How do I increase my chances of quitting?

- Commit to quitting smoking and to using QSM for the next 3 to 6 weeks.
- Let others who are supportive of you know that you are quitting smoking.
- Carry you mobile phone with you everywhere.
- Record each cigarette you smoke.
- In stage II, smoke only when prompted by QSM.

Here are a few tips to help you stay quit:

* Anticipate high-risk smoking situations. You don't need to test yourself. Each day, look ahead for possible risky situations and make a plan to avoid
or deal with these situations.

* Use your social supports when tempted to smoke. When you feel the urge to smoke, call a friend and talk about your reasons for staying quit.

* Act like the non-smoker you are. Non-smokers don't have ashtrays or lighters lying around. They try to avoid others who smoke. They don't keep a
pack around "just in case." Most importantly, they don't take a few puffs of someone else's cigarette because they don't see any harm.

* Learn from a slip. Your goal should be never to smoke again, not even a puff. If, however, you slip and smoke a cigarette, step back and plan how to prevent this slip in the future, then recommit to living as a non-smoker.

What if I start smoking again?

If, after completing the program, you are unable to stay quit and return to smoking regularly, you can restart your QSM program and retry your atempt.

What’s the best way to quit smoking? “Cold turkey” or gradually?

The ‘best way’ to quit is cold turkey. Flush your cigarettes down the toilet and resist the temptation to ever light up again.
However, it’s rarely that easy. You should do whatever works for you. Try cold turkey first and if that doesn’t work, keep trying methods until you find one that does.

What if I only decrease my habit from, say, two packs to one pack a day?

Do it.
The less you smoke, the less damage you are doing to your body. It will slow the progression of emphysema and lower the amount of carbon monoxide in the body. Studies show that 1 pack per day smokers have a slightly lower rate of cancers than a 2 pack per day smokers.
Additionally, the less you smoke, the easier it will be to eventually break your smoking habit. If you smoke a pack a day or less, you can – with commitment and assistance – break the habit. If you smoke two packs a day you still can quit, but it will be far, far harder. As a doctor, I have had much less success breaking the habits of patients who smoke more than one pack a day.
So if you can smoke less, do so. Smoking one pack a day vs. two packs is a good start. You’ll feel better, decrease your odds of cancers, be less harmful to the people around you, and are more likely to be able to quit entirely.
Since there is a considerable decrease in the risk of cancer by going from a 1 pack a day smoker to nothing. That should be your ultimate goal.

Why is it so hard to quit smoking?

Because smoking cigarettes is a powerful combination of drug addiction and social activity. You need to break both the social habit and the craving (called ‘nicotine withdrawal’) in order to quit and stay quit.
The nicotine addiction can be overcome by gradual reduction, nicotine replacement, or the cold turkey method.
The other problem is the psychological addiction. This can be treated with a strong desire to quit plus, positive reinforcement. I believe that a major reason for failure is that other smokers wittingly or unwittingly encourage the recently quit smoker to start up again.
If your partner or best friend smokes, convince that person to quit at the same time and you will have a far easier time of it.