How to Quit If You're Sick of Smoking

Are you sick of spending your money on cigarettes? Smelling like an ashtray? Coughing all the time? If you're in your teens and you smoke, quitting could be the best thing you do all year. You may think you can stop smoking anytime you want, but studies show it's likely that you'll find it hard to quit. Consider this: 75 percent of students who smoked every day in high school still smoked five or six years later, even though they planned to quit.

But people quit all the time, and you can too. Here are some tips to help you:

• Make a list of the reasons you want to quit.

• Tell your family and friends that you are quitting. Ask them to help you by not smoking around you or leaving cigarettes where you can find them.

• Choose a "quit day."

• On the day you quit, throw away all your cigarettes, lighters, matches, and ashtrays.

• Stay busy and change your routine. Stay away from places where you used to smoke. Find things that you can pop in your mouth when you get a craving, such as sugarless gum or a toothpick.

• Spend your time in places where you're not allowed to smoke, such as malls or the movies.

• Reward yourself. Treat yourself to a movie or buy yourself a CD with the money you've saved on cigarettes.

• If you give in and have a puff or a cigarette, don't give up. A lot of people try several times before they quit smoking for good.

If you just can't seem to give up smoking, talk with your doctor. Your doctor can help you determine whether the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, or a support group might help you quit.

Need Help Quitting?

• Keystone Mercy has a Tobacco Cessation Program (how to quit smoking) to help.  For more information, please call Member Services at 1-800-521-6860.
• For more information about programs to help you stop smoking, go to  www.determinedtoquit.com. 
• You can also call the Pennsylvania Free Quitline, 1-800 QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669).  This program is offered as a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the American Cancer Society.