Make a Clear Commitment to Quitting

Choose a firm date to quit. The first step toward becoming smoke-free is deciding exactly when you’ll stop for good.

Here are a few things to consider when selecting your quit date:

  • Give yourself enough time to get ready. Preparing ahead of time builds confidence and gives you the tools to succeed.
  • Don’t push it too far out. Aim for a date within the next one to two weeks—waiting too long can make it easy to backtrack or lose motivation.

Clarify Your Reasons for Quitting

Before you quit, take time to think about why you’re doing it. Understanding your personal motivations can dramatically improve your chances of staying committed. If you’re not sure, ask yourself questions like:

  • What is smoking doing to my health?
  • If I keep smoking, what risks am I taking—and how could it affect my family?
  • What do I dislike most about smoking?
  • How would my life get better if I quit?
  • What experiences am I missing out on because of smoking?

Spend some time reflecting on these. Your reasons may be unique, but they’ll become a powerful source of motivation during your quit journey.

Learn How to Handle Triggers and Cravings

Identifying your smoking triggers is one of the most effective ways to manage them. Triggers could be people, situations, or habits that spark the urge to smoke.

Cravings can feel intense, but they don’t last forever. Keeping yourself busy with healthy alternatives can make them easier to overcome.

When a craving hits, try:

Experiment with different strategies until you find what works best, and take action as soon as those cravings appear.

Find ways to deal with nicotine withdrawal

You may feel a bit uncomfortable and crave a cigarette in the first few weeks after quitting.

Unpleasant symptoms associated with quitting smoking are known as ‘withdrawal‘. Smokers who quit, whether they do it cold turkey or with the help of medications, counselling, or other tools, can experience withdrawal.

During nicotine withdrawal, the body adjusts to no longer receiving nicotine from cigarettes. The worst withdrawal symptoms usually last a few days to a few weeks for most people. During that time, you may:

  • Feel a little down
  • Not be able to sleep well
  • Become irritable, frustrated, or angry
  • Feel jittery, anxious, or restless
  • Struggle to think clearly

To alleviate these feelings, you may be tempted to smoke. Just keep in mind that they are only temporary, no matter how strong they appear to be at the time.

Look into your options for quitting smoking

It’s difficult to quit smoking on your own, but you don’t have to go cold turkey. As a matter of fact, you may be better off taking a different path. Here are some options for you to consider:

  • Nicotine vaping products (NVPs). These are now available under prescription at most pharmacies, so have a chat with your GP or book a telehealth consult to see if NVPs may be suitable for you.
  • Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). There are many NRT options available over the counter such as patches, gum, sprays, inhalers, and lozenges. Pharmacies and most supermarkets will have these available – no prescription required.
  • Champix and Zyban. Available in pill format under prescription, these medications work by blocking the nicotine receptors in your brain so smoking is less enjoyable.
    As of August 2021, production of Champix has been paused. Click here for more information.
  • Quitline. Receive support from a trained counsellor to help you through your quit journey by calling 13 78 48 (8am – 8pm Mon – Fri).
  • Alternative methods. There are a number of these available, including hypnotherapy and acupuncture. There is no clear evidence so far to show how much these kinds of methods will help you to quit smoking.

Remember: Everyone’s different, but anyone can quit. If one method doesn’t quite work for you it’s important not to get disheartened, just try another method. Stick with it until you find your solution.

Tell your friends and family you want to quit

When the people in your life support you, quitting smoking is a lot easier. Tell them you’re planning to quit and how they can assist you. Here are some pointers:

  • Tell them why you’ve decided to quit
  • Ask them to check in on you to see how things are going
  • Ask them to help you think of things you can do together that don’t involve smoking 
  • If they smoke, ask them to quit with you, or at least not to smoke around you
  • Ask them not to give you a cigarette, regardless of what you say or do
  • Tell them that you might be cranky while you’re trying to quit
  • Ask them to be patient and to help you through it.

Support is one of the keys to quitting successfully, and it may just make all the difference.

Link Reference:

  • https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/varenicline