Quit Smoking! Six Weeks to Success

The following game plan is based on a smoking quit date three weeks away. If the date you choose is sooner or later, you can adapt the program to suit your own time frame.

Week 1
Take a Look at Your Smoking Habits
Start a smoking diary. Each day, every time you smoke, briefly record

the time.

what you're doing.

why you're using tobacco this time.

how you feel afterward.At the end of each day, review your smoking patterns. What triggers your tobacco use? Is it boredom, anger, fatigue, nervousness, or certain social situations? Look for other ways to cope with these feelings or circumstances.

Week 2
Change Some Habits
Tell friends, family, and co-workers your quit date. Ask them to help. Review your reasons for quitting at least once a day. Change your routines so it's less convenient to smoke:

Buy cigarettes by the pack, not the carton.

Skip the afternoon Coffee break (when you would normally smoke) and go for a walk or drink a glass of juice instead.

If you normally smoke in heavy traffic, stock the car with sugarless gum or hard candy and reach for that instead.

Stay away from smoky environments.

Delay your first smoke of the day. Try to push it an hour later every three or four days.Aim to get your smoking down to less than a pack a day before your quit date. Your doctor might prescribe the antidepressant bupropion to help you accomplish this more easily.Week 3
Start the Countdown!
Remind folks that your quit date is nearly here. Continue to put off your first smoke of the day. Also:

Try going smoke-free for one day.

Remove the lighter from your car.

Confine your smoking to one room.

Hold your cigarette in the other hand.The night before your quit date, soak your remaining cigarettes in water and throw them in the trash. Get rid of all ashtrays, lighters, and matches. Have your nicotine-replacement products or other aids ready. Before bedtime, review your reasons for quitting. Visualize yourself victorious over tobacco, smoke-free, and healthy.

Week 4
Your Quit Date
Take this week one day at a time. When you wake up, reread your reasons for quitting. Repeat to yourself: "I can do anything for one day." Record your feelings in your diary. Use your nicotine replacement or other aid as planned. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks, which can increase your desire for nicotine. Stay away from social situations that may cue your smoking habit.Remember, craving is a normal part of withdrawal. Each craving usually lasts just a few minutes. When you have the urge to smoke, take some deep breaths and then drink a glass of water, or do some jumping jacks. Keep handy a pack of gum, some carrot sticks, or cinnamon sticks to suck on. Your goal today: No tobacco use.

You may feel restless and have trouble concentrating. Hate nicotine for that. If you have trouble sleeping, eat a few spoonfuls of yogurt or drink a glass of warm milk before bed -- they contain chemicals called tryptophans that are soothing and may help you nod off.

Did you make it through the day? If so, great! And tomorrow will be easier. If you didn't, don't feel guilty; it doesn't mean you're a failure. Quitting is a process, not a single event.

Week 5
Hang In There!
Enjoy the sharper sense of smell and taste you've acquired. If nicotine withdrawal still causes sleep problems, try some deep-breathing exercises. When temptation rears its ugly head, go places (like the movies) where you're not allowed to smoke. Get lots of exercise. Use the nicotine-replacement products or prescription drugs. Continue your diary.

Before you go to bed each night, celebrate being free of the nicotine demon that day. When you wake up in the morning, take a deep breath and smell the air. You are already healthier than you were last week.

Week 6
You're Getting There!
Continue with your game plan -- it's working! Consider joining a health club. (Use the money you would have spent on tobacco.) Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Notice the cleaner teeth, healthier skin, brighter hair.

Beware of the subtle opportunities for relapse: an argument with your spouse, heavy traffic, meeting that friend you haven't seen in a while for a drink. Take it one day at a time. At the end of the week, celebrate your success, but keep your guard up. For some people it takes years to lose the craving for nicotine.