The American Cancer Society has prepared an excellent set of tips to help you stop smoking. Here's a quick summary:
- Talk to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about which medicines are right for you.
- Write down your reasons for wanting to quit; keep the list with you for extra motivation.
- Throw away all of your cigarettes and ashtrays.
- Substitute the activities you do while smoking with other habits.
- Set a quit date and plan ahead to help deal with cravings.
- Tell your family, friends, and co-workers about your plans to quit.
- Have alternatives to smoking available, such as peppermints, carrot sticks, toothpicks, or cinnamon sticks.
- Stay busy.
- Avoid situations that always trigger an urge to smoke.
- Call your American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 for more information, ideas, and resources.
I would add to this list a psychological tool many of my friends have used to successfully quit. Rather than tell yourself that you are stopping smoking, tell yourself that you are a non-smoker. As long as you continue to think of yourself as a smoker, you are giving yourself leeway to cheat a smoke.
