Smoking cessation is the big topic right now and seems like it has been for an incredibly long time. I’m guessing that by reading this you have an interest in giving up, wanting to help someone give up, or have already given up. Whatever one it may be, I can’t promise instant 100% success; I’m not a professional and I don’t have an ounce of cessation training in me - but I recently managed to quit smoking, so I’m going to put together a small series on ‘how I gave up smoking’, in the hopes that it might help someone else.

This first of three posts will look at preparation, why I think it’s important and how it helped me.

Preparation

All the big things in life will require some sort of preparation - and in most cases even the small things in life - so why would we presume that giving up cigarettes deserves less consideration? There are a variety of areas that would benefit from some preparation, but personally most of my preparation was carried out just by thinking. You may have already given up something addictive and will therefore understand the process you have to go through, mentally and physically, in order to come out the other side in one piece. But for most of us its our first addiction and - fingers crossed - soon to be our last.

The first area I believe you should consider is the motivation for giving up.

Why do you want to do this? My main reasons were money and the fact that smoking cigarettes directly contradicts the career path I want to follow. Lets be honest with ourselves, no one purely wants to give up just for the sake of their health if they are presently healthy, or at least believe they are healthy. A few different motivations will help you see why you are going to do this.

One thing I can say is that if I’d known I would love being addiction-free this much, it would have been my main motivation all along, because it genuinely feels great not to be addicted.

Without a sure motivation, you can’t be sure you really want to do this. And if you don’t want to give up and are just doing so out of some sense of obligation, you need to recognise that the success rate is very low.

Setting a date seems like a ridiculous idea, doesn’t it? But if you know that on, for example,  January 1st you are going to embark on this adventure, you are more likely to go through with it. In others words, I think it makes it final. Saying that, if you are one of those people that regularly cancel bookings in your diary, perhaps this idea isn’t for you!

Make sure you set a logical date. Don’t decide on a date that is surrounded by stressful events, or parties, where people are going to be smoking. I know that sounds obvious, but I’m speaking from personal experience here! Living in the 21st century can mean that more than our fair share of days are stressful, so take that into account.

My date was January 1st. Typical, eh? Once you know your date, tell everyone you know! I did this; I told friends and family. That way, there’s a big expectation on you to go ahead with it. I suspect that a good number of my friends didn’t believe I was going to do it, because I went through a stage in my second year of smoking where I tried to give up on several occasions. So who can blame them for being non believers? I think that also spurred me on when it came to crunch time; I don’t like to be wrong, so I had to prove them wrong!

I’m sure you’ve considered how you are going to conquer this. I used patches and gum. I know someone who just used gum – amazing. I know one person (but only one) who gave up cold turkey, but he was in hospital on strict bed rest and wired to machines. He had a lot of motivation – his life and family, but it’s still an incredible accomplishment. Some people swear on a quit smoking book. I know of someone who used hypnotherapy – and it worked!

Personally, I used patches because I knew I was seriously addicted and I didn’t like the person I became if I couldn’t smoke. Having that constant stream of nicotine was ideal, for everyone involved! You know how you work, so only you can honestly know what will work for you.

Last but not least, I think that you’ll need to consider how you are going to deal with the triggers, cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Take some time out to notice when you smoke out of habit and when you smoke as a reaction to circumstances. Self-awareness is the key here – you will know best how you cope with stress (other than having a cigarette, of course!).

You also know how you are when you haven’t had a cigarette in a while. If you’re irritable and moody, make sure your friends, colleagues, significant others or housemates know this. That way, they can support you more and are more likely to be understanding. Food, gym, walking, painting, cleaning and gum can all combat cravings; make sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve.

Once you’ve prepared and set the big date, you’re pretty much half way there. My second in the three part series will take a look at the actual quitting. I hope that after reading this first snippet you’ll still be up for joining me in that.

Last but not least, don’t put too much emphasis on having “the last one”. If you do, that’s all you’ll be thinking when you’re smoking it and you won’t enjoy it and therefore you’ll believe you deserve another – and that pattern can last for weeks. Trust me!