date on a Saturday to give yourself the opportunity to minimize stress and distractions your first two days.
Step 4
Decide whether or not to use nicotine replacement therapy. Nicotine replacement products include gum, nasal sprays and patches. These products can double your chances of quitting successfully, according to the American Heart Association. Remember that since these products will keep you addicted to nicotine to some degree even after you stop smoking, you will may to undergo milder nicotine withdrawal symptoms at a later date. Consult with your physician for further details. If you decide to use nicotine replacement therapy, decide which product you want to use, purchase it in advance, and begin using it on your quit day.
Step 5
Identify coping strategies in advance that you can use to tide you though a craving, advises the American Lung Association. If you have tried to quit before, identify behaviors that were the most successful. You might try taking a walk, meditating, calling a friend for support, sucking on hard candy, or chewing gum.
Step 6
Write down your entire smoking cessation plan in a small notebook and plan to keep it with you during your first few days as a non-smoker.
