Contemplation Stage:
After a period of time, often years, you may begin to realize that you are “hooked,” and that smoking is affecting your health and the health of those around you. You begin to think about the benefits of quitting, but you know that quitting will be difficult. You are seriously considering quitting smoking sometime within the next six months, but you are ambivalent. This is called the Contemplation Stage. In this stage, you may read articles on ways to quit or on the health effects of smoking, while you would have ignored this information in the Pre-Contemplation Stage. You begin to imagine your life without cigarettes. You also begin to experiment with making changes. For example, you may be trying to delay your first cigarette of the day, smoke only half of some cigarettes, or not smoke in your house or car. If you are in this stage right now, you are still not ready to use the patch.
Preparation Stage:
When you’ve made the decision to quit within the next month, and you have experimented with making changes, you’ve entered the Preparation Stage. Most people who have purchased the patch for the first time are in this stage. Preparation is a good name for this stage because thorough preparation greatly improves your chances of success. Just “winging it” or relying on willpower alone is not enough. You need a game plan that includes setting a quit date and committing to at least one person that you will make this change. Using this guide, as well as talking to the professionals at 1-888-HABITROL, will help you become fully prepared for your quit day and beyond.
Action Stage:
On the day that you quit smoking, you are in the Action Stage. It’s time to set your plan in motion. You will probably experience cravings for nicotine and urges to have a cigarette throughout the day, but through preparation, you have developed multiple strategies for dealing with your “triggers,” withdrawal symptoms and those cravings or urges to smoke. It’s important to start using the patch on the morning of your quit-day to help reduce urges to smoke and other withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability and difficulty concentrating.
Maintenance and Termination Stages:
If you are able to remain smoke-free for 6 months, you enter the Maintenance Stage. You like your new life, but still have occasional urges. Watch out for overconfidence. Thinking you can smoke “just one cigarette” should be a blinking neon warning sign. For most people, that one cigarette leads to two, then three, then full-time smoking again. Constantly remind yourself of the benefits you now enjoy as a nonsmoker. Have a plan ready to help you manage unexpected situations that may cause you stress and challenge your resolve to remain smoke-free. Most successful quitters will have occasional urges for many years.
Only about 1 in 5 quitters reach the Termination Stage, in which they have absolutely no temptation to smoke, and are 100% confident that they will never smoke again.
Your own chances to stop smoking depend on how strongly you are addicted to nicotine, how much you want to quit, and how closely you follow a quitting program like the one that comes with this product. If you find you cannot stop or if you start smoking again after using this product, please talk to a health care professional who can help you find a program that may work better for you.
Which Way Now?
If you are planning on quitting within the next month or have recently quit, continue working through this guide to develop your personal quit plan, including the use of the patch. If you have any questions or need additional support, call the professionals at 1-888-HABITROL. You will be encouraged by the wealth of information and support that is readily available.
If you are not planning on quitting soon, this isn’t the time for you to use the patch, but the professionals at 1-888-HABITROL can still help you. They can offer you personalized feedback about your smoking, help you set a quit date, assist with your ambivalence about quitting and provide you information about the resources available to you, even before you’re ready to quit. You can also help a friend or family member that is trying to quit by passing along this information about the HABITROL Take Control® Support Program. Use of 1-888-HABITROL is free of charge.
Why I Want to Stop Smoking
Knowing that there are benefits to quitting is essential to your success. Writing down the reasons you want to quit on a card and keeping it with you to review can help you resist a temptation to smoke. Check off the reasons below that apply to you.
□ I want control back — I’m almost always thinking about or smoking a cigarette. I feel like the cigarette is controlling me.
□ I want to improve my chances of living a longer, healthier life.
□ I want to spend my cigarette money on other things — maybe a vacation.
□ I want more time for myself. Instead of taking those smoke breaks outside, I could be doing so many other things.
□ I want to look and smell better by getting rid of that lingering odor of smoke.
□ I want to set a healthier example for my children and grandchildren.
Write other reasons you have for quitting in the space below:
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After completing this list, refer to it every day to reinforce your commitment to becoming a nonsmoker.
Health Benefits of Quitting
Most of us recognize the risks of smoking, such as cancer, heart disease and emphysema, but may not be aware of the many immediate and long-term benefits of quitting.
Immediate benefits in the first days and months may include:
Breathing may get easier
Food tastes better
Sense of smell improves
Walking and exercise may become easier
Remember, it’s never too late to quit. Whether you’re 34 or 84, your body can cleanse and start to repair the damage done by years of smoking.
Now that you are motivated and committed, the next step is to choose a quit date within the next 2–3 weeks to stop smoking. Decide whether it will be easier to quit on a workday when your smoking may already be restricted, or on the weekend when you are more relaxed. You may want to consider quitting at the beginning of the week, on a Sunday or Monday. It’s best to choose a date when:
Your stress level is low
You’ll be confronted with a minimum of smoking triggers
You will not be in a social situation with other smokers, especially those that include alcohol
Enter your quit date on Day 1 of your Daily Success Calendar, located in the back of this guide.
Understanding Nicotine Addiction
Dependence on cigarettes is a twofold problem: the physical side of addiction to nicotine and the psychological side. Preparing to deal with both in advance will help make quitting easier and more comfortable.
Smoking and your body
As you know, smoking cigarettes is addictive. Nicotine, the addictive agent, reaches your brain in just seconds after each puff. Your brain and body get used to functioning with a certain level of nicotine. Within a few hours of your last cigarette, your nicotine level drops dramatically, resulting in withdrawal symptoms for most smokers.
Common withdrawal symptoms include intense cravings for nicotine, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping and increased appetite. Physical withdrawal symptoms usually peak within 24 to 72 hours after quitting, then decline over the next several weeks. Some smokers, however, may experience withdrawal symptoms for several months.
Staying on this patch for the full eight weeks can reduce the withdrawal symptoms you experience.
Smoking and your mind
The physical need for nicotine isn’t the only reason you may find it difficult to quit smoking. You can also be psychologically dependent.
Over time you’ve created strong associations or “triggers” to light up a cigarette. Sometimes you smoke for comfort: “Smoking helps me relax,” or “I don’t feel as angry when I smoke.” Sometimes it seems to make a social situation more enjoyable: “I like to smoke when I’m out having coffee with a friend or when drinking at a party.” At other times, you smoke out of habit: “I light up as soon as I get in the car,” “I smoke when I’m taking a break at work” or “Because I am so used to smoking, I feel uncomfortable without a cigarette in my hand.”
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