How to Stop Smoking in 7-14 Days

80% of smokers want to give up the evil weed. And as Mark Twain once said, “Stopping smoking is easy, I’ve done it many times.” He’s right. Many people CAN quit smoking, but remaining a nonsmoker can be very hard.

As a clinical psychologist, I’ve treated hundreds of smokers in both England and the US over the last 30 years and have found the following tips to be very helpful in breaking the habit:

Tip 1 Make sure this is the right time for you. Be honest with yourself regarding how important it is for you and how ready you are to stop smoking. If you need to increase your motivation, write down the pros and cons of remaining a smoker versus becoming a non-smoker and then sit back and study this list.

Tip 2 Write down the five main reasons you want to stop smoking on a postcard. Copy this list on some more postcards and stick one in each place that you used to smoke. These will remind you of your reasons that you want to stop smoking and will increase the chance that you will resist the temptation to light up each time you see the card. Put one on the dashboard of your car if you use to smoke there; put one on the remote control if you smoked while watching TV; and put one on your computer monitor if you smoked while surfing the ‘net. You get the idea.

Tip 3: Cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke GRADUALLY over the next 7 to 14 days, until you reach your QUIT DATE. Your body will thank you for withdrawing the nicotine slowly, instead of gong cold turkey all at once. You’ll be much less likely to suffer withdrawal effects and will thus be much more likely to be successful in your goal of becoming a permanent nonsmoker.

Tip 4: Think of urges to smoke as temporary and as evidence that your body is adjusting to having less nicotine. This is a much better way to think about temptation. Tell yourself that the urge will pass, and distract yourself for a little while with doing something else, such as exercising, or, drinking water.

Tip 5: Change brands every few days or roll your own. This gets you used to the idea that change is possible, and rolling your own cigarettes is such a pain that the enjoyment of smoking will start to fade.

Tip 6: Put $5/pack in a plastic container for every day that you do not smoke one pack of cigarettes and decide on what to buy with the money.

Tip 7: Identify triggers to smoking and avoid them until you reach your quit date. These can be places or people.

Tip 8: If you smoke to relax, or need some extra help, see a psychologist for a session or two of hypnosis. The cost will soon be offset by the cigarettes that you will not be buying in future.

No cigarette tastes as good as being healthy feels!