How to quit smoking

How to Quit Smoking Naturally

This article was co-authored by Tracy Carver, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure. Dr. Tracy Carver is an award-winning Licensed Psychologist based in Austin, Texas. Dr. Carver specializes in counseling for issues related to self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and psychedelic integration. She holds a BS in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MA in Educational Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Carver also completed an internship in Clinical Psychology through Harvard University Medical School. She was voted one of the Best Mental Health Professionals in Austin for four years in a row by Austin Fit Magazine. Dr. Carver has been featured in Austin Monthly, Austin Woman Magazine, Life in Travis Heights, and KVUE (the Austin affiliate for ABC News).

There are 19 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been viewed 40,280 times.

Smoking is an undeniably hard habit to quit, but you’re making a great choice by putting the tobacco down. Not only will you feel better physically when you quit, but you’ll lower your risk dramatically for heart disease, lung cancer, and other health problems. While nicotine replacement can be effective, many people chose to opt for a more natural approach. Quitting is hard, but your chances of being successful go up exponentially if you prepare to quit, find a way to suppress the urges, and make a few lifestyle changes to deter yourself from smoking. While you can quit nicotine without medical assistance, you do need to contact a doctor if you experience severe withdrawal.

13 Best Quit-Smoking Tips Ever

1. Find Your Reason

To get motivated, you need a powerful, personal reason to quit. It may be to protect your family from secondhand smoke. В Or lower your chance of getting lung cancer, heart disease, or other conditions. Or to look and feel younger. Choose a reason that is strong enough to outweigh the urge to light up.

2. Prepare Before You Go ‘Cold Turkey’

There’s more to it than just tossing your cigarettes out. Smoking is an addiction. The brain is hooked on nicotine. Without it, you’ll go through withdrawal. Line up support in advance. Ask your doctor about all the methods that will help, such as quit-smoking classes and apps, counseling, medication, and hypnosis. You’ll be ready for the day you choose to quit. В В

3. Consider Nicotine Replacement Therapy

When you stop smoking, nicotine withdrawal may give you headaches, affect your mood, or sap your energy. The craving for “just one drag” is tough. Nicotine replacement therapy can curb these urges. Studies show that nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches improve your chances of success when you’re also in a quit-smoking program.

4. Learn About Prescription Pills

Medicines can curb cravings and may also make smoking less satisfying if you do pick up a cigarette. Other drugs can ease withdrawal symptoms, such as depression or problems with concentration.

5. Lean On Your Loved Ones

Tell your friends, family, and other people you’re close to that you’re trying to quit. They can encourage you to keep going, especially when you’re tempted to light up. You can also join a support group or talk to a counselor. Behavioral therapyВ is a type of counseling that helps you identify and stick to quit-smoking strategies. Even a few sessions may help. В

6. Give Yourself a Break

One reason people smoke is that the nicotine helps them relax. Once you quit, you’ll need new ways to unwind. There are many options. You can exercise to blow off steam, tune in to your favorite music, connect with friends, treat yourself to a massage, or make time for a hobby. Try to avoid stressful situations during the first few weeks after you stop smoking.

7. Avoid Alcohol and Other Triggers

When you drink, it’s harder to stick to your no-smoking goal. So try to limit alcohol when you first quit. Likewise, if you often smoke when you drink coffee, switch to tea for a few weeks. If you usually smoke after meals, find something else to do instead, like brushing your teeth, taking a walk, texting a friend, or chewing gum.

8. Clean House

Once you’ve smoked your last cigarette, toss all of your ashtrays and lighters. Wash any clothes that smell like smoke, and clean your carpets, draperies, and upholstery. Use air fresheners to get rid of that familiar scent. If you smoked in your car, clean it out, too. You don’t want to see or smell anything that reminds you of smoking.

9. Try and Try Again

Many people try several times before giving up cigarettes for good. If you light up, don’t get discouraged. Instead, think about what led to your relapse, such as your emotions or the setting you were in. Use it as an opportunity to step up your commitment to quitting. Once you’ve made the decision to try again, set a “quit date” within the next month.

10. Get Moving

Being active can curb nicotine cravings and ease some withdrawal symptoms. When you want to reach for a cigarette, put on your inline skates or jogging shoes instead. Even mild exercise helps, such as walking your dog or pulling weeds in the garden. The calories you burn will also ward off weight gain as you quit smoking.

11. Eat Fruits and Veggies

Don’t try to diet while you give up cigarettes. Too much deprivation can easily backfire. Instead, keep things simple and try to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. These are good for your whole body.

12. Choose Your Reward

In addition to all the health benefits, one of the perks of giving up cigarettes is all the money you will save. There are online calculators that figure out how much richer you will be. Reward yourself by spending part of it on something fun.

13. Remember That Time Is on Your Side

As soon as you quit, you start to get immediate health benefits. After only 20 minutes, your heart rate goes back to normal. Within a day, your blood’s carbon monoxide level also falls back into place. In just 2-3 weeks, you will start to lower your odds of having a heart attack. In the long run, you will also lower your chance of getting lung cancer and other cancers.

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(1)   Sami Sarkis / Photographer’s Choice / Photolibrary
(2)В В В Stuart McClymont / Stone / Getty Images
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(5)В В В Marcin Balcerzak / iStockphoto
(6)В В В Jacob Wackerhausen / iStockphoto
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Smokefree.gov: “What’s Your Reason to Quit?” “Tools & Tips,” “Find a Quit Method That Works for You,” “How Much Will You Save?”

American Lung Association: “Benefits of Quitting.”

How to Stop Smoking Instantly

This article was co-authored by Tracy Carver, PhD. Dr. Tracy Carver is an award-winning Licensed Psychologist based in Austin, Texas. Dr. Carver specializes in counseling for issues related to self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and psychedelic integration. She holds a BS in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MA in Educational Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Carver also completed an internship in Clinical Psychology through Harvard University Medical School. She was voted one of the Best Mental Health Professionals in Austin for four years in a row by Austin Fit Magazine. Dr. Carver has been featured in Austin Monthly, Austin Woman Magazine, Life in Travis Heights, and KVUE (the Austin affiliate for ABC News).

There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 162,481 times.

Quitting smoking is a difficult and time consuming endeavor. It takes considerable willpower and a deep commitment to achieve your goal of being smoke-free. There are multiple strategies for breaking your addiction to smoking; however, there is no single way to quit and individual success rates will not be the same for everyone. Although ending your smoking habit will not happen instantly, you can make it a little less difficult by creating a plan and following through on it utilizing different methods to curb your guilty cravings.

10 Tips for When You Quit Smoking

Armeen Poor, MD, is a board-certified pulmonologist and intensivist. He specializes in pulmonary health, critical care, and sleep medicine.

We all want this quit-smoking attempt to be the quit—the one that lasts us a lifetime. We’re looking for permanent freedom from nicotine addiction when we stub out the last cigarette and begin to heal our bodies.

Luckily, there are many tips and strategies that can help you quit smoking and make it stick. By learning what you should (and shouldn’t) do when trying to quit, and educating yourself about what happens when you stop smoking, you can ensure you are successful in your smoking cessation plans.

Helpful Tips For Quitting Smoking

Have a Plan

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Patcharanan Worrapatchareeroj / Getty Images

A little preparation can help you get into the mindset to quit smoking and line up some tools to better manage the first week to 10 days after your last cigarette, which according to the American Lung Association, will be the hardest.

Be Patient

It is a natural tendency to quit smoking and expect to be over it within a month. That would be nice (very nice!), but it doesn’t work that way.

When we quit smoking, we’re overcoming nicotine addiction (including physical and psychological withdrawal) and letting go of a habit that most of us have carried for many years, if not all of our adult lives. It’s only fair to expect that breaking down the old associations that tied us to smoking and replacing them with new, healthier habits will take some time.

Remember, smoking cessation is a process, not an event.

Sit back, relax, and think of time as one of your best quit buddies. The more time you put between you and that last cigarette you smoked, the stronger you’ll become. Have patience with yourself, and with the process.

Focus on the Present

Nicotine withdrawal plays mind games with us early on in smoking cessation. We think about smoking all of the time, and we worry that we’ll always miss our cigarettes.

For the new quitter, it can be paralyzing to think about never lighting another cigarette. Thoughts like this, if left unchecked, can easily lead to a smoking relapse.

If you find yourself feeling panicked about your smoke-free future, pull out of it by focusing your attention only on the day you have in front of you. It takes practice and patience to stay in the here and now, but it can be done, and it is a great way to maintain control over your quit program.

The next time your mind wanders ahead or back, consciously pull yourself out of it by narrowing your attention to the moments you’re living right now. Your power to affect change in your life is today, and always will be. You can’t do a thing about what happened yesterday or about what is yet to come tomorrow, but you sure can control today.

Stay Positive About Your Progress

It’s been said that the average person has approximately 66,000 thoughts on any given day and that two-thirds of them are negative. It will probably come as no surprise that we aim many of those negative thoughts directly at ourselves. Face it, we’re almost always our own worst critics.

Quitting is a process, and staying positive can help you endure the ups and downs as you work to reach your quit-smoking goals. Here are a few stay-positive strategies to add to your quit-smoking toolbox.

Successful long-term cessation always starts with our thoughts.

Take Care of Yourself

Early smoking cessation is a time when you should be taking extra care to make sure all of your physical needs are met. Taking care of your body, especially as you move through early cessation, will help you minimize the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal.

The following list of tips will help you weather nicotine withdrawal more comfortably:

Remember, while nicotine withdrawal may not be a pain-free experience, it is a temporary phase of recovery that we all have to go through to get through.

Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol and tobacco go hand-in-hand, with studies showing high relapse rates in people with alcohol use disorders.

Even if you just drink occasionally, putting yourself into a social setting where you’re tempted to drink alcohol too soon after quitting can be dangerous. Don’t rush it. New quitters are tender. The time will come when you can have a drink without it triggering the urge to smoke, but don’t expect that to be within the first month, or perhaps even the first few months.

We’re all a little different in how we move through the process of kicking nicotine addiction, so relax any preconceived notions you might have about how long recovery should take. Instead, focus on your own situation.

If there is an engagement coming up that involves alcohol and you feel nervous about that, take it as a signal to proceed with caution. Consider postponing until you’re feeling stronger. And if that’s not an option, work out a plan ahead of time for how you’ll manage the event smoke-free.

It’s no exaggeration that you are working hard to save your life by quitting smoking, so give cessation the attention it deserves.

Keep your quit program in the top slot of your list of priorities for as long as it takes. You should do whatever you need to do to maintain your «smobriety.»

Find Ways to Manage Stress

We’ve talked about taking care not to neglect our physical health while going through nicotine withdrawal, but our emotional well-being is every bit as important. Stress and anger are probably two of the biggest smoking triggers we face, and they can build up and threaten our quit programs if we’re not careful.

Early cessation creates its own tension, and that can be overwhelming when paired with the stresses of daily life if you let it be.   Don’t let yourself get run down to the point of exhaustion, and take time every single day to relieve stress with an activity that you enjoy.

Here are a few relaxing activities to try to help you better manage the stress of quitting smoking:

Whether it’s time alone with a good book, a hot bath, or working on a hobby, think of this as insurance for your quit program, not as time spent selfishly.

Ask for Help

Statistics show that people who quit smoking with a healthy support system in place have a much higher rate of long-term success with smoking cessation. In addition to the support you might receive from friends and family, consider adding some online support to your quit program.   The smoking cessation forum here offers some of the best support the Internet has to offer.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.

Stick With It

Many a good quit program has been lost to thoughts of being able to smoke «just a little.» Don’t fall for it. The only way to keep the beast at bay is to keep nicotine out of your system. The longer you go without nicotine in your body, the easier it will be to stay nicotine-free.

If you decide to go ahead and smoke just one cigarette, or for just one night, chances are you’ll be back smoking again. You may even find yourself smoking more than you used to.

When it comes to smoking cessation, there is no such thing as just one cigarette. They travel in packs.

Just as success with smoking cessation begins in the mind, so does a smoking relapse. If unhealthy thoughts of smoking come up, and you can’t shake them, it’s time to renew your resolve.

Keep Up Your Motivation

You quit smoking for a reason. Probably several. Don’t let time and distance from the habit cloud your thinking. Keep your memory green by reviewing your reasons for quitting often. They will never be less true as time goes by, but they can feel less urgent if you’re not careful.

Smoking cessation is a journey. Take it one simple day at a time, and you’ll find that what started out as a difficult task soon enough becomes an enjoyable challenge.

Jackson KJ, Muldoon PP, De Biasi M, Damaj MI. New mechanisms and perspectives in nicotine withdrawal. Neuropharmacology. 2015;96(Pt B):223-34. doi10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.11.009.

Sharath SE, Lee M, Kougias P, Taylor WC, Zamani N, Barshes NR. Successful smoking cessation associated with walking behavior in patients with claudication. Ann Vasc Surg. 2019;56:287-293. doi:10.1016/j.avsg.2018.09.017

García-Rodríguez O, Secades-Villa R, Flórez-Salamanca L, Okuda M, Liu S-M, Blanco C. Probability and predictors of relapse to smoking: Results of the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions(Nesarc). Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2013;132(3):479-485. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.03.008

Lawless MH, Harrison KA, Grandits GA, Eberly LE, Allen SS. Perceived stress and smoking-related behaviors and symptomatology in male and female smokers. Addict Behav. 2016. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.07.011

Benowitz NL. Nicotine addiction. N Engl J Med. 2010;362(24):2295-303. 2010. doi:10.1056/NEJMra0809890

How to Quit Smoking

Ready to stop smoking? These tips will help you kick the cigarette habit for good.

Why is quitting so hard?

We all know the health risks of smoking, but that doesn’t make it any easier to kick the habit. Whether you’re an occasional teen smoker or a lifetime pack-a-day smoker, quitting can be really tough.

Smoking tobacco is both a physical addiction and a psychological habit. The nicotine from cigarettes provides a temporary—and addictive—high. Eliminating that regular fix of nicotine causes your body to experience physical withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Because of nicotine’s “feel good” effect on the brain, you may turn to cigarettes as a quick and reliable way to boost your outlook, relieve stress, and unwind. Smoking can also be a way of coping with depression, anxiety, or even boredom. Quitting means finding different, healthier ways to cope with those feelings.

Smoking is also ingrained as a daily ritual. It may be an automatic response for you to smoke a cigarette with your morning coffee, while taking a break at work or school, or on your commute home at the end of a hectic day. Or maybe your friends, family, or colleagues smoke, and it’s become part of the way you relate with them.

To successfully stop smoking, you’ll need to address both the addiction and the habits and routines that go along with it. But it can be done. With the right support and quit plan, any smoker can kick the addiction—even if you’ve tried and failed multiple times before.

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Your personal stop smoking plan

While some smokers successfully quit by going cold turkey, most people do better with a tailored plan to keep themselves on track. A good quit plan addresses both the short-term challenge of stopping smoking and the long-term challenge of preventing relapse. It should also be tailored to your specific needs and smoking habits.

Questions to ask yourself

Take the time to think of what kind of smoker you are, which moments of your life call for a cigarette, and why. This will help you to identify which tips, techniques, or therapies may be most beneficial for you.

Are you a very heavy smoker (more than a pack a day)? Or are you more of a social smoker? Would a simple nicotine patch do the job?

Are there certain activities, places, or people you associate with smoking? Do you feel the need to smoke after every meal or whenever you break for coffee?

Do you reach for cigarettes when you’re feeling stressed or down? Or is your cigarette smoking linked to other addictions, such as alcohol or gambling?

Start your stop smoking plan with START

S = Set a quit date.

Choose a date within the next two weeks, so you have enough time to prepare without losing your motivation to quit. If you mainly smoke at work, quit on the weekend, so you have a few days to adjust to the change.

T = Tell family, friends, and co-workers that you plan to quit.

Let your friends and family in on your plan to quit smoking and tell them you need their support and encouragement to stop. Look for a quit buddy who wants to stop smoking as well. You can help each other get through the rough times.

A = Anticipate and plan for the challenges you’ll face while quitting.

Most people who begin smoking again do so within the first three months. You can help yourself make it through by preparing ahead for common challenges, such as nicotine withdrawal and cigarette cravings.

R = Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car, and work.

Throw away all of your cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, and matches. Wash your clothes and freshen up anything that smells like smoke. Shampoo your car, clean your drapes and carpet, and steam your furniture.

T = Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit.

Your doctor can prescribe medication to help with withdrawal symptoms. If you can’t see a doctor, you can get many products over the counter at your local pharmacy, including nicotine patches, lozenges, and gum.

Identify your smoking triggers

One of the best things you can do to help yourself quit is to identify the things that make you want to smoke, including specific situations, activities, feelings, and people.

Keep a craving journal

A craving journal can help you zero in on your patterns and triggers. For a week or so leading up to your quit date, keep a log of your smoking. Note the moments in each day when you crave a cigarette:

Do you smoke to relieve unpleasant feelings?

Many of us smoke to manage unpleasant feelings such as stress, depression, loneliness, and anxiety. When you have a bad day, it can seem like cigarettes are your only friend. As much comfort as cigarettes provide, though, it’s important to remember that there are healthier and more effective ways to keep unpleasant feelings in check. These may include exercising, meditating, relaxation strategies, or simple breathing exercises.

For many people, an important aspect of giving up smoking is to find alternate ways to handle these difficult feelings without turning to cigarettes. Even when cigarettes are no longer a part of your life, the painful and unpleasant feelings that may have prompted you to smoke in the past will still remain. So it’s worth spending some time thinking about the different ways you intend to deal with stressful situations and the daily irritations that would normally have you lighting up.

Tips for avoiding common triggers

Alcohol. Many people smoke when they drink. Try switching to non-alcoholic drinks or drink only in places where smoking inside is prohibited. Alternatively, try snacking on nuts, chewing on a cocktail stick or sucking on a straw.

Other smokers. When friends, family, and co-workers smoke around you, it can be doubly difficult to give up or avoid relapse. Talk about your decision to quit so people know they won’t be able to smoke when you’re in the car with them or taking a coffee break together. In your workplace, find non-smokers to have your breaks with or find other things to do, such as taking a walk.

End of a meal. For some smokers, ending a meal means lighting up, and the prospect of giving that up may appear daunting. However, you can try replacing that moment after a meal with something else, such as a piece of fruit, a healthy dessert, a square of chocolate, or a stick of gum.

Coping with nicotine withdrawal symptoms

Once you stop smoking, you’ll likely experience a number of physical symptoms as your body withdraws from nicotine. Nicotine withdrawal begins quickly, usually starting within an hour of the last cigarette and peaking two to three days later. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks and differ from person to person.

Common nicotine withdrawal symptoms include:

As unpleasant as these withdrawal symptoms may be, it’s important to remember that they are only temporary. They will get better in a few weeks as the toxins are flushed from your body. In the meantime, let your friends and family know that you won’t be your usual self and ask for their understanding.

Manage cigarette cravings

While avoiding smoking triggers will help reduce your urge to smoke, you probably can’t avoid cigarette cravings entirely. Fortunately, cravings don’t last long—typically, about 5 or 10 minutes. If you’re tempted to light up, remind yourself that the craving will soon pass and try to wait it out. It helps to be prepared in advance by having strategies to cope with cravings.

Distract yourself. Do the dishes, turn on the TV, take a shower, or call a friend. The activity doesn’t matter as long as it gets your mind off smoking.

Remind yourself why you quit. Focus on your reasons for quitting, including the health benefits (lowering your risk for heart disease and lung cancer, for example), improved appearance, money you’re saving, and enhanced self-esteem.

Get out of a tempting situation. Where you are or what you’re doing may be triggering the craving. If so, a change of scenery can make all the difference.

Reward yourself. Reinforce your victories. Whenever you triumph over a craving, give yourself a reward to keep yourself motivated.

Coping with cigarette cravings in the moment

Find an oral substitute – Keep other things around to pop in your mouth when cravings hit. Try mints, carrot or celery sticks, gum, or sunflower seeds. Or suck on a drinking straw.

Keep your mind busy – Read a book or magazine, listen to some music you love, do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle, or play an online game.

Keep your hands busy – Squeeze balls, pencils, or paper clips are good substitutes to satisfy that need for tactile stimulation.

Brush your teeth – The just-brushed, clean feeling can help banish cigarette cravings.

Drink water – Slowly drink a large glass of water. Not only will it help the craving pass, but staying hydrated helps minimize the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Light something else – Instead of lighting a cigarette, light a candle or some incense.

Get active – Go for a walk, do some jumping jacks or pushups, try some yoga stretches, or run around the block.

Try to relax – Do something that calms you down, such as taking a warm bath, meditating, reading a book, or practicing deep breathing exercises.

Go somewhere smoking is not permitted – Step into a public building, store, mall, coffee shop, or movie theatre, for example.

Preventing weight gain after you stop smoking

Smoking acts as an appetite suppressant, so gaining weight is a common concern for many of us when we decide to give up cigarettes. You may even be using it as a reason not to quit. While it’s true that many smokers put on weight within six months of stopping smoking, the gain is usually small—about five pounds on average—and that initial gain decreases over time. It’s also important to remember that carrying a few extra pounds for a few months won’t hurt your heart as much as smoking does. However, gaining weight is NOT inevitable when you stop smoking.

Smoking dampens your sense of smell and taste, so after you quit food will often seem more appealing. You may also gain weight if you replace the oral gratification of smoking with eating unhealthy comfort foods. Therefore, it’s important to find other, healthy ways to deal with unpleasant feelings such as stress, anxiety, or boredom rather than mindless, emotional eating.

Nurture yourself. Instead of turning to cigarettes or food when you feel stressed, anxious, or depressed, learn new ways to quickly soothe yourself. Listen to uplifting music, play with a pet, or sip a cup of hot tea, for example.

Eat healthy, varied meals. Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats. Avoid sugary food, sodas, fried, and convenience food.

Learn to eat mindfully. Emotional eating tends to be automatic and virtually mindless. It’s easy to polish off a tub of ice cream while zoning out in front of the TV or staring at your phone. But by removing distractions when you eat, it’s easier to focus on how much you’re eating and tune into your body and how you’re really feeling. Are you really still hungry or eating for another reason?

Drink lots of water. Drinking at least six to eight 8 oz. glasses will help you feel full and keep you from eating when you’re not hungry. Water will also help flush toxins from your body.

Take a walk. Not only will it help you burn calories and keep the weight off, but it will also help alleviate feelings of stress and frustration that accompany smoking withdrawal.

Snack on guilt-free foods. Good choices include sugar-free gum, carrot and celery sticks, or sliced bell peppers or jicama.

Medication and therapy to help you quit

There are many different methods that have successfully helped people to kick the smoking habit. While you may be successful with the first method you try, more likely you’ll have to try a number of different methods or a combination of treatments to find the ones that work best for you.

Medications

Smoking cessation medications can ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings. They are most effective when used as part of a comprehensive stop smoking program monitored by your physician. Talk to your doctor about your options and whether an anti-smoking medication is right for you. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved options are:

Nicotine replacement therapy. Nicotine replacement therapy involves “replacing” cigarettes with other nicotine substitutes, such as nicotine gum, patch, lozenge, inhaler, or nasal spray. It relieves some of the withdrawal symptoms by delivering small and steady doses of nicotine into your body without the tars and poisonous gases found in cigarettes. This type of treatment helps you focus on breaking your psychological addiction and makes it easier to concentrate on learning new behaviors and coping skills.

Non-nicotine medication. These medications help you stop smoking by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms without the use of nicotine. Medications such as bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix, Champix) are intended for short-term use only.

What you need to know about e-cigarettes (vaping)

While some people find that vaping can help them to stop smoking, the FDA has not approved vaping as a method of smoking cessation. And recent news reports have even linked vaping to severe lung disease, prompting many questions about the safety of vaping. Here’s what you need to know:

Alternative therapies

There are several things you can do to stop smoking that don’t involve nicotine replacement therapy, vaping, or prescription medications. These include:

Hypnosis – This is a popular option that has produced good results for many smokers struggling to quit. Forget anything you may have seen from stage hypnotists, hypnosis works by getting you into a deeply relaxed state where you are open to suggestions that strengthen your resolve to stop smoking and increase your negative feelings toward cigarettes.

Acupuncture – One of the oldest known medical techniques, acupuncture is believed to work by triggering the release of endorphins (natural pain relievers) that allow the body to relax. As a smoking cessation aid, acupuncture can be helpful in managing smoking withdrawal symptoms.

Behavioral Therapy – Nicotine addiction is related to the habitual behaviors or rituals involved in smoking. Behavior therapy focuses on learning new coping skills and breaking those habits.

Motivational Therapies – Self-help books and websites can provide a number of ways to motivate yourself to give up smoking. One well known example is calculating the monetary savings. Some people have been able to find the motivation to quit just by calculating how much money they will save. It may be enough to pay for a summer vacation.

Smokeless or spit tobacco is NOT a healthy alternative to smoking

Smokeless tobacco, otherwise known as spit or chewing tobacco, is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. It contains the same addictive chemical, nicotine, contained in cigarettes. In fact, the amount of nicotine absorbed from smokeless tobacco can be 3 to 4 times the amount delivered by a cigarette.

What to do if you slip or relapse

Most people try to stop smoking several times before they kick the habit for good, so don’t beat yourself up if you slip up and smoke a cigarette. Instead, turn the relapse into a rebound by learning from your mistake. Analyze what happened right before you started smoking again, identify the triggers or trouble spots you ran into, and make a new stop-smoking plan that eliminates them.

It’s also important to emphasize the difference between a slip and a relapse. If you start smoking again, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get back on the wagon. You can choose to learn from the slip and let it motivate you to try harder or you can use it as an excuse to go back to your smoking habit. But the choice is yours. A slip doesn’t have to turn into a full-blown relapse.

You’re not a failure if you slip up. It doesn’t mean you can’t quit for good.

Don’t let a slip become a mudslide. Throw out the rest of the pack. It’s important to get back on the non-smoking track as soon as possible.

Look back at your quit log and feel good about the time you went without smoking.

Find the trigger. Exactly what was it that made you smoke again? Decide how you will cope with that issue the next time it comes up.

Learn from your experience. What has been most helpful? What didn’t work?

Are you using a medicine to help you quit? Call your doctor if you start smoking again. Some medicines cannot be used if you’re smoking at the same time.

Helping a loved one to stop smoking

It’s important to remember that you cannot make a friend or loved one give up cigarettes; the decision has to be theirs. But if they do make the decision to stop smoking, you can offer support and encouragement and try to ease the stress of quitting. Investigate the different treatment options available and talk them through with the smoker; just be careful never to preach or judge. You can also help a smoker overcome cravings by pursuing other activities with them, and by keeping smoking substitutes, such as gum, on hand.

If a loved one slips or relapses, don’t make them feel guilty. Congratulate them on the time they went without cigarettes and encourage them to try again. Your support can make all the difference in helping your loved one eventually kick the habit for good.

Helping a teen to quit

Most smokers try their first cigarette around the age of 11, and many are addicted by the time they turn 14. The use of e-cigarettes (vaping) has also soared dramatically in recent years. While the health implications of vaping aren’t yet fully known, the FDA warns that it’s not safe for teens and we do know that teens who vape are more likely to begin smoking cigarettes.

This can be worrying for parents, but it’s important to appreciate the unique challenges and peer pressure teens face when it comes to quitting smoking (or vaping). While the decision to give up has to come from the teen smoker him- or herself, there are still plenty of ways for you to help.

Tips for parents of teens who smoke or vape

Authors: Lawrence Robinson and Melinda Smith, M.A.

Last updated: May 2022

Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders. (2013). In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. American Psychiatric Association. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm16

Lopez-Quintero, C., Pérez de los Cobos, J., Hasin, D. S., Okuda, M., Wang, S., Grant, B. F., & Blanco, C. (2011). Probability and predictors of transition from first use to dependence on nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine: Results of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 115(1–2), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.11.004

Quit Smoking | Smokefree. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2021, from https://smokefree.gov/quit-smoking

US Preventive Services Task Force. (2021). Interventions for Tobacco Smoking Cessation in Adults, Including Pregnant Persons: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA, 325(3), 265–279. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.25019

Leone, F. T., Zhang, Y., Evers-Casey, S., Evins, A. E., Eakin, M. N., Fathi, J., Fennig, K., Folan, P., Galiatsatos, P., Gogineni, H., Kantrow, S., Kathuria, H., Lamphere, T., Neptune, E., Pacheco, M. C., Pakhale, S., Prezant, D., Sachs, D. P. L., Toll, B., … Farber, H. J. (2020). Initiating Pharmacologic Treatment in Tobacco-Dependent Adults. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 202(2), e5–e31. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202005-1982ST

Complementary Health Approaches for Smoking Cessation: What the Science Says. (n.d.). NCCIH. Retrieved August 2, 2021, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/complementary-health-approaches-for-smoking-cessation-science

Miller, Jacqueline W., Timothy S. Naimi, Robert D. Brewer, and Sherry Everett Jones. Binge Drinking and Associated Health Risk Behaviors among High School Students. Pediatrics 119, no. 1 (January 2007): 76–85. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-1517

O’Brien, Charles P. Evidence-Based Treatments of Addiction. FOCUS 9, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 107–17. https://doi.org/10.1176/foc.9.1.foc107

Get more help

Quit Smoking for Good – Harvard Medical School guide to stopping smoking. (Harvard Health Publishing)

Join Freedom From Smoking – Smoking cessation program. (American Lung Association)

How to Quit Using Tobacco – Dealing with both the mental and physical addiction. (American Cancer Society)

How to Help Someone Quit Smoking – General hints for friends and family supporting someone who is quitting. (American Cancer Society)

Hotlines and support

In the U.S.: Visit Smokefree.gov or call the quitline at 1-800-784-8669.

UK: Take steps NOW to stop smoking or call the helpline at 0300 123 1044.

Canada: Visit Health Canada or call the helpline at 1-866-366-3667.

Australia: QuitNow or call 13 7848.

Worldwide: Nicotine Anonymous offers a 12-Step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous with meetings in many different countries.