Setting Goals to Help You Quit Smoking

Any smoker who’s finally decided to kick the habit has probably thought about living healthier and managing their finances better. 

Staying smoke-free is a different challenge, but you can make it happen by setting goals to support your journey and avoiding giving up halfway.

While reaching these goals can be tougher than setting them, choosing a quit date shows you’re taking real action towards your smoke-free goal. 

Tackling something for the first time can be tricky and confusing because you might not know where to start.

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So, here are some tips on setting goals, identifying smoking triggers, and other helpful things you need to get through your timeline to quit smoking for good.

Set Your Quit Date

Don’t let your decision to quit smoking go stagnant—follow it up straight away by setting a specific quit date. 

Experts suggest picking a date that’s two weeks from when you decide to quit. 

This gives you enough time to get your body and mindset ready. It also adds the right kind of pressure to keep you motivated, but not so much that it stresses you out or makes you back down.

Define Your ‘Why’

You might know a former smoker who managed to quit even after decades of nicotine addiction. 

There’s no secret to it, really—it all comes down to sheer determination and staying focused on the reasons they wanted to kick the habit for good.

You can do the same by being clear about why you want to make this change, so you have something to hold onto when cravings and doubts hit hard.

Let’s look at some common reasons why people decide to stop smoking once and for all.

Financial Reasons

Smoking doesn’t just harm your health; it also puts a dent in your wallet. With today’s cigarette prices, you’ll fork out around $40 for a 20-pack of ciggies. 

If you’re a smoker who goes through a pack a day, that adds up to about $14,000 a year. Quitting for good could give you enough for a car down payment or cover a big chunk of your children’s school fees.

Even if you need a bit of help from nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products or nicotine vaping products (NVPs), you’ll still save money. 

NVPs from pharmacies cost around $10 to $13 per cartridge, which could mean annual savings of around $11,000.

A Healthier You

“Health is wealth” isn’t just a familiar saying; it’s a reminder about your reality and future self. 

If you’ve been smoking for decades, you’re probably more vulnerable to cancer, lung problems, and other costly and life-threatening conditions.

The first few weeks of quitting might be extremely difficult with withdrawal symptoms causing some discomfort, but relief will come. 

You’ll soon find yourself having fewer mood swings and better endurance. As you stay smoke-free, you’ll start to enjoy an overall better quality of life. 

Keeping in mind that this is what’s waiting for you on the other side can help motivate you to see your quit-smoking journey through to the end.

For the Kids

If you’ve got kids, you’ve probably thought about their health every now and then with every cigarette you puff. 

It’s never too late to start protecting your children from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. 

Some of these effects can include stunted growth and a disrupted sense of taste and smell. Even worse, your kids might end up prone to bronchitis and pneumonia at a very young age. 

Every child deserves to grow up healthy, doing what they love, and living without asthma or other lung issues. You can help make that happen by quitting smoking for good.

To Achieve Your Other Goals

Did you ever want to climb a mountain, run a marathon, or even just have the energy to kick a footy with your kids? If you have always wanted to do something athletic or have enough focus to flesh out an idea you’ve always wanted to try, you can do it so much better by kicking ciggies out of your life.

Many people who stopped smoking picked up new habits and hobbies along the way. They’ve taken up hiking, weightlifting, kayaking, and other activities they never thought they could do. 

If your goal is to do something special, stopping smoking will make you physically stronger and mentally capable of doing it well. You should know that stopping smoking is an accomplishment in itself – and that success should give you the confidence to propel you towards your other goals.

Identify Your Smoking Triggers

You’re off to a good start with your goals, but following through is the most difficult part of the process. One way to cope with these challenges is to identify craving-inducing triggers.

For some people, hanging out with friends with drinks is enough to make them salivate and want a cigarette. And for most people, the stress of work or anxiety about anything is enough to cause withdrawal symptoms and cravings to worsen.

It’s worth mentioning that these are only common smoking triggers. Yours might be different – like something aligned to nostalgia or other enjoyable previous experiences with friends. Once you identify your smoking triggers, stay away from them, and make sure you have the right tools to help curb them.

If you’re not sure how to identify your triggers, here are a few examples that may resonate with you to help you start kicking smoking out of your life for good.

Activities to Help You Quit

The first hour without a cigarette is easy to handle. However, the next few hours, days, and weeks can take their toll and take your cravings over the edge. This worsens faster if you’re bored and unsure about what to do when you feel strong cravings and withdrawals.

To keep yourself from being idle, here are some activities that have proven useful for many successful quitters.

Exercise

Physical activities make you sweat and feel empowered to do anything. Your first few attempts to walk briskly or jog may feel strenuous and feel like you’re losing breath all the time. But soon, you’ll notice you feel better and even happier – after all, you did accomplish something you may not have been able to do when you were smoking.

After you exercise, your body feels tired but satisfied. It releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which make you feel great and proud of yourself. This chemical also helps reduce your withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

Attending a Class

To ease boredom, you can attend a class on something you’ve always wanted to try. Painting classes are relaxing and give you a community that won’t remind you of smoking. 

Attending any class shows you’re committed to quitting and easing your withdrawals, which is a small yet very important goal for any person trying to quit.

Reviving an Old Hobby

Hobbies are always a great way to pass the time. Many successful people who quit smoking mention they neglected a specific hobby because cigarettes are expensive, and they had no money to spend on what they actually enjoyed.

If you once loved collecting trinkets, building models, or playing tabletop games with your friends, it’s probably high time to revive these hobbies. If you have no hobby, no problem – there are tons of ideas out there to help you get started on something you might love.

Keep Your Mouth Busy

Oral fixation and hand-to-mouth gestures are common triggers for many to crave a cigarette. Be prepared to keep your mouth busy without smoking by substituting the cigarette with vegetables, sugarless gum, and trail mixes.

If you really can’t do away with cigarettes with your coffee or drinks with friends, a great alternative is nicotine vaping products (NVPs), and you can buy these from pharmacies. We’ll talk more about them later.

Create a Smoking Cessation Plan

Smoking cessation is an ongoing process, even after years of being smokefree and seeing the complete timeline to quit smoking. The best way to meet your goals is to work with experts and tools that have helped many successful people to quit smoking. Here are various ways to get started on your smoking cessation programme.

Consult a GP

Think of the smoking cessation programme as your first time hiking or kayaking. You need an instructor or someone to guide you through the best practices and the most effective path throughout. GPs have helped numerous quitters to stop smoking with tailor-made smoking cessation programmes.

GPs may prescribe NRT tools to help you manage your withdrawals – an important component of any quit journey.

However, GPs also know that NRT products might not be enough to keep your cravings and withdrawals at bay. They may decide to prescribe pharmacy NVPs as a second means to help you stop smoking for good.

More About NVPs

Based on your GP’s evaluation, after NRTs prove to be ineffective, they can prescribe NVPs to help you quit. Pharmacy NVPs are made under stringent medical standards. With a cessation tool designed to wean you off nicotine, you are well on your way to successfully quitting. 

The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRTs in helping people stop smoking.

Join a Smoking Cessation Community

It’s easier to quit smoking and deal with withdrawal if you have a friend joining you. Your chances of quitting grow much higher if you have a supportive community helping you. 

Aside from family and friends, smoking cessation communities have helped many successful ex-smokers kick the habit.

In these organisations, you’re in the same boat as others who empathise with your struggles and challenges. With people you can talk to, especially during the worst of your withdrawals and cravings, you’re well-equipped to finally stop smoking for good.

Summary

Setting goals to help you quit smoking gives you the focus and preparation needed to overcome any challenge on the path to success. By doing this small step, you’re well on your way towards successfully stopping smoking.

You’re probably here because you want to know the goals you want to help you stop smoking. You’re in the right place.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to  Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53017/
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm
• https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_overall_health_508.pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3298628/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2692703/
• https://www.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective