How to Quit Smoking, Again

If you're like most smokers who have tried to quit, you may have tried unsuccessfully several times. But you can try again and succeed.

The following suggestions can help you kick the habit, again, for good.

Understand your relapse

If you relapse, the first thing you should do is not give up. Instead, take stock of the situation. When did the relapse start and what caused it?

Once you understand why it happened, you can begin to consider ways to get back on track.

Here are some steps you can take if you slip and smoke a cigarette:

Treat the situation like an emergency. Stop smoking immediately! Get rid of all cigarettes.
Make a list of coping strategies sure to work for you this time; forget about those that didn't work for you in the past.
Review your list of reasons for wanting to quit whenever you feel you're slipping back into your old habit. When the urge hits, say, "I'm going to make it this time."
Call a quit smoking hotline for encouragement. Research has shown that such hotlines really do help people quit by giving them someone to talk to when they get the urge to smoke.

One way to head off a relapse is to practice handling some possible situations that might tempt you to smoke, so you'll be prepared for them.

Ask yourself what you should do if one of these common situations arises:

You're at a party and a friend offers you your old brand of cigarettes.
You're under a lot of pressure at work and your supervisor wants a report right away. You can't concentrate and see a pack of cigarettes on a co-worker's desk.

The key to coping with smoking urges is to plan ahead, so that wherever you are, you'll have something to do instead of smoking.

For example, whenever you want a cigarette, try the four D's: