How to Stop Smoking in 35 Days

Quit smoking now and you will likely live longer. British doctors were studied over a period of 50 years with the goal of determining information about their smoking habits. According to the study, "Cessation at age 60, 50, 40, or 30 years gained, respectively, about 3, 6, 9, or 10 years of life expectancy." The message is that it pays to quit the cigarette habit, no matter what age you are now. Quitting doesn't have to be a long, drawn out process. You can stop smoking in 35 days by following a disciplined approach.

Instructions

• 1

  Record your habits in a journal for one week. Take note of exactly how many cigarettes you smoke each day, when and where you smoke them, and under what circumstances. Write down how you feel when you smoke. Add all the daily cigarette totals and divide the grand total by the number of days for a daily average. Divide your daily average by four to determine the levels for each weekly decrease.

• 2

  Cut down smoking by your weekly decrease level from the number of cigarettes you started out smoking. If you started out smoking one pack of cigarettes on average, cut your smoking down to 15 cigarettes each day. Divide the number of hours you intend to be awake by the number of cigarettes you will be smoking that day and space the cigarettes out during the day. Use your journal to alert you of potential problems.

• 3

  Cut down again by the same weekly decrease level. If you started out smoking one pack of cigarettes a day, you will now be smoking 10 cigarettes. Start finding activities that will replace smoking cigarettes. Do crossword puzzles, knit, or do any activity that involves using your hands. Exercise more. One study showed that women who were given an exercise program to do were twice as likely to quit as those who were not given exercises.

• 4

  Cut down by the final increment of the weekly decrease. If you started out with one pack per day, you will now be smoking 5 cigarettes. Space them out so that you have them at equal intervals during the day. Look for new activities to fill your new life and look forward to being smoke-free.

• 5

  Start your smoke-free life on a clean note. Make an appointment to have your teeth cleaned by your dentist. Have your furniture and carpet cleaned if you were an indoors smoker. Repaint the walls of rooms where you smoked if possible. Clean your curtains or drapes. Save up the money you would be spending on cigarettes to reward yourself later on for quitting smoking in the long term.