General strategies for successful smoking cessation
1. Stay away from opportunities to smoke. Do not go where you are likely to be tempted.
2. Analyze when you smoke and what cues you to smoke, and then identify activities you can use to replace smoking.
3. Develop a negative image of cigarettes. They are smelly, dirty, and disgusting. They turn your fingers and teeth yellow, make your breath and clothes smell, cost you money, and offend your friends.
4. Remind yourself of all the benefits you have gained from not smoking.
View relapses as a learning experience. Read and use helpful materials and programs from the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association.
Basic responses to a smoker’s fears about quitting
I have failed before, and I will probably fail again.
Remember that fewer than 25 percent of smokers are able to quit on the first try. Most take three or four tries. Stopping smoking is like learning anything new: it takes several tries. Did you learn to ride a bicycle on the first try? / will have unbearable cravings.
Most cravings last less than 20 minutes. Plan what you can do until the urge goes away.
I will get irritable and frustrated.
While you are quitting, make fewer demands on yourself. Give yourself a break.
I will be unable to concentrate.
Maybe you could quit smoking during your vacation, so the need to concentrate is not as great.
I cannot stand feeling so restless.
Take walks or other “time out” periods. Handle objects. Use your hands for other things.
I need the stimulant effect of smoking.
Increase your activity and begin an exercise program. Work on getting better sleep.
I will gain weight.
One-third of ex-smokers gain weight, one-third lose weight, and one-third stay at the same weight. Only 10 percent of those who gain weight keep the increased weight. It may help to keep a diet diary and start an exercise program while you are quitting.
I will not be able to sleep.
Do not read or watch television in bed. Go to bed only when tired. Do not nap during the day. Exercise during the day. Avoid caffeine at night. If you do not fall asleep in 30 minutes after you go to bed, get up for a while
*280\252\8*
