There are two main ways that you can improve your odds of succeeding: Getting properly prepared and surrounding yourself a support network.
Get ready to quit
While some people may be able to quit “cold-turkey” and with no preparation or support, most people benefit from some planning before they quit.
Evaluate your professional and family responsibilities for the coming weeks or months, so that you can identify a good time to quit smoking. Choose a time when you are least likely to feel overwhelmed. You need to be able to make your smoking cessation efforts your priority. If you don’t foresee any periods with a lighter load in the near future, you may want to postpone your plans to quit.
If you’ve tried to quit smoking in the past, try to identify situations that were difficult or stressful, or that led to a relapse, and try to find ways to avoid them or at least to reduce their impact. Also identify what steps and individuals were helpful in the past.
Visit your pharmacist to discuss smoking cessation aids that can help you overcome the urge to smoke. Treatments to support smoking cessation are reimbursed, under certain conditions, by the provincial medical insurance plan and most private insurance plans, when prescribed.
Getting help
Other than your pharmacist, don’t hesitate to surround yourself with a support system. Many people can help you by lending an attentive ear and providing encouragement: family members, colleagues, friends, and even total strangers in online forums.
The Quit to Win Challenge website offers useful information and access to a virtual community of smokers who, like you, want to quit smoking.
There are also numerous mobile apps to help you quit, including the SOS Challenge app on the Quit to Win Challenge site.
A good support system, whether human or virtual, will help you overcome the urge to smoke and to quit for good.
Good luck!
Related services
- Smoking cessation
