Quit with confidence: How to quit

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On this page

• Building confidence- Overcome concerns about quitting
• Understanding nicotine addiction
• Identifying triggers and developing coping skills
• Coping with cravings
• Managing relationships with people who smoke
• Choose the right quit approach
• Support is available to help you succeed
• Get ready for your quit day
• Save your reflection activity responses

Building confidence - Overcome concerns about quitting

Do you have concerns about whether you can or will quit? This is completely normal. Quitting smoking is a big change in your life. You may feel that you are walking away from something that has been a part of your life for a long time, something that you may enjoy or have come to depend on.

It is important to reflect on your concerns and plan to deal with them in a positive way.

Remember, quitting is not one big challenge - it is a series of small ones. Take it one minute, one hour and one day at a time. Small changes can lead to big transformations - like quitting for good!

Reflection Activity

Use the space below to write down your concerns about quitting and how you plan to manage them. 'If-then' statements can help you do this. Repeat these statements to yourself and imagine acting them out.

Review the examples above and use this template to write your own statements:

Understanding nicotine addiction

Every cigarette contains tobacco, and tobacco includes a variety of different chemicals and tar. Cigarettes also contain nicotine; an addictive chemical found naturally in tobacco. On its own, nicotine does not cause cancer, heart disease, or respiratory disease – it is the other chemicals in tobacco smoke that do this.

Nicotine can cause physical dependence and addiction. Nicotine enters your bloodstream, and quickly goes to your brain, causing a release of chemicals that can make you feel temporarily energized, happy, alert, or calm. ^{Endnote 1} Soon after smoking, the level of nicotine in your system starts to decrease and your brain and body begin to crave it. You may begin to feel uncomfortable or irritable if you try to resist smoking.^{Endnote 2 Endnote 3 Endnote 4} This is nicotine withdrawal. When you smoke your next cigarette, your nicotine levels increase again temporarily relieving the cravings and withdrawal symptoms you are feeling.

While you may feel like smoking helps to relieve your stress, it is simply relieving the physical and mental stress associated with your nicotine addiction (i.e., cravings and discomfort from withdrawal), which gives a powerful illusion of stress relief. Over time, your body will need more and more nicotine to get that short burst of energy and calming feeling. ^{Endnote 1} This creates a cycle of use.

When you reduce the number of cigarettes that you smoke each day, your brain will get used to having less nicotine in your body. ^{Endnote 2} You may get cravings to smoke, but if you resist and delay smoking the craving will only last a few minutes. Over time, the cravings will become fewer, shorter, and weaker. Before you smoke, ask yourself these questions:

• Can I go without this cigarette?
• Do I even really want to smoke?
• Can I wait or do something else?

Nicotine withdrawal

Cutting back or quitting smoking can be hard and may cause some symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. You may begin to feel restless, angry, or sad, and have difficulty concentrating or sleeping. ^{Endnote 2 Endnote 3 Endnote 4} This is common. It's your body responding to the low levels of nicotine, which may give you a strong urge to smoke. Nicotine withdrawal is not dangerous and symptoms will improve over time, as long as you remain smoke-free.

To help you cope or manage your withdrawal symptoms when you feel a strong need to smoke, try the 5Ds.

Delay

Try to delay smoking for as long as you can. Set a timer for five minutes. If you still feel the urge, try to delay smoking for another five minutes. Remember, the craving will pass.

Distract

Do something that requires concentration. For example, play a game, browse the Internet, text and/or call a friend, engage in a hobby or get started on a project.

Deep Breathing

Practice relaxation breathing. Close your eyes and begin by breathing in through your nose expanding your stomach (rather than your chest) and then exhaling slowly through your mouth.

Drink Water

Try to keep your hands busy. Drink a glass of cold water to change the feeling in your mouth.

Discuss

Talk about how you feel with someone, like a friend or quit coach. Discussing how you are feeling can help you understand your urges and manage cravings. You can also take some time to self-reflect. Think about what triggered the feeling that you need to smoke and how you can cope with the situation in the future.

Identifying triggers and developing coping skills

Smoking is often tied to your daily routines. These routines can trigger the urge to smoke. Triggers are anything that you associate with smoking or something that would lead you to want to smoke. For some people, triggers may be associated with certain activities or feelings. For others, they can be associated with people or places. Common triggers include:

• Drinking coffee or alcohol
• Relaxing after work or after a meal
• Talking on the phone or when driving
• Feeling stressed or angry
• Smelling tobacco

Reflection Activity

Learning to recognize your smoking triggers is an important part of quitting. Some people find it helpful to track their smoking by writing down what they were doing when they smoked. This can provide insight into your smoking patterns and routines.

Managing relationships with people who smoke

If you live, work, or interact with someone who smokes cigarettes, it can be challenging to remain smoke-free. Don't let this stop you! Here are some tips to help you stay focused on your goal:

• Let the person who smokes know that you are planning to quit ahead of time, so they are prepared for this change.
• Ask them if they would like to quit with you. When you have a quit buddy for support, you're more likely to stay on track.
• Ask them not to smoke when you are around.
• Ask them to not offer you a cigarette, buy you cigarettes or leave them lying around.
• Try to make your home and car smoke-free. If this is not possible, try to create a smoke-free space within your home and remove all lighters, ashtrays, and cigarette packages.

Get ready for your quit day

Set a quit date

A well-chosen quit date should give you enough time to prepare, but not too much time to lose motivation. Think about the activities that you have planned for the next few weeks to get an idea of when to set your quit date for. You may want to find a week when you have fewer deadlines, or plan to begin on a weekend so you can plan some activities that will keep your mind off smoking.

Reflection Activity: Commitment sentence

Just like signing a contract with yourself, put your quit date down in writing. Choose a specific date that is no more than three weeks away. Mark it on your calendars, add it as a screensaver to your computer desktop, or create a reminder on your cell phone, etc.

Change your thinking

In advance of your quit date, change your thinking around smoking. Instead of saying "I will not," try saying, "I will."

For example, if you normally smoke after dinner, you could say: "Right after dinner tonight, I will go for a short walk instead of smoking."

This way, you are able to look forward to another activity, instead of thinking that you are missing out on smoking. Even small changes like this can go a long way in quitting successfully.

Recognize the skills and knowledge you already have

Think about the times in the past that you have gone without smoking, either intentionally or unintentionally. This can be anything from a quit attempt to not being able to smoke due to smoking restrictions (e.g., being on a long flight). Are there things that you did to keep yourself from smoking? Think about what worked for you and what didn't.

You can also think about other things that you have changed in your life besides smoking. For example, have you recently become more physically active, or have you started a new self-care routine? Think about how you have made other changes in your life and whether you can use these skills to help you quit.

On the day before you quit

Congratulations! You're almost there. As your quit day approaches, you may be experiencing a number of different feelings.

You may be feeling stressed, or you may feel that you are about to give up something in your life. This is completely normal. To help you deal with these feelings, remind yourself that you are prepared for this and have the tools and knowledge to succeed. Let your family, friends, and co-workers know that tomorrow is your quit day. Ask them to be understanding if you appear tense or irritable. Let them know how they can support you and that you appreciate their help.

Save your reflection activity responses

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