How to Quit Smoking

By Jackie Kolgraf 

If you’re a smoker and want to live a longer and healthier life, one of the best moves you can make is to quit smoking. 

If you’re ready to kick your smoking habit, there are steps you can take to ensure your best chances at quitting for good. Whether this is your first time or you’ve given it a few tries before, follow the path outlined below to rid yourself of cigarettes once and for all. 

A little preparation (and a lot of follow through) can go a long way on this difficult but rewarding journey to a smoke-free, healthier life. 

Plan for Success 

The first step towards quitting smoking is to make the decision to quit smoking, which may be the hardest part. But the short and long-term health benefits of a life without cigarettes are worth the effort. 

Like anything else you want to accomplish, outlining the steps you need to take helps set you up for success. And quitting smoking is no different. Ahead of the day you put the cigarettes down for good, make a plan, which involves deciding when you will quit, why you will quit, and how you will quit – plus, rewards for a job well done! 

Set a Date 

First and foremost, instead of thinking in vague terms like, “I’ll stop smoking after the holidays,” or, “This is my last pack,” choose a firm “quit date” and put it in your calendar.  

Your quit date should be within two to 14 days, giving you enough time to create a plan and get any supplies you may need … but not so much time that you reconsider quitting altogether. Your decision is creating momentum. Use it to select a date and stick to it.  

Create a Mantra 

Next, to ensure you maintain your motivation throughout the quitting process, determine your reasons for wanting to quit and write them down with your quit date.  

Possible reasons could be: 

- Smoking is affecting your health now and could lead to worse health outcomes later 

- Your friends and family want you to quit 

- You want to set a good example for your children 

- The cost of cigarettes is affecting your savings 

- Secondhand smoke is dangerous for your pets 

Once you figure out what your personal reasons are for quitting smoking, turn them into a concrete action phrase. For example, if you choose to focus on cost, your mantra could become, “I am quitting smoking so I can save money for my dream vacation to Italy.”  

Other examples are,  “I am quitting smoking for the health of my new baby,” “I am quitting smoking so I can improve my lung health and run the Chicago Marathon,” or “I am quitting smoking so I can look and smell better and start dating again.” Personalize and use these mantras to help you stay on track. 

Clean Out Your Home 

The night before your chosen quit day is the time to remove all smoking-related things from your home – cigarettes, lighters, matches, and anything else. Remove all temptation; don’t just hide them away, but permanently dispose of them. Be sure to clean out everything from your purse, briefcase, car, and office. 

Talk to Your Doctor About Quit-Smoking Medicine 

There are many options for quit-smoking medications if you are interested and your doctor believes they are the right option for you. Some may even be covered by your health insurance or available at low or no cost from your state.  

Ask your doctor if nicotine replacement therapies – available in many forms like gum, lozenges, patches, nasal sprays – or prescription medications could be a good fit for your quit plan. 

Know Your Smoking Triggers 

Whether or not you decide to use replacement therapies or medications on your journey to quit smoking, it is critical to know anything and everything that causes you to want to reach for a cigarette: your triggers.  

These could be mundane steps in your daily routine, like drinking a cup of coffee, scrolling on your phone, or taking a break at work. Social situations can also be smoking triggers, such as going to a party, drinking alcohol, or smelling cigarette smoke in a bar. Many smokers also light up when they experience emotional triggers, including anxiety, stress, anger, or even simple boredom. 

Knowing your own personal triggers allows you to better arm yourself against them, so you’ll be ready to distract yourself from the urge to smoke. The National Cancer Institute recommends healthy distractions from smoking like drinking a glass of water, eating something crunchy, taking 10 deep breaths, getting some exercise, playing a game on your phone, listening to an audiobook or podcast, or talking to someone supportive. 

Change Your Routine 

You will likely never be able to avoid all your known smoking triggers forever, but a few small changes in your daily routine can increase your chances of successfully quitting.  

For example, if you know you like to smoke while drinking your morning coffee, put your coffee in a to-go cup and drink it while walking your dog outside (that way your free hand is holding a leash instead of a cigarette). If you have a coworker you usually smoke with on breaks, consider changing your break schedule to align with someone who doesn’t smoke. 

Be proactive by identifying potential problem areas in your routine and coming up with solutions ahead of time. 

Establish a Support System 

Even with quit-smoking medication, trigger knowledge, and changes to your routine, quitting smoking is still a challenge. Put a support system in place, made up of people who want to see you succeed on this journey. This will give you people to lean on when times get tough. 

People in your support system can include friends and family, coworkers, doctors, or anyone else who has your best interests at heart. Solidify your choice to quit by vocalizing it to everyone in your support system. Tell them how they can best help you, whether that’s lending a kind ear when you need someone to talk to, helping you dispose of all smoking paraphernalia in your home, or taking you to doctors' appointments. 

Even simply making people in your life who aren’t part of your support system aware of your decision to quit smoking can help you succeed in quitting. Be sure to ask other smokers you know, respectfully, not to smoke around you. 

Reward Yourself 

You hopefully enjoying a longer and healthier life is the ultimate reward for quitting. But our brains like instant gratification. So, figure out a good treat system that celebrates your milestones and helps keep you on track toward your goal. You deserve it! 

This could look like: 

:: Going out to dinner every Friday after a successful week of not smoking 

:: Putting a star sticker on every day of the calendar you don’t smoke 

:: Saving the money you don’t spend on cigarettes and using it on a vacation 

:: Creating certificates for major milestones like 30, 60, and 90 days smoke-free 

Anticipate Withdrawal Symptoms 

Whether or not this is your first time trying to quit smoking, as your body adjusts to a sudden lack of nicotine, you may experience withdrawal symptoms that make it difficult to stay away from cigarettes. These symptoms can take the form of bad moods, sad moods, and restlessness. They can affect your concentration and your sleep. You may find yourself hungrier than usual. 

It’s important to remember that nicotine withdrawal will not hurt you, and you are, in fact, making an incredibly healthful decision by quitting smoking. Any withdrawal symptoms you feel are only temporary and will fade the longer you stay away from cigarettes. And many withdrawal symptoms can be managed by snowballing your healthful decision and simply adding good food and exercise into your day. 

Believe You Can Succeed 

Once you decide to quit smoking, you have taken the hardest and most important step on your journey to a cigarette-free life. It won’t be easy, but it will change your health for the better, and it’s never too late to quit. 

According to the American Lung Association, the benefits of quitting smoking begin just 20 minutes after your last cigarette, as your heart rate drops to a normal level. In that first smoke-free day alone, your risk of a heart attack reduces, and the carbon monoxide levels in your blood return to normal. Your heart attack risk level continues dropping, and lung function begins to improve as you reach the three-month mark. By one year, your added risk of coronary heart disease drops to half that of someone who uses cigarettes or other tobacco products. 

When you quit smoking, you also stop exposing the people and pets around you to secondhand smoke. Your clothes, house, and car stop smelling like smoke. You save money on cigarettes (just one $10 pack a week costs $520 a year!), and you prove to yourself that you can accomplish hard things. 

Take the time to set up a detailed plan to quit smoking so you have the best chance at succeeding once and for all. Choose a quit date and a meaningful mantra, identify your triggers, change your routine where needed, and establish both a support system and a reward system for yourself.  

The power to help yourself live a longer and healthier life is yours – right now! Make the decision to quit and experience the freedom and vitality of a smoke-free life!