Do not carry cigarettes.
Quit smoking one day at a time. Do not
concern yourself with next year, next month, next week or even
tomorrow.
Concentrate on not smoking from the time
you wake up until you go to sleep.
Do not dwell on the idea that you are
depriving yourself of a cigarette.
Be proud that you are not smoking.
Make a list of all the reasons you want
to quit smoking. Keep this list with you, preferably where you
used to carry your cigarettes. When you find yourself reaching
for a cigarette, take out your list and read it.
Drink plenty of fruit juice the first
three days. It will help flush nicotine out of your system.
To help avoid weight gain, eat vegetables
and fruit instead of candies and pastries. Celery and carrots
can be used safely as short-term substitutes for cigarettes.
If you are concerned about weight gain,
do some moderate form of regular exercise. If you have not
been exercising regularly, consult your physician for a
practical exercise program which is safe for you.
If you encounter a crisis, (e.g. a flat
tire, flood, blizzard, family illness) while quitting,
remember, smoking is no solution. Smoking will just complicate
the original situation while creating another crisis, a
relapse into the nicotine addiction.
Consider yourself a "smoke-a-holic." One
puff and you can become hooked again. No matter how long you
have been off, don’t think you can safely take a puff!
Don’t debate with yourself how much you
want a cigarette. Ask yourself how do you feel about going
back to your old level of consumption. Smoking is an all or
nothing proposition.
Save the money you usually spend on
cigarettes and buy yourself something you really want after a
week or a month. Save for a year and you can treat yourself to
a vacation.
Practice deep breathing exercises when
you have a craving.
Go places where you normally can’t smoke,
such as movies, libraries and no smoking sections of
restaurants.
Tell people around you that you have quit
smoking.