Tools for Quitting
There are many tools that you can use when you quit smoking. You can start by cutting down, or practicing mini quits. You can use medication or other alternatives. And play games to distract you from smoking or use the four d's to get you through a craving.
Alternatives to Lighting Up
Active responses: Other things you can do
- Leave the situation that is causing you to feel like you need a cigarette.
- Drink water or choose another non-alcoholic decaffeinated drink.
- Get involved in a sport or activity or something else that's fun.
- Take several deep, slow breaths.
- Find something to keep your hands busy.
- Reach for the non-smoking medication given to you by your doctor or pharmacist.
- Call or talk to a friend who will listen.
Internal responses: Other things you can think
- Think about the good things of your new non-smoking lifestyle.
- Think about the bad things of your old smoking lifestyle.
- Take a minute to think to yourself: "I can stop myself right now"
- In your head, review the reasons you decided to become smoke-free
- Distract yourself with happy thoughts.
- Tell yourself you only need to take one day of not smoking at a time.
- Think about how hard it is to stop-and then think about the good progress you've already made.
Cutting Down
Cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day little by little can help reduce how strong the withdrawal symptoms and cravings are. It can also help you figure out which approach to handle the urge to smoke works for you and which does not.
Cutting down works for some smokers and not others-some smokers have an easier time cutting out cigarettes all together at one time, rather than cutting down. If you have made previous quit attempts, think about how well the attempts worked and see if you can figure out if you are a smoker that should cut down or cut out cigarettes.
Some smokers are really good at slowly cutting back but then hang on tightly to those last couple of cigarettes. Often they will inhale deeper, and hold the smoke in their lungs longer - this way of smoking increases the amount of nicotine smokers take in with one breath and also increases the amount of harmful chemicals they're breathing in.
Smokers who reduce the number of cigarettes to a few cigarettes a day can fall into another trap by thinking their smoking is no longer a big problem. This thinking is dangerous for two reasons: smoking only a few cigarettes is still bad for your health. There is no safe amount you can smoke! Also smokers who cling to a couple of cigarettes very often end up going back to the same large amount they used to smoke before trying to cut back.
If you want to use the "cutting back" method, slowly decrease the amount of cigarettes you smoke until you cut back to about one third of what you used to smoke a day, and then put the cigarettes away for good.
Games
Medications to Help you Stop Smoking
Medications that help you quit smoking are NOT miracle drugs (no matter what the drug companies say), and most smokers will need to make a few quit attempts before they quit smoking for good.
Using these medications can really increase your chances of being successful. They can help you even more if you combine them with some sort of support, like the QuitPack program.
There are two kinds of drugs that help people quit smoking. Some drugs (like the nicotine patch, Zyban, and Champix) are "controlling agents" - they help calm your brain chemistry, which will lessen the withdrawal symptoms and cravings; they may also make smoking less enjoyable.
Other drugs (like nicotine gum, inhaler, and lozenges) are "rescue agents"-they can help you at the very moment you are feeling strong cravings and urges.
You may want to use one or both kinds of medication to help you-speak to your doctor or a pharmacist about what drug or combination of drugs is best for you.
Not everyone needs to use medication to stop smoking. How much you smoke, how badly you need the nicotine, , and how your attempts to quit smoking before have worked out, will help you and your doctor or pharmacist decide if these medications are right for you.
Like other medications, drugs that help you to quit smoking are most effective and may have fewer side effects when used as told by your doctor or pharmacist. The next section will explain the most important steps when using this type of medication to make the most of your chances of success.
Practising "Mini-Quits"
A "mini-quit" is a planned and mindful decision to not smoke for some period of time.
Every smoker has had practice runs of going without cigarettes. If you have gone to the movies, taken a plane or bus ride, sat in the waiting room of your doctor's office or health centre, or visited your children's school, you already have experience with mini-quits. Any place in which smoking is not allowed forces you to do a mini-quit. If you want to get ready for becoming smoke-free, it's a good idea to plan mini-quits as test runs. Practising mini-quits can help you learn how to control your urges, build confidence that you can become smoke free, and experience some victories .
How can you plan a mini-quit?Start by having the first cigarette of the day at a later time, deciding not to smoke between lunch and dinner, or make your last cigarette of the day the one you have with dinner. Look over your smoking logs-begin by cutting out the cigarettes that you have rated "1"-these are the ones you didn't really need and then work your way up to eliminating a cigarette you've rated "5"-these are the ones you absolutely had to have.
Start off slowly, set small goals that you feel you will be able to stick to, and build on your successes.
Practising mini-quits will give you the chance to try out different ways of handling the urge to have a cigarette.
On the Road to Quitting
Becoming smoke-free is a process that takes several steps and begins long before you actually stop lighting cigarettes. This Road Map is a tool that can help you learn about the quit process, stay focused, and keep track of your progress.
[ PDF Version ]
Smokers Log
The Smoker's Log is a tool to help you become more alert to what triggers your urge to light up.
For a week or so, track every cigarette you smoke and note the place, people and mood you were in as you reached for the cigarette. On a scale from 1 to 5, rate how much you needed that particular cigarette (1 means you didn't really need it, and 5 means you absolutely had to have it).
Some people have found it helpful to also write down the reasons why they needed to smoke a cigarette at that particular time.
Over the course of the week, you may begin to see patterns in your smoking. You'll become more aware of what's going on when you smoke, and you'll learn what situations, moods, people and activities are most likely to trigger the urge to light up
[ PDF Version ]
The Four 'D's
Use the four 'D's to cope with cigarette cravings:
Drink plenty of water, from six to eight glasses a day
Delay for five to seven minutes until the urge is gone
Do something else to keep your mind and hands busy
Deep breathing helps relax and calm the urge
