At this point, Quit Day should be very soon. If you are feeling a bit nervous about that, it’s okay. Quit Day is a big day—one of the most important in your life. You’ll be saying goodbye to an old friend. But you’ll be gaining so much more.
Now that you have spent time figuring out what your triggers are using Pack Tracks, you can start to plan how you’ll cope with your urges without smoking. That's what the first part of Session 4 is all about. We'll also do a few more activities and show you a few more tools to make sure you are ready for what's next!
The information you entered in your Pack Tracks will help you pinpoint the smoking triggers you’ll want to focus on in your Quit Plan. One way to find your triggers is by looking for patterns.
Did you smoke more at a certain time of day? Did you always smoke after a certain meal or while socializing with friends? These times and places may trigger your urge to smoke. You can use this information to plan things to do at those times and places instead of smoking.
The more you needed it, the harder it may be to give up. If you picked mostly a “high” need for the cigarettes you smoked but haven't yet decided to use a quit-smoking medication, you should strongly consider it. Review the information in Session 2 and update your Medication Plan.
If you picked mostly happy faces, you likely smoke to relax and enjoy good times. If you chose mostly blah faces, you likely smoke out of boredom or pattern. You may not even realize you’re smoking. If you picked mostly unhappy faces, you likely smoke when you’re tense or upset. Think about how your mood affects when and why you smoke.
For some people, looking at the results of the Pack Track activity can make quitting seem overwhelming. Making a Quit Plan will help you see how it is possible.
A Quit Plan provides an organized framework for how you will overcome your triggers. It won’t cover every situation but it will help you plan ahead and get through your most high-risk situations. The next two sections include strategies you can use as you create your plan.
The Three A's can help you plan for situations that might trigger an urge to smoke. Just take one of these actions.
Avoid the situation if you can. For example, take your coffee break at your desk instead of going out to grab coffee with coworkers who smoke. Leave the table right after dinner instead of lingering for a cigarette. Stay away from bars and social events that allow smoking.
Change the situation. If coffee is a trigger in the morning, try drinking fruit juice instead. Watch TV in a room where you rarely smoke (such as the bedroom) rather than in your usual spot. Put your cigarettes in the trunk of the car so you can’t reach for them while driving.
Replace tobacco with a substitute. Chew on sugarless gum or suck on a sugarless lollipop. Snack on raw vegetables, such as a carrot or celery stick. Use one of the relaxation exercises you learn in Freedom From Smoking.
The things you learned about your mood while smoking can also help you prepare for Quit Day. Select each item to learn more.
Picture yourself enjoying good times without a cigarette in your hand and try these tips:
Keep busy in ways that make it hard to pick up a cigarette:
Try some of these stress reducers to help get you through tough moments:
Successful quitters plan ahead. Now that you have an idea of what your triggers really are and have learned some strategies for what you can do instead of smoking, you can start to build your plan.
Now, enter for something you’ll do instead of smoking each of those cigarettes next time:
Use the Three A’s or the More Ways to Plan for Urges if you need help with ideas.
Pick a few times this week to not smoke the three important cigarettes you identified and do one of the activities on your Quit Plan instead. This will help you try out strategies and make changes if needed before Quit Day.
As you stop smoking on Quit Day, you may experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms—which we prefer to think of as symptoms of recovery. Medication can help ease these symptoms so you can focus on the social and mental challenges of quitting. If you can’t use a quit-smoking medication or choose not to, you’ll learn some helpful techniques in Session 5 for coping with recovery symptoms.
As part of your Quit Day planning, today is a great time to review your Medication Plan on the Dashboard and update it if needed.
Make sure you allow enough time before Quit Day to get your medication. If you need to adjust your Quit Day to get (or start) your medication, do that today.
Making a Quit Plan is a big step. Now is a good time to learn a Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercise that can help ease any tension you may be feeling. Listen now, then visit the Resources section to download the MP3 file for use anytime and to find other helpful relaxation exercises.
Ready to relax?
It can really help to have some easy, healthy snacks on hand for when you have the urge to smoke and need a quick alternative. The key is to make smart choices that won’t add to any weight gain worries or lead you to replace your smoking addiction with bad eating habits.
Find a few easy recipes for smart snacks in the Resources section.
Eating smarter is also a long-term strategy for staying quit. You’ll learn more in Session 7.
As one final step in your planning, decide on a reward for when you successfully reach Quit Day and stop smoking. Rewards don’t have to be big or cost much; they can even be free. But it’s important to reward yourself with something you care about or like. You deserve it!
Think of something you'd enjoy as a special reward to mark this very important day.
Fill in a reward you will give yourself on Quit Day.
Here are some ideas:
Sounds like a great way to celebrate! Enjoy it. If you need to do anything to prepare for your Quit Day reward, do it over the next week or so, before Quit Day arrives.
Before the next session, aka your Quit Day, make sure you are prepared by completing the items on this list. You can print a version of it below.
Before Quit Day:
You looked at your roadblocks to quitting and your reasons to keep moving forward, then learned new lifestyle strategies and built your Quit Plan. You have taken the steps you need to prepare for Quit Day. Now you just need to be confident in yourself and do it.
Keep telling yourself, “I can quit smoking.” You really can do this.
Talk to the people in your support network. Remind them your Quit Day is coming up.
Get excited! Quit Day is a big day and you’re doing something fantastic for yourself!
Before returning to the Dashboard, it might be valuable to go back and review this session to make sure you understand the key points.
You have reached the end of Part 1: Getting Ready. Come back and start Part 2: Taking Action on your Quit Day. In the meantime, take this chance to visit the activities on your Dashboard to review all the work you’ve done preparing for Quit Day. See you soon!
Before returning to the Dashboard, it might be valuable to go back and review this session to make sure you understand the key points.
You have reached the end of Part 1: Getting Ready. Come back and start Part 2: Taking Action on your Quit Day. In the meantime, take this chance to visit the activities on your Dashboard to review all the work you’ve done preparing for Quit Day. See you soon!
Great Job! You have reached the end of Part 1: Getting Ready. Come back and start Part 2: Taking Action on your Quit Day. In the meantime, take this chance to visit the activities on your Dashboard to review all the work you’ve done preparing for Quit Day. See you soon!
Great Job! You have reached the end of Part 1: Getting Ready. Come back and start Part 2: Taking Action on your Quit Day. In the meantime, take this chance to visit the activities on your Dashboard to review all the work you’ve done preparing for Quit Day. See you soon!