How to Quit
Congratulations on deciding to quit smoking! Here are some steps we think you'll find helpful during your quit.
First –
Want to Quit
Gut check - knowing you truly want to quit next week, month, or year is your launchpad to becoming smoke–free.Prepare for the Journey
Quitting smoking is a big change and preparing for it will raise your chances of a positive journey, lessen the impact of the negative experiences, and bring you to success.Set your quit date
Consider a quit day within the next week or two so you have time to prepare. Try to avoid holidays or dates when you may be more prone to stress.Medications: Talk to your health care provider
Medications can double your chances of quit success. If you tried them before, try them again. Medications may be used incorrectly or without dealing with the other bonds to tobacco-like behaviors and feelings. This makes medications less effective. Talk with your healthcare provider about quitting smoking, and before starting new medications.Learn more about medications
Prepare to deal with triggers and urges
Triggers can be daily routines, events or activities, and good and bad feelings. Do you smoke when you drink coffee, drive, talk on the phone, or when you feel stressed? That’s a trigger.You can learn to manage your urges and triggers by changing the way you go about your daily activities. Try drinking coffee where you can’t smoke, driving a different route or car-pooling with nonsmokers, talking on your phone in a public space, or taking deep breaths when you're stressed.
Urges to smoke are the reason people go back to smoking. Urges come and go and are mostly caused by triggers.
Feeling a craving? Try the 5Ds
- Delay
- a minute or two and the urge will pass
- Drink water
- to fight off cravings
- Do something else.
- Distract yourself... walk, call a friend, clean a closet
- Deep breathe
- It will relax you. Close your eyes and take 10 slow, deep breaths
- Discuss
- your thoughts and feelings with someone close to you
Practice makes perfect
Practice mini-quits – rehearsals that help you build confidence and skills before your quit date.Cut down Gradually cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke per day. Delay your first cigarette of the day. One day Quit for the day.
Plan ahead for social situations and support
Get familiar with the idea of being a nonsmoker and try to avoid situations where smoking is present, at least until you are a confident nonsmoker. Think about what you want to say to someone who offers you a cigarette, or invites you on a cigarette break. Try saying “No thank you, I quit smoking”.How to be around other smokers
Get support!
Having support when you are trying to quit has been shown to increase a person’s chances of success. Seek out individuals that you know support your effort to quit. Quit with a friend or talk with a Quit Coach through your CDPHP® Smoke–Free™ program!Throw out all your tobacco
Get ready for your quit day and throw out all tobacco-related products like packs, ashtrays, and lighters.Build your quit kit
When you feel a craving come along, reach for your quit kit – not a cigarette! For your kit, try healthy or low-sugar snacks like licorice, dried fruit like raisins, fruit chips, sunflower or pumpkin seeds can calm feelings of hunger and offer a low-calorie snack. Activities like word puzzles or a stress ball can provide distraction during cravings. And for hand-to-mouth cravings, straws, flavored toothpicks, stirring sticks, or cinnamon sticks can provide hand to mouth craving relief – chew on these when you feel a craving coming on.
Having a tough time quitting?
Worried about weight gain?
Quitting smoking means a healthier you. Maintain your weight while quitting.
Slip-ups are normal
The most important thing to do? Learn from them and keep trying.
Chronic conditions, quitting helps
If you have heart disease, high blood pressure, emphysema, or other ailments, learn more about how quitting smoking can make a difference.
