Quit Tips
Are you one of most smokers who want to quit? Then try following this advice.
1. Don’t smoke any number or any kind of cigarette. Smoking even
a few cigarettes a day can hurt your health. 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. Because nicotine is so addictive, if you switch to lower-nicotine
brands you’ll likely 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 you life?
- Have better health?
- Set a good example for your children?
- Protect your family from breathing other people’s smoke?
Really wanting to quit smoking is very important to how much success
you will have in 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 of the battle in quitting is knowing you need to quit.
This knowledge will help you be more able to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal
that can occur, such as bad moods and really wanting to smoke. There are
many ways smokers quit, including using nicotine replacement products (gum
and 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 or dentist
is also a good source of help and support. See a list of
National Groups with
information and resources on how to quit.
Page last updated 02/28/2007
= Link to a PDF document
= Link to nonfederal Web site