MrShortcut and the Best Shortcuts Attitude invite YOU to quit smoking here at the world's largest personal web site
Special thanks to NCI and NIH for creating this program

Preparing Yourself for Quitting

• With your mind able to move only towards one thought, you can keep focused on the thought of clear air passageways.
  
  
• Physically write out your reasons for quitting. State them out loud - daily and often.
  
  
• Develop strong personal reasons in addition to your health and obligations to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting for a light, etc.
  
  
• Begin to condition yourself physically: Start a modest exercise program; drink more fluids; get plenty of rest; and avoid fatigue.
  
  
• Set a target date for quitting–perhaps a special day such as your birthday, your anniversary, or the Great American Smokeout. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation so that you're already committed to quitting when you return. Make the date sacred, and don't let anything change it. This will make it easy for you to keep track of the day you became a nonsmoker and to celebrate that date every year.

Knowing What to Expect

• Have realistic expectations–quitting isn't easy, but it's not impossible either. More than 3 million Americans quit every year.
  
  
• Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary. They usually last only 1-2 weeks.
  
  
• Since you can recognize that the first week or so of quitting are going to bring stronger urges to smoke, replace your action of reaching for a smoke with deep breathing, or ten seconds of stretching, or searching for a one-line joke. Replacing the urge is not an innovation of the Best Shortcuts Attitude; it is a time-honored and highly powerful shortcut to replacing one habit with another, preferably a habit that brings pleasure or benefit.. Be aware that this will be your hardest time, and use all your personal resources–willpower, family, friends, and the tips in this booklet–to get you through this critical period successfully.
  
  
• Know that most other relapses occur in the first week after quitting, when situational triggers, such as a particularly stressful event, occur unexpectedly. These are the times when people reach for cigarettes automatically, because they associate smoking with relaxing. This is the kind of situation that's hard to prepare yourself for until it happens, so it's especially important to recognize it if it does happen. Remember that smoking is a habit, but a habit you can break.
  
  
• Realize that most successful ex-smokers quit for good only after several attempts. You may be one of those who can quit on your first try. But if you're not, don't give up. Try again.

- Involving Someone Else

• Bet a friend you can quit on your target date. Put your cigarette money aside for every day, and forfeit it if you smoke. (But if you do smoke, don't give up. Simply strengthen your resolve and try again.)
  
  
• Ask your friend or spouse to quit with you.
  
  
• Tell your family and friends that you're quitting and when. They can be an important source of support both before and after you quit.