Smoke Free Tips

Knowing that you need to quit smoking is half the battle. Availing yourself of all the ways to quit will help you
cope with the symptoms of withdrawal.

Many smokers fail at quitting smoking because they failed
to education themselves on the strength of addiction
and proven strategies to quit.

Don't€™t make the mistake of thinking that switching to low-tar cigarettes is OK, its€™s not. Many smokers end up inhaling deeper, pulling tar even deeper into their lungs.

Already cut down? Cutting down is a good first step, but
there's a big difference in the benefits to you between
smoking a little and not smoking at all.

If you do slip and have a smoke, don't€™t beat yourself up
and most importantly, don't€™t give up. Try to understand
what drove you to smoke and learn from it.

Not ready to quit? Then start cutting down. If you smoke
2 packs a day, cut back just 1 cigarette a day; within a
month you will be down to just 10 a day.

Don't delude yourself by thinking you have too many pressures in your life right now to give up cigarettes. Instead consider the possible damage continued smoking can do to your health.

Stressed out. Keep in mind, smoking a cigarette has never
and will never solve a problem, but has in fact caused many.

Quitting isn't easy, but it's not impossible either. More
than 3 million Americans just like you quit every year.

Affirmations will reinforce your commitment to quitting smoking and help you change your internal view of yourself. Silently repeat to yourself several times a day, “I am a non-smoker€.

Just quit? Beware, taking just one puff and you may have to undergo the anxieties associated with another 72 hours of nicotine cleansing. Nicotine withdrawal is real.

It's the first cigarette that gets you started. It takes only one. Don't fool yourself and think you can start and stop at will.
You can't.

Quitting â€cold turkey€ is quitting abruptly and completely
and is the preferred method for most smokers.

Did you know breaking the behavioral aspects of smoking
can be as challenging as nicotine withdrawal, such as
that morning smoke with a cup of coffee?

Don't look at quitting smoking as if you are giving up something. What you are really doing is tossing something out of your life that has done you harm.

Planning to quit? Start a daily diary of your smoking habits
one week before you quit and include where, when and
why you chose to smoke.

Write down all of your reasons for quitting, keep them close
at hand, and use them as a powerful coping tool
during challenging moments.

Former smokers live longer than continuing smokers.
For example, people who quit smoking before age 50
have one-half the risk of dying in the next 15 years
compared with continuing smokers.

Don't€™t sabotage your efforts to quit smoking by drinking
alcohol while you are quitting. Alcohol will weaken
your defenses and resolve greatly.

Planning to quit? Start by rationing out a specific number
of cigarettes for each day. Each week decrease your
ration by one cigarette per day.

Cutting down? Make smoking inconvenient. Stop
buying cigarettes by the carton. Wait until one
pack is empty before you buy another.

Smoking doesn't really help people lose weight.
If that were true, every smoker would be thin.