Staying stopped

by Sally Watkin
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OK – you've quit. But how do you stay a smokeless zone? Here's how...

Seek out your Stub Buddy

Don’t be shy – your NHS-trained stop smoking expert can help, whether you need advice, inspiration or nicotine replacement products.

Trash the ash

Once you've quit, smoking is no longer an option, so make sure your home, car and pockets are free of cigarettes and smoking accessories (matches, lighters, ash trays etc).

Rebrand yourself

'From the day you commit to quit, it's important to tell yourself you're a non-smoker – not a "smoker trying to stop",' says Professor Robert West, NHS spokesman and Cancer Research UK expert.

Be prepared

Avoid the triggers that set off cravings. Be aware when you're likely to crack, and have a strategy planned, such as contacting your Stub Buddy or using your nicotine replacement therapy treatment or medicine.

Resist temptation

Resolve to stay strong even in difficult situations: if you used to light up straight after a meal, go for a walk or have a soft drink instead. If alcohol and cigarettes usually go hand in hand, lay off the booze.

No butts: craving beater #1

Clean your teeth (once your breath tastes fresh, the desire to pollute your mouth may be less appealing).


Tips to help you stay stopped

  • Focus on the positive. You are now a non-smoker.
  • Take your new, smoke-free life one day at a time.
  • Find a new way to keep your hands busy: knit, file your nails, doodle, cook, garden, borrow your child's games console.
  • Exercise: it's easier when your lungs work better.
  • Have your teeth professionally cleaned to zap nicotine stains for good.
  • Fall in love with a non-smoker! (Failing that, make friends with non-smokers.)


No butts: craving beater #2

Before you quit, place a handful of cigarette butts in a jam-jar, add water, put the lid on and shake it up. Whenever you fancy a fag, open the jar and inhale deeply: that's how your breath will smell if you succumb.


Tot up how to spend your smoke-free future

With the money you’ll save by not smoking – around £1800 per year (based on a daily pack of 20 cigarettes costing £5) or £36,000 over the next 20 years – you’ll be able to splash out a little... you deserve it! Now, how about having your home spring-cleaned… gym membership?... and where's that holiday brochure?

Whoops, I did it again

What happens if you fall off the wagon?
  1. Don’t beat yourself up. Smoking one cigarette – or even a pack – doesn't have to mean abandoning your attempt to quit.
  2. Remind yourself how well you were doing and how great you were feeling.
  3. Either resolve to put the lapse behind you and carry on quitting, or set a new stop date.
  4. Never stop giving up, because the more times you try, the greater your chance of succeeding.


No butts: craving beater #3

Remember that most quitters find the first three months the toughest; once you're past that point, you're winning.

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