Quit Smoking Tips

Over 30 million people have quit smoking since 1965.  You can too!

Quit Smoking Tips

1. Don’t smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. Smoking even a few cigarettes a day can hurt your health. If you try to smoke fewer cigarettes, but do not quit completely, soon you’ll be smoking the same amount again.

Smoking "low-tar, low-nicotine" cigarettes usually does little good either. Because nicotine is so addictive, if you switch to lower-nicotine brands you’ll likely just puff harder, longer, and more often on each cigarette. The only safe choice is to quit smoking completely.

2. Write down why you want to quit smoking. Do you want:

• to feel in control of you life?
• to have better health?
• to set a good example for your children?
• to protect your family from breathing other people’s smoke?

Really wanting to quit smoking is very important to how much success you will have in quitting. Smokers who live after a heart attack are the most likely to quit for good - they're very motivated. Find a reason to quit smoking before you have no choice.

3. Know that it will take effort to quit smoking. Nicotine is habit forming. Half of the battle in quitting is knowing you need to quit. This knowledge will help you be more able to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal that can occur, such as bad moods and really wanting to smoke. There are many ways smokers quit, including using nicotine replacement products (gum and patches), but there is no easy way. Nearly all smokers have some feelings of nicotine withdrawal when they try to quit smoking. Give yourself a month to get over these feelings. Take quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time - whatever you need to succeed. You CAN do it!

4. Half of all adult smokers have quit, so you can too! That’s the good news.  There are millions of people alive today who have learned to face life without a cigarette. For staying healthy, quitting smoking is the best step you can take.

5. Get help if you need it.  Many groups offer written materials, programs, and advice to help smokers quit smoking for good. Your doctor or dentist is also a good source of help and support.