TAKING CONTROL: When you quit - six things to do
1. Use your planned strategies.
When you wake up on your Quit Day, go right into your plan. Don't let yourself even think about putting it off. As triggers come up, use the strategies you planned for dealing with them.
2. Evaluate how well your strategies are working, and revise them as needed.
At least once a day in the first week, take a good look at your plan. Did the triggers you predicted come up? If so, did you use your strategies? Ask yourself how well they're working and whether you need to change them. For some situations, you may need to add new strategies. If so, write them into your plan.
3. Try to predict any new triggers, and plan strategies for them.
Look ahead at the days to come. Are any new situations coming up that might make you want to smoke? If so, plan strategies for them, as you did for the other triggers. Write them into your plan, too.
4. Use your new strategies.
As the trigger situations come up, put your new or revised strategies into action, along with the old strategies that are still working.
5. Remind yourself why you're quitting.
When you're dealing with triggers and withdrawal symptoms, it's easy to lose sight of why you're quitting. Keep your motivation up by repeating your main reason, over and over.
6. Reward yourself!
Give yourself a reward for each milestone you pass. It can be big or small-it just needs to be meaningful to you. What kind of reward will help you feel proud of yourself for quitting? Treat yourself well so you don't feel deprived. Here are some ideas:
"At the end of each day, I took a nice long bath and thought about the success I had during the last 24 hours." Alycia, 46
"I bought a new CD on my one-week anniversary." Michael, 21
"My daughter and I baked a cake to celebrate two weeks smoke-free." Luz, 27
"After one month I took a friend out to dinner to celebrate." Jian, 53
