postheadericon Preparing to Quit Smoking Washington DC

By National Cancer Institute

Just thinking about quitting may make you anxious. But your chances will be better if you get ready first. Quitting works best when you’re prepared. Before you quit, START by taking these five important steps:

S = Set a quit date.
T = Tell family, friends, and coworkers that you plan to quit.
A = Anticipate and plan for the challenges you’ll face while quitting.
R = Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car, and work.
T = Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit.

Set a Quit Date

Pick a date within the next 2 weeks to quit. That gives you enough time to get ready. But it’s not so long that you will lose your drive to quit.

Think about choosing a special day:

  • Your birthday or wedding anniversary
  • New Year’s Day
  • Independence Day
  • World No Tobacco Day (May 31)
  • The Great American Smokeout (the third Thursday of each November)

If you smoke at work, quit on the weekend or during a day off. That way you’ll already be cigarette-free when you return.

Tell Others your Plan to Quit

Quitting smoking is easier with the support of others. Tell your family, friends, and coworkers that you plan to quit. Tell them how they can help you.

Some people like to have friends ask how things are going. Others find it nosy. Tell the people you care about exactly how they can help. Here are some ideas:

  • Ask everyone to understand your change in mood. Remind them that this won’t last long. (The worst will be over within two weeks.) Tell them this: “The longer I go without cigarettes, the sooner I’ll be my old self.”
  • Does someone close to you smoke? Ask them to quit with you, or at least not to smoke around you.
  • Do you take any medicines? Tell your doctor and pharmacist you are quitting. Nicotine changes how some drugs work. You may need to change your prescriptions after you quit.
  • Get support from other people. You can try talking with others one-on-one or in a group. You can also get support on the phone. You can even try an Internet chat room. This kind of support helps smokers quit. The more support you get, the better. But even a little can help.

Anticipate and Plan for the Challenges You’ll Face While Quitting

Expecting challenges is an important part of getting ready to quit.

Most people who go back to smoking do it within three months. Your first three months may be hard. You may be more tempted when you are stressed or feeling down. It’s hard to be ready for these times before they happen. But it helps to know when you need a cigarette most.

Look over your Craving Journal (PDF). See when you may be tempted to smoke. Plan for how to deal with the urge before it hits.

You should also expect feelings of withdrawal. Withdrawal is the discomfort of giving up nicotine. It is your body’s way of telling you it’s learning to be smoke-free. These feeling…

Incoming search terms for the article:

Similar articles

  • Free Quit Smoking Action Plan
    Planning to Quit Smoking Having followed the tips so far (see how to quit smoking) you are ready to put together your stop smoking action plan. You should now have five statements, numbered 1 to 5, which form the backbone of the personal action plan you will follow to quit. You did make notes, didn’t ...
  • Lasers for Smoking Cessation: Choose from 4 Quit Smoking Laser
    Quit for Good Tips: Choosing to quit smoking and become an ex-smoker is a powerful act. Smokers should commit to quitting by setting a quit date and clearly identifying their reasons for quitting. Create a plan. Give yourself at least 5 days to “get ready” to quit. Your plan should include: 1. Cold laser therapy ...
  • The Maine Tobacco HelpLine – Quit Support for Smokers
    The Maine Tobacco HelpLine Support Leads to Success To be able to call someone if I feel like I need to have a chew is great… – Tony, age 30, Pittsfield One of the hardest things to do is to quit using tobacco. Quitting is a process and sometimes it takes more than one ...
  • UPMC Health Plan
    HEALTH Ready to Quit Tobacco? We’re ready to help! The right mix of support, planning, and possibly medication can help you quit for good, no matter how many times you’ve tried to quit in the past. Call UPMC Health Plan’s MyHealth Ready to Quit Line to learn about the support services offered by tobacco treatment ...
  • Smoking cessation: Creating a quit-smoking plan
    Smoking cessation: Creating a quit-smoking plan Create a quit-smoking plan to help you quit smoking for good. A quit-smoking plan gives you the tools to cope with hurdles you may face as you quit smoking. By Mayo Clinic staff If you’re like many smokers and tobacco users, you know you should quit — you just ...

Leave a Reply

Recent Search Terms
female hypnotist, quit smoking tod lynnwood, regression hypnotherapy randal churchill pdf, regression hypnotherapy randal churchill pdf, snore guard mouthpiece, snore guard mouthpiece, snore guard mouthpiece, snore guard mouthpiece, snore guard mouthpiece, group hypnosis moorestown 888-865-1870, accredited hypnotherapy john morgan, accredited hypnotherapy john morgan, hypnosis weight loss seminar, hypnosis weight loss seminar, hypnosis weight loss seminar, local indianapolis hotel hypnosis weight loss seminar, world renowned hypnotist on long island, bryan lee curtis warning, erotic mind control weight loss mp3, erotic mind control weight loss mp3, erotic mind control weight loss mp3, telepathy influence, telepathy influence, side effects from smoking, side effects from smoking, side effects from smoking, side effects from smoking, side effects from smoking, age regression past life regression, age regression past life regression, quite smoking laser therapy ocala florida, female hypnotist, snoring mouthpiece, snoring mouthpiece, snoring mouthpiece, conquer your fears, anti snore mouthpiece, anti snore mouthpiece, hypnosis therapist to quit smoking around cincinnati ohio, hypnosis therapist to quit smoking around cincinnati ohio, hypnosis therapist to quit smoking around cincinnati ohio, group hyspnosis seminar nj, group hyspnosis seminar nj, smoking cessation poems, smoking cessation poems, powerfull female hypnotists on l i, powerfull female hypnotists on l i, brian alman ph d greater san diego area, female hypnotist, female hypnotist, celpa clinic fraud, snoring guard mouthpiece, snoring guard mouthpiece, snoring guard mouthpiece, cold laser education, night mouth guard for snoring, night mouth guard for snoring, night mouth guard for snoring, night mouth guard for snoring, session outline for smoking cessation hypnotherapy, session outline for smoking cessation hypnotherapy, hypnotherapy sessions on smoking, remotely influence a specific person to love you, cancer caused by dipping, new anti smoking commercials, new anti-smoking commercials, hypnotize female, snoring mouth guard, snoring mouth guard, hypnotherapy beach deepener, hypnotherapy beach deepener, hypnotherapy beach deepener, side effects from smoking, side effects from smoking, side effects from smoking, robert gorayab hyp, side effects smoking, side effects smoking, stop123 hypnosis refund i paid by cash, riverhealingbirth com, smoking weed, albanian public health strategy on anti- tobacco campaign, maternal smoking an learning disabilities, learning disabilities when mother smoke, female hypnotists, smoking cessation by hypnotherapy athens greece, richard bandler and keith livingston, richard bandler and keith livingston, smoking cessation ericksonian session study case, laser acupuncture smoking in pa, great smokeout subliminal, subliminal messagess hypnotherapy for surgery healing, selfhypnosis for healthcare providers, james middleton hpp hypnosis cd, women hypnotists, hypnotherapy deepener free screed, hypnotherapy deepener free screed, hypnotherapy deepener free screed, teen smoking, snoring mouth guard, alpha laser institute farmington hills smoking cessation, smoking hypnosis bedford indiana, how to beat edginess when quitting smoking, hypnotized woman, women hypnotist, hypnotherapy for wealth in chicago, woman hypnotist, woman hypnotist, snore guard, snore guard, woman fun hypnotist nj, woman stage hypnotist in nj, 92101 quit smoking lasertherapy llt, kangen water pasadena ca, quitting marijuana, quitting marijuana, wellplex clinic in wichita, affect bridge free script, info about how smoking affects your lungs, female hypnotherap, female hypnotherap, marx@marxhowell com, steve g jones, steve g jones, vadk nlp, vadk nlp, telepathic hypnosis cds and dvds, remote influence with chi, remote influence with chi, telepathic hypnosis cds and dvds, telepathic hypnosis cds and dvds, mouth guards for sleeping, mouth guards for sleeping, hypnotherapy on smoking cessation does it work, hypnotherapy on smoking cessation does it work, persuasive essay about smoking in public places, woman hypnosis trance, woman hypnosis trance, best ways to make confusion for induction, best ways to make confusion for induction, why smoke marijuana, examples of nlp language to help smoking cessation, acupuncture for smoking kalispell mt 59901, upmc health plan smoking cessation, giving up smoking, woman hypnotist, woman hypnotist, effect of smoking marijuana, effect of smoking marijuana, gorayeb cds quit smoking, gorayeb cds quit smoking, gorayeb cds quit smoking, copenhagen chewing tobacco, sean marsee