how to get ready to quit smoking

carry one of those little notebooks and a pen[cil] with you. every time you reach for a cigarette, ask yourself, "why am i smoking this cigarette?", then write the answer in your notebook.

just being aware of what's going on for you, moment by moment, is great practice for when you quit; because when you quit, one of the easiest ways to relapse is to grab one of those "autopilot" cigarettes.

when you quit, the hardest cigarettes to let go of are the ones you smoke unconsciously; you're just not mentally/emotionally prepared to let them go. by the same token, the easiest ones to let go are the ones you smoke consciously, knowing the reason why.

i did this when i was getting ready to quit, and here's what happened: i'd be watching tv, and a commercial would come on, and i'd reach for a cig. i'd write down, "reaching for a cig because a commercial came on." as often as not i'd tell myself, "oh, ok; i'm doing this on autopilot. fuggedaboudit!" and i'd put the cigarette back in the pack.

it was the same thing with a lot of cigarettes i reached for. in fact, in about a day, i went from a pack a day smoker to smoking 5 or 6 a day. just the ones i "really wanted" (for whatever reason); all the rest were on autopilot.

just being aware of what's going on for you, moment by moment, is great practice for when you quit; because when you quit, one of the easiest ways to relapse is to grab one of those "autopilot" cigarettes. (you know; the one you grab when the commercial comes on, the one you smoke as soon as you finish eating, the one you light up when you get on the phone, the 26 you smoke without even being aware of them when you're having drinks...)

it's especially important in the early days of a quit to be aware; your biggest danger lies in the unguarded moment.