| Cold
Turkey |
| Method: |
Set a quit date and use no tobacco
after that date. |
| Benefits
of this method: |
You get through the withdrawal period sooner.
You don't have to worry about keeping track
of how many packs or cans of tobacco you
have used each day. |
| Drawbacks
of this method:
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to Top
|
The thought of suddenly going without tobacco
may keep you from even trying to quit. |
| Tapering |
| Method: |
Set a quit date
Count out how many cigarettes or containers
of tobacco must be
reduced per day to be tobacco-free on the
quit date.
- - For example, set a quit date seven days
from now. If you
smoke one pack of cigarettes per day, to
be smoke-free in
seven days, 3 cigarettes per day must be given
up. So on day
one only 17 cigarettes will be smoked; on day
two - 14; on
day three, 11, and so on until on day seven
no more
cigarettes are smoked.
Borrowing extra smokes/chews from friends and
stretching quit
time is not allowed. |
| Benefits
of this method: |
It lessens the impact of sudden withdrawal.
It slowly weans you from your addiction to tobacco. |
Drawbacks
of this method:
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|
It requires you to keep track of how much tobacco
you have used
each day.
A high stress event may cause you to use up
your supply before the
day ends. This increases the chance of withdrawal
symptoms and
cheating.
|
| Place
Postponement |
| Method:
|
Keep a log of where you use tobacco.
Identify high use areas such as t.v. rooms,
kitchens, in your car,
etc.
Set a future quit date.
Begin setting locations off-limits to tobacco
use- add a new
off-limits area every couple of days or so.
Soon you limit yourself from using tobacco in
any area. |
| Benefits
of this method: |
It doesn't require counting the amounts of tobacco
used each day.
It slowly weans you from your addiction to tobacco. |
Drawbacks
of this method:
Back to Top
|
A high stress event may cause you to use up
your supply before the
day ends. This increases the chance of withdrawal
symptoms and
cheating.
|
| Time
Postponement |
| Method: |
Set a time limit from when you first feel the
urge to use to when you
actually do use the tobacco.
The time block gets larger from the first day
on until there is no
more time to use tobacco
Example: On the first day delay smoking a cigarette
for 5 minutes
from time of the first urge. The next day
go to fifteen minutes, the
next day thirty minutes, and so on until time
to use runs out. |
| Benefits
of this method: |
It doesn't require counting of amounts of tobacco
used. |
Drawbacks
of this method:
Back
to Top
|
High stress situations and lack of commitment
may limit success. |
| Combination |
| Method: |
You use two or more of the previous methods at the
same time.
Example:
Use the tapering method (decreasing amount each
day) until tobacco use is low enough for
you to go cold turkey.
|
| Benefits
of this method: |
It allows you to commit to an approach that doesn't
require total quitting from the start. |
Drawbacks
of this method:
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to Top
|
Lack
of persistence. Like any new learning it takes
time for
a new technique to work
The "I tried but just couldn't do it"
mentality instead of an
"Okay, I slipped this time so what do I do
next time?"
mentality.
|
