Quit Tips

For 24-hour access to motivational messages, smokers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island are welcome to call toll-free:

1-800-9-GET-A-TIP (800-943-8284)

Quitting smoking makes a difference right away—you can taste and smell food better. Your breath smells better. Your cough goes away. This happens for men and women of all ages, even those who are older. It happens for healthy people as well as those who already have a disease or condition caused by smoking.
Quitting smoking cuts the risk of lung cancer, many other cancers, heart disease, stroke, other lung diseases, and other respiratory illnesses.
Ex-smokers have better health than current smokers do. Ex-smokers have fewer days of illness, fewer health complaints, and less bronchitis and pneumonia than current smokers do.
Quitting smoking saves money. A pack-a-day smoker who pays $5 per pack can expect to save more than $1825 per year. It appears that the price of cigarettes will continue to rise in coming years, as will the financial rewards of quitting.

The day before your Quit Day, go through your house, car, and space at work, and toss all cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays.
Create smoke-free zones in your home or car.
Each time you beat the urge to smoke, reward yourself in some small way. Congratulate yourself for your strength and effort.
Don't think of yourself as a smoker trying to quit. Think of yourself as a non-smoker, and you soon will be.
Write down your most important reason for quitting and look at it often.
Take two deep breaths. Inhale slowly and hold it, then exhale slowly.
Nibble on low-calorie items, like carrot sticks, celery, and apples.
Start a quitter's diary.
Look at pictures of your family and friends. Plan to be around for their birthdays, graduations and weddings.
Call the dentist and arrange for a mouth-freshening cleaning.
Hold out for five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes.
If you do have a cigarette, don't give up—just don't have a second cigarette.
After dinner, instead of having a cigarette, treat yourself to a mint or a cup of orange tea with honey.