Here are some tips for successful quitting. Each of these is discussed in detail in Quit for Life. Take some time to consider these as you prepare to stop smoking.
When it comes to quitting, preparation is key. Be prepared!
Are you ready?
If you truly want to stop smoking cigarettes forever, it is important to know that you are ready, now, to quit. To determine this, you need to be able to tick three boxes:
Are you ready to stop smoking NOW?
If you are not truly ready to become a non-smoker, then quite simply, you won’t. Once you are ready, feel excited about it and begin the process!
Are you prepared to put in a little bit of effort and exercise a little bit of discipline?
It doesn’t take too much effort and too much discipline, but it does require some. Being prepared to consistently say ‘no’ rather than ‘yes’, and to put into practice the simple techniques and actions that you know will allow you to remain smoke-free, will allow you to quit smoking forever.
Are you prepared to change?
At the most basic level, you will no longer be smoking at times and in situations where you previously smoked. This means your behaviour will need to change. Change can feel strange at first, but after a short time, it becomes your new ‘norm’, and you will feel completely comfortable in your new reality.
If you can tick these three boxes, you are ready to quit! Quit for Life will guide you through the process safely, simply and without stress. If you are not sure about your readiness to tick one or more of these boxes, Quit for Life might just help you to the point where you are ready to say ‘yes!’
Be prepared
Before you quit, think about what your life will look like after you stop smoking. How is it going to be with friends, family or partners with whom you used to smoke, but will no longer? How will they react? How do you imagine yourself in situations where you used to smoke, but no longer will? Start to mentally prepare yourself for the changes that will come into your life.
Three levels of attachment
In order to successfully quit smoking in a stress-free manner, it is vital that you are able to let go of cigarettes on three levels:
- physical – the physical craving for nicotine
- emotional – the emotions that are associated with your smoking, and that may arise once you have quit
- mental – the thoughts you have about smoking and the stories that your mind creates about smoking
Why do you want to be a non-smoker?
Have a think about why it is that you really want to quit? What is your motivation? What is your intention? What is your truth?
The clearer you are about your intention, your truth, the more likely you will be able to succeed.
Support
Do you think you will benefit from some support as you become a new non-smoker? A mentor, someone you can talk to and turn to for support, may be helpful. It would probably be best if this person was not a smoker!
You are either a smoker or a non-smoker – there is no in-between!
One of your aims is to let go of your physical attachment to nicotine, so it is important to understand that once you quit, it is all or nothing. You are either a smoker or a non-smoker, there is no in-between. You can no longer go back to being a social smoker. Even a casual puff on a cigarette means you go back to being a smoker, with the risk that the hook of nicotine addiction is reattached.
Set your goal
Set a goal, or series of goals, to help you achieve your desired outcome. Goals keep you focused on exactly what it is you want to achieve. Goals should be SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Timely
Ideally you should focus on a short time frame, usually no longer than a month. If you have goals that are longer term, break them up into a series of short term sub-goals. Short term goals are much easier to remain focused on, without the risk of delaying action to the last minute.
An example of a SMART goal would be:
I will finish reading Quit for Life, and stop smoking, by the end of the week.
Read Quit for Life
Once you have given some thought to whether you are ready to stop smoking, what quitting means to you, what it will look like, and set your goal, reading Quit for Life will take you through the process of quitting step-by-step, so that you will finally be able to let go of cigarettes – simply, without stress, forever.