Wanna Quit Smoking?
1. Don’t smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. Smoking even a few cigarettes a day can hurt your health. And if you try to smoke fewer cigarettes but do not stop completely, soon you’ll be smoking the same amount again.
Smoking “low-tar, low-nicotine” cigarettes usually does little good either. Nicotine is so addictive that if you switch to lower nicotine brands, you’ll probably just puff harder, longer, and more often on each cigarette. The only safe choice is to quit completely.
2. Write down why you want to quit. Do you want to:
• Feel in control of your life?
• Feel in control of your life?
• Have better health?
• Set a good example for your children?
• Protect your family from breathing your secondhand smoke?
Really wanting to quit smoking is very important to successfully quitting. Smokers who live after a heart attack are the most likely to quit for good-they’re very motivated. Find a reason for quitting before you have no choice.
3. Know that it will take effort to quit smoking. Nicotine is habit-forming. Half the battle of quitting is knowing that you need to quit. This knowledge will help you deal with the symptoms of withdrawal that can occur, such as bad moods and really wanting to smoke. There are many ways that smokers quit, including using nicotine replacement gum or patches, but there is no easy way. Nearly all smokers have some feelings of nicotine withdrawal when they try to quit. 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.
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 for good. Your doctor and dentist are also good sources of help and support. Look online for a list of national groups with information and resources on how to quit.
Source: www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking
