Strategies for Reducing & Quitting Smoking: Resources & Techniques

Every smoker knows that cutting back is much harder than it seems. However, there are many resources that support and help smokers who are trying to cut down or quit. There's a plethora of medications, therapy techniques, alternative medicines and commercial products that can help you reduce your habit and eventually stop for good. With determination and encouragement from others, you can decrease your smoking habit.

Instructions

• 1

  Write down all of your smoking triggers, such as drinking alcohol or coffee, going outside for breaks at work, or finishing a good meal. Understanding what triggers your desire for smoking will help you reduce your habit.

• 2

  Avoid a few of your smoking triggers while attempting to cut back. Triggers can be extremely powerful at giving you the urge to smoke, avoiding them could mean the difference between success and failure.

• 3

  Tell your friends and family about your decision to cut back. Encouragement from friends and family can be extremely helpful during moments of weakness, because they can remind of your plan when you fail to do so yourself.

• 4

  Buy less than you smoke per week and ration that amount until next week's purchase; for example, if you smoke a pack and a half a week, buy just one pack and ration those cigarettes for the entire week. When it becomes easier to ration your week's allowance of cigarettes, lower the allowance a little more. Repeat until you're satisfied with your reduction.

• 5

  Put off smoking a cigarette by five minutes each time you have a craving. As putting off a smoke for five minutes becomes easier, put off your craving for six minutes and continue to increase the amount of time it takes to satisfy your craving. You will be able to go longer without a cigarette, even if you're having a craving, and will smoke less, as a result.