Use Your Lips for What they Were Made For.

Join Quit Tobacco – Make Everyone Proud (QTMEP) on February 21, 2013 in celebrating the Great American Spit Out (GASpO) and commit to staying tobacco-free for 24 hours. What starts as one small step will get you that much closer to the right path in quitting smokeless tobacco forever.

Commitment to quitting is often the critical moment in overcoming tobacco’s influence in your life. Belief in yourself, a loved one or friend to quit tobacco will go a long way towards ensuring success. When you believe in yourself or others the confidence and courage needed to meet the many challenges that stem from life will blossom. Belief can change a person’s life.

After you decide that today is the day you want to quit, make a plan. Write it down, talk to someone or research what others are doing in their journeys. Being prepared to face an enemy like tobacco and nicotine addiction takes focus, hard work and resolve. You are not alone in the fight. QTMEP offers the services, resources and tools needed to help you succeed. While any day is the perfect day to quit tobacco, let GASpO be the launching pad you are looking for.

Here’s how you can get prepared to quit tobacco for a day:

Choose a Quit Date: GASpO is a perfect time to quit smokeless tobacco because others will be quitting along with you. Your military installation may be holding events and activities to help you get through the day tobacco-free. If GASpO isn’t the right day for you, then find another date and stick to it. Or use February 21st as a day to give up tobacco for 24 hours. See how you feel. Try something new. Do anything you want in that 24 hour period, except using tobacco.

Make a plan: Check out Train2Quit, a confidential, interactive system that offers self-assessment questionnaires, a custom quit plan with a calendar to track progress, and tips on how to beat cravings, overcome weight gain, and cope with the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Research shows that you are twice as likely to succeed in your attempt to quit using tobacco if you participate in a tobacco cessation program that includes support. Train2Quit is that program! You should also consult with your physician and determine if nicotine replacement therapy (e.g., gum, nicotine, patches) is right for you. Make an educated decision about where to start and use the resources provided to boost your chances!

'Seed' the way: Whether you have tried quitting smokeless tobacco in the past by going cold turkey or with alternate methods, sometimes the best approach is to substitute the tobacco for a healthier alternative. Try gum, or even Sunflower Seeds, which will give you the same oral fixation as you received from chewing or dipping tobacco, but now in a non-addictive, safe manner.

Cut back your usage: Quitting is hard. If you decide to quit “cold turkey”, your determination and drive is something to be commended. If you feel the need to try a different path, lowering your regular usage of tobacco products will help in diminishing your cravings. For a week or two before your quit date, decrease the amount of product you would usually have in your possession. Start small and then work your way up to not carrying any tobacco products at all. Training your mind, as well as your body, to not crave the same amount of nicotine each day will help subdue your cravings moving forward.

Find a support system: Family and friends are your most important allies in the fight against tobacco. Reach out for their support and guidance as you embark on your journey. Look for a battle buddy, someone who will quit along with you, and support each other. In addition, use QTMEP’s Live Chat service, available 24/7 365 days a year, where you can receive support from a trained tobacco cessation coach.

Using your resolve and quit plan, make your quit day one to remember. In addition, avoid the triggers and places that have become commonplace to you in the past when using tobacco. Get active; do not shy away from new experiences and adventures. Discovering new hobbies, activities and goals will only help to further you from the cravings and addiction to tobacco products. Also, try to have plenty of chew substitutes on hand, like sugar-free hard candy or gum, cinnamon sticks, mints, popcorn, beef jerky, or sunflower seeds. Use these tools and tips to make your next quit attempt your final and most successful quit attempt. Let February 21, 2013, and GASpO, be the first day of the rest of your life; a tobacco-free life.