Q = Quit
Your quit day is here. The next 2 weeks are probably going to be the steepest part of your climb to the peak of smoke-free living.
Anticraving drugs and nicotine replacement therapy will lessen your urge to smoke, but it won't disappear entirely, because the habit is still ingrained in your brain. Check out the Six Es for Coping with Cravings whenever you feel a strong desire for a cigarette. Below are some other skills that will help you succeed in your new smoke-free life. You'll find them especially helpful during the first 2 weeks, but they're also useful anytime in the future that you get the urge for a cigarette. And you don't have to use these skills for long: Most cravings last only a few seconds or minutes at the most!
Keep the Withdrawal Symptoms Chart handy, because you might encounter unexpected reactions, and the solutions on the chart will help you cope. But try not to obsess about what you're feeling. Overfocusing on symptoms can actually increase your stress level.
Go to the Checklist #2: A Dozen Things to Help You Through the First 2 Weeks to remind yourself of the many ways you can avoid lighting up.
The things that prompt a craving tend to change as you go longer without smoking. After 2 weeks, switch to the Checklist #3: Four Tactics to Get You Past the 2-Week Point When you've passed the 2-week benchmark, use Checklist #4: Eight Ways to Maintain Your Nonsmoking Status. Yes, you will get there! And when you do, pat yourself on the back.
