MORE ABOUT PREPARING FOR YOUR QUIT DAY, PART II

Further to our talk about how you can prepare for your quit day:

– Stock up items that substitute for the cigarette like hard candy, sugarless gum, crunchy vegetables and cinnamon sticks.

– The more support you get, the more likely you succeed in quitting. You can join the groups organized by your local hospitals and clinics or you can join online quit- smoking groups

– If you have tried to quit smoking before but you failed, think about why you started again and the challenges you faced, think about what worked and what did not, and what you can do differently this time.

– Make a list of your triggers and how you can deal with them; keeping a journal of your quit- smoking efforts may help you control the situations that ignite the smoking urges.
Your quit day can be physically and emotionally challenging, especially when smoking craving strikes, but the following tips can help you manage your quit day:

– Keep in mind your reasons to stop smoking

– Keep physically active and drink plenty of water

– Avoid people and situations that trigger your need to smoke

– Practice relaxation and stress management techniques

– Keep your hands busy by squeezing a ball, writing or typing
Guided by your quit- smoking plan, you will have resources to lean on, and the more resources you have (nicotine replacement, support groups, medications, counseling) the more likely you stay quit. If you have tried to quit earlier and you could not succeed, you might want to start the process by gradually cutting back on smoking. To do that: buy only one pack of

cigarettes at a time, delay your first cigarette of the day, smoke only half of each cigarette, and build on each success until you quit entirely.