How to stop smoking

  There is no one right way to quit, but there are some key elements in quitting smoking successfully

Smokers often say, "Don’t tell me why to quit, tell me how." There is no one right way to quit, but there are some key elements in quitting smoking successfully. These 4 factors are crucial:

* making the decision to quit
* setting a quit date and choosing a quit plan
* dealing with withdrawal
* staying quit (maintenance)

Making the Decision to Quit

The decision to quit tobacco use is one that only you can make. Others may want you to quit, but the real commitment must come from you.

Researchers have looked into how and why people stop tobacco use. They have some ideas, or models, of how this happens.

The Health Belief Model says that you will be more likely to stop tobacco use if you:

* believe that you could get a tobacco-related disease and this worries you
* believe that you can make an honest attempt at quitting
* believe that the benefits of quitting outweigh the benefits of continuing tobacco use
* know of someone who has had health problems as a result of their tobacco use

Does any of these apply to you?

The Stages of Change Model identifies the stages that you go through when you make a change in behavior. Here are the stages as they apply to quitting tobacco use:

Pre-contemplation: At this stage, the tobacco user is not thinking seriously about quitting right now.

Contemplation: The tobacco user is actively thinking about quitting but is not quite ready to make a serious attempt yet. This person may say, "Yes, I’m ready to quit, but the stress at work is too much, or I don’t want to gain weight, or I’m not sure if I can do it."

Preparation: Tobacco users in the preparation stage seriously intend to quit in the next month and often have tried to quit in the past 12 months. They usually have a plan.

Action: This is the first 6 months when the user is actively quitting.

Maintenance: This is the period of 6 months to 5 years after quitting when the ex-user is aware of the danger of relapse and take steps to avoid it.

Where do you fit in this model? If you are thinking about quitting, setting a date and deciding on a plan will move you into the preparation stage, the best place to start.

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