Quitting Tobacco Use: Getting Ready To Quit

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Getting Ready to Quit

When you're craving tobacco, it's hard to focus on quitting. Preparing yourself before you quit can help. Before you toss the tobacco, get ready for a life without nicotine.

Motivation

What would motivate you to quit smoking? Think about it.

Use this self-test to help you discover what might motivate you to quit smoking (What is a PDF document?).

Staying healthy is one reason for teens to quit using tobacco. Perhaps you want to feel more in control of your life, instead of feeling controlled by tobacco.

Risks

What worries you about smoking? Make a list. Talk about it with your doctor. You may worry about:

• Health problems. Are you out of breath when you take the stairs? Are asthma symptoms getting worse? Are you coughing a lot?
• Long-term health risks. Are you afraid of having a heart attack or stroke? How about lung disease or cancer?
• Risks to others. Do you worry about family members getting lung cancer and heart disease? Are you afraid that your children might start smoking because you do? Are you concerned that your baby may die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) if you smoke? Maybe your children have frequent ear infections or asthma.

Rewards

What do you gain by quitting? You can:

• Have a younger-looking and healthier body.
• Set a good example for others (especially children).
  • If you smoke, your child is more likely to smoke.
  • If your teen smokes, he or she is more likely to quit smoking if you quit.³
  • If your child never uses tobacco during the teen years, he or she is more likely to never start using tobacco in the future.
• Save money by getting rid of the cost of smoking. To find out how much you spend on cigarettes, see the Interactive Tool: How Much Is Smoking Costing You?
• Be in control of your habits.

Roadblocks

What could make you start smoking or chewing after you stop? Triggers could be events, places, or even people. You may always have a smoke after lunch or during happy hour on Fridays. Does your best friend chew? You can't always avoid these roadblocks. You can develop a strategy that helps.

Other roadblocks and possible solutions include:

• Nicotine withdrawal. People who smoke daily often have symptoms (such as irritability, trouble sleeping or concentrating) when they try to quit. Quitting the use of spit tobacco produces the same nicotine withdrawal symptoms that quitting smoking does. There are medicines that can help control these symptoms. Starting a new hobby and exercising can also help.
• Failure in the past. If you weren't able to quit in the past, don't be hard on yourself. Studies show that each time you try to quit, you will be stronger and will have learned more about what helps and what hinders. Most people try to quit many times before it finally sticks.
• Weight gain. You may gain some weight when you stop smoking. Don't try to avoid this by going on a strict diet at the same time. This will make it even harder to stop smoking. Instead, get active. This helps you burn calories. Most medicines that can help you quit smoking can also help you avoid weight gain while you use them.
• Depression. Medicines and counseling can help treat depression.
• Lack of support from family or friends. Finding people to support your efforts can improve your chances of quitting. Look for some people who have stopped smoking.
• Stress. Stress can lead to smoking. Learn new ways of coping with stress to get past this roadblock. For suggestions on coping with stress, see the topic Stress Management.
• Alcohol. Drinking alcohol can increase your desire to smoke. Try drinking less alcohol during the first 3 weeks after you quit.
• Living with someone who smokes or being around someone who smokes. If the person would quit with you, it would be easier for you to quit. If this isn't an option, talk to the person about not smoking around you.
• Missing your smoking habits and rituals or not being able to avoid smoking triggers that make you reach for a cigarette or pipe. Assess your tobacco use (What is a PDF document?) to discover your smoking triggers.

One strategy that does not work well is switching from your regular cigarettes to a "light" cigarette. These "light" cigarettes are no safer than regular cigarettes.

Teens, especially girls, are often afraid that they will gain weight, not fit in at social events, or not be able to handle stressful situations if they quit smoking. Fresher-smelling clothes and breath may actually improve chances of fitting in. Also, feeling good physically may help teens deal with stress in healthier ways than by smoking.

Repetition

Keep reminding yourself why you want to quit smoking. Make a list of your reasons to quit and the benefits you expect from quitting. Put your list of reasons on your bedroom dresser, in your wallet, or on the refrigerator. Review it whenever you are struggling with the quitting process. Add to your list whenever another reason or benefit occurs to you.

If you have tried to quit smoking before, remember that most people try to quit many times before they are successful. Don't give up.

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Last updated:	July 24, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, John Hughes, MD - Psychiatry
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Michele Cronen