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Ready, Aim, Quit

People who quit smoking or chewing tobacco often find that they have to work up to it slowly. It’s important to quit at a time when you feel prepared to be successful.

To prepare yourself to quit:

• Know your triggers and what causes urges
• Set a quit date
• Tell others you plan to quit
• Don’t use other tobacco products
• Think about using medicines that can help you quit

If you made a list of reasons for quitting in Step 1, Thinking About Quitting, pull it out now—you’ll be adding to it.

The My Quit Plan tool on this Web site also may help you as you prepare to quit.

Know Your Triggers

Getting Ahead on Kicking Butt You have a head start on most people because you already quit smoking or chewing tobacco during basic military training. And if you quit once you can do it again!

You can double your chances for success by avoiding triggers that make you want to use tobacco. Think about and write down your triggers as part of your quit plan. (You also can make a list of possible triggers using My Quit Plan on this Web site.)

Your triggers may include:

• Drinking your morning coffee
• Driving to work
• Hanging out with friends who smoke or chew
• Having a drink at a bar or restaurant
• Being at a party
• Relaxing after a meal
• Watching TV
• Dealing with stressful situations at home or at work.

You also may want to list certain emotions that give you the urge to smoke or chew—anger, boredom, loneliness, stress, and fatigue are some examples.

Think about and write down strategies for dealing with each trigger. For example, have a friend you can call when you’re stressed and have the urge to smoke. Sit in the nonsmoking section of restaurants so that you won’t feel tempted by people smoking around you. Carry gum or toothpicks with you all the time so you have something to chew on besides smokeless tobacco.

Set a Quit Date

Choose a quit date within the next 30 days. That way, you won’t have much time to change your mind, but you’ll have time to prepare your quit plan. Some people select a date that has meaning for them: a birthday, the anniversary of the day you joined the service. Some people avoid choosing their own birthday because they want to declare their quit date a second birthday.

Other suggestions are:

• World No Tobacco Day (May 31)
• The Great American Smokeout (the third Thursday of November)
• The Fourth of July (your Independence Day).

If you smoke at work, quit on the weekend or during a day off. That way, you’ll already be tobacco free when you return. Or you might want to plan to quit before or after a home leave.

Write down your quit date as part of your quit plan.

Tell Others You Plan To Quit

Quitting smoking or chewing tobacco is easier with the support of others. Tell your family, friends, and the people in your unit that you plan to quit, and ask them if they’ll help you out. Some people like to have others ask how things are going; others find it nosy. So, tell the people you care about exactly how they can help.

Here are some ideas:

• Deal with your blues. Ask everyone to understand your change in mood. Remind them that this won’t last long. (The worst will be over within 2 weeks.) Remember: The longer you go without smoking or chewing tobacco, the sooner you’ll be your old self again.
• Get a quitting buddy. Does someone close to you smoke or chew? Ask him/her to quit with you, or at least not to use tobacco around you.
• Tell the doc what’s up. Do you take any medicines? Tell your doctor and pharmacist you are quitting. Nicotine changes how some drugs work, so you may need to change your prescriptions after you quit.
• Recruit others. Get support from other people. You can find a local “quit smoking” support group, call a smoking/chewing quitline, or talk in an Internet chat room.

As part of your quit plan, write down the names and contact information for the people in your support team. Also write down any “quit smoking” hotline numbers or URLs for chat rooms that you will use for support.

Don't Use Other Forms of Tobacco

After you’ve quit, do not use tobacco products of any kind. (This is a no-brainer, right?)

Light or low-tar cigarettes are just as harmful as regular cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco, cigars, pipes, hookahs, and herbal cigarettes also harm your health and are addictive. For example, bidi cigarettes are just as bad as regular cigarettes. Clove cigarettes are even worse; they have more tar, nicotine, and deadly gases.

Get rid of things that remind you of smoking or chewing tobacco: your snuff tins, cigarettes, matches, lighters, and ashtrays. Don’t save even one pack of cigarettes or tin of snuff. That just makes it easier to start again.

Here are some other ideas:

• Clean and freshen up your things at work and at home, including your drapes and clothes. Shampoo your car or truck upholstery and clean out the ashtray. Afterwards, tape the ashtray shut and tape a sign over it to inspire you. You might write: “I survived basic training! I can do this!” or “I’m quitting smoking for____,” and fill in the name of a special person in your life.
• Have your dentist clean your teeth to get rid of tobacco stains. See how great your teeth look? Now keep them that way.
• Plan a “funeral” for your tobacco stuff. Gather up friends and loved ones to watch you flush your last few cigarettes down the toilet or burn your tobacco stuff in a barrel. You could even get your base bugler to play “taps.”

Think About Using Medicines That Can Help You Quit

Quitting smoking or chewing may make you feel strange at first. For a few weeks, you may feel dull, tense, or moody. These are signs of nicotine withdrawal. That means that your body is getting used to life without nicotine.

Most people have a hard time handling nicotine withdrawal. Investigate the medicines that can take the edge off those feelings.