Quitting smoking can be very difficult, but it's not impossible: millions of Canadians have managed to quit. One of the keys to successful quitting is good preparation - getting yourself ready mentally and physically so that you'll be able to meet the challenge. Here are some tips that might help.
Change your smoking routine
- Smoke with the opposite hand.
- Put your cigarettes in an unusual or different place so that you can't reach for one automatically.
- Stop smoking in the car or office, and gradually add no-smoking areas to your life.
- Don't do anything else while smoking.
- Delay lighting up for a few minutes and do something else - chew gum, drink water.
- Record smoking triggers - where, when and why you smoke, and then start smoking at different times instead.
- Cut down on your nicotine intake by smoking fewer cigarettes or postponing your first cigarette of the day.
Prepare yourself mentally
- Write down your reasons for quitting.
- Visualize yourself as a nonsmoker in various situations.
- Add up the amount of money you spend on cigarettes in a year and think about how you will spend it now.
- Begin collecting and trying new techniques to reduce stress, and then use these techniques in stressful situations instead of having a cigarette.
- Begin an exercise program.
- Celebrate your decision to quit.
Get support
- Tell your friends that you're quitting and ask for support - suggest ways they can help.
- Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
- Choose a quitting method (or combination of methods).
Set a quit date
- Choose a day that is far enough in the future to give you enough time to prepare, but not too far ahead so that you won't lose your momentum and change your mind.
- You might want to choose a date with a special meaning like a birthday or anniversary.
- Announce the date to as many people as you can - this will help you follow through.
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