Quitting is never easy— in fact, most smokers try 7 times before they go smoke-free. But, and this is an important but, that doesn't mean you can't do it. It just means you need to keep your head and spirits up, even if it's harder than you expected.

Here are some things you can do to make it a little bit easier:

Get ready

     • Think about the reasons why you smoke—boredom, rebelliousness, loneliness, peer pressure—and why         quitting is important to you.
     • Set a quit date that means something to you
     • Tell all your friends/family you’re about to quit
     • Focus on the benefits of quitting 
     • Get counseling: you can go online and read information from several Web pages that have been designed         to help you quit.

Change your behaviors

     • Play sports
     • Get some exercise
     • Go for a walk
     • Plan something enjoyable to do every day
     • Brush your teeth when you want a cigarette
     • Chew sugarless gum
     • Meet your smoker friends in places you can’t smoke

Talk to your doctor

He or she can help you:    

     • Understand why you smoke
     • Focus on the benefits of quitting
     • Help you to change your behaviors
     • Find products that will help control the urge to smoke

And remember, unless your life is in danger, conversations with your health care provider are just between the two of you—he or she won’t share what you say with anyone.

Change your diet

Nicotine suppresses hunger and smokers don’t taste food so they tend to eat less. Therefore, most smokers gain weight when they quit. But don’t let weight gain distract you from your real goal. There are plenty of ways to keep the weight off. Try These:

     • Drink a lot of water
     • Eat healthy snacks (fruits, low fat yogurts, sugarless gum)
     • Try to stay active

Know what to expect

If you are a regular smoker/chewer, your body is used to having nicotine all the time. Once you quit using tobacco, you will probably feel some symptoms of withdrawal. Symptoms may include:

     • Nicotine craving
     • Crabbiness
     • Nervousness
     • Depressed mood
     • Difficulty concentrating
     • Restlessness

These can last for a few weeks. After that you’ll be over, the hardest part of quitting!
You have to be realistic, quitting smoking is NOT EASY!

Be prepared to relapse

It happens, so don’t think it won’t happen to you. Most people who start smoking again do so within three months of quitting. And most people have to try more than once to quit for good. but even if you do start smoking again, there is good news:

     • Each time you try you’ll learn something important about yourself and your smoking habit.
     • Then you can use what you learn to do things differently the next time!

You have choices
People use many methods to help them quit using tobacco—there is no right or wrong way of going about quitting, and every experience is different. You just have to figure out which methods are best for you and then go for it. Some people are able to quit on their own (check out our quit kit). But this doesn’t work for everybody.

School based programs

The NOT (Not on Tobacco) program from the American Lung Association is a good program. It includes 10 weekly, 50-minute sessions conducted during school hours, with trained counselors.

Internet

Websites that offer help with quitting can be helpful. Not only do these sites help you maintain your privacy, they can also tailor information to your needs and connect you with others who are going through the same thing.

     • American Cancer Society Guide to Quitting
     • Freedom from Smoking
     • Helping Young Smokers Quit
     • Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative

updated: 10.01.2008

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