Cigarette smoking can lead to a number of health problems including lung cancer and premature death. The health benefits from quitting smoking are immediate and substantial. Listed below are ways to help you prepare to quit smoking:

How to Prepare Yourself to Quit Smoking:

• Decide positively that you want to quit. Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be.
• List all reasons you want to quit. Every night before going to bed, repeat one of those reasons 10 times.
• Develop strong personal reasons in addition to your health and obligations to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting for a light, etc.
• Begin to condition yourself physically: Start a modest exercise program; drink more fluids; get plenty of rest; and avoid fatigue.
• Set a target date for quitting; perhaps a special day such as your birthday, your anniversary, or the Great American Smokeout. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation so that you're already committed to quitting when you return. Make the date sacred, and don't let anything change it. This will make it easy for you to keep track of the day you became a nonsmoker and to celebrate that date every year.
  
  

Knowing What to Expect:

• Have realistic expectations, quitting is NOT easy, but it's not impossible either...more than 3 million Americans quit every year.
• Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary. They usually last only 1-2 weeks.
• Know that most relapses occur in the first week after quitting, when withdrawal symptoms are strongest and your body is still dependent on nicotine. Be aware that this will be your hardest time, and use all your personal resources; willpower, family and friends, to get you through this critical period successfully.
• Remember that smoking is a habit, but a habit you can break.
• Realize that most successful ex-smokers quit for good only after several attempts. You may be one of those who can quit on your first try. But if you're not, don't give up. Try again.

Just Before Quitting:

• Practice going without cigarettes.
• Don't think of never smoking again. Think of quitting in terms of 1 day at a time.
• Tell yourself you won't smoke today, and then don't.
• Clean your clothes to rid them of the cigarette smell, which can linger a long time.

On the Day You Quit:

• Throw away all your cigarettes and matches.
• Hide your lighters and ash trays.
• Visit the dentist and have your teeth cleaned to get rid of tobacco stains. Notice how nice they look and resolve to keep them that way.
• Make a list of things you'd like to buy for yourself or someone else.
• Estimate the cost in terms of packs of cigarettes, and put the money aside to buy these presents.
• Keep very busy on the big day. Go to the movies, exercise, take long walks, go bike riding.
• Remind your family and friends that this is your quit date, and ask them to help you over the rough spots of the first couple of days and weeks.
• Buy yourself a treat or do something special to celebrate.

Good Luck!