Making a Plan to Quit and Preparing for Your Quit Day
When you’re ready to quit tobacco (known as tobacco cessation), you have many options. There’s no one right way to quit. But there are steps you can take to help make your decision to quit a success. These steps can help no matter what type of tobacco or nicotine product you’re trying to quit.
Make the decision to quit tobacco
The decision to quit smoking or using smokeless tobacco is one that only you can make. Others may want you to quit, but you must make the commitment.
Think about why you want to quit.
- Are you worried you could get a tobacco-related disease?
- Do you believe the benefits of quitting outweigh the benefits of continuing to use tobacco?
- Do you know someone who’se had health problems because of using tobacco or being around it a lot?
- Are you interested in saving the money you now spend on cigarettes, cigars, vapes, chew, dip, or snuff?
- Are you hoping to improve your health and have more energy for upcoming events, like a family wedding?
- Are you ready to make a serious try at quitting?
Write down your reasons so you can look at them every time you want to smoke or dip.
Set a date for your Quit Day
After you make the decision to quit tobacco, the next step is picking a date for your Quit Day.
Why is it important to pick a Quit Day?
Once you decide to quit, you need to pick a quit date. This is a key step. Choose a day within the next month. Picking a date too far away gives you time to change your mind. Still, you need to give yourself enough time to prepare.
You might choose a date with a special meaning like a birthday or anniversary, or the date of the Great American Smokeout (the third Thursday in November each year). Or you might want to just pick a random date.
Once you decide on a date, circle it on your calendar. Make a strong, personal commitment to quit on that day. Let others know your plan.
How do you plan to quit?
There are many ways to quit, and some ways work better than others. Nicotine replacement therapy, prescription medicines, counseling, support groups, and other methods are helpful for quitting tobacco.
Learn more about ways to quit so you can find the method (or methods) that best suit you. It’s also a good idea to talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Ask if they have information and resources to help you quit. . Also check with your insurance company about coverage for quit programs and quit aids, such as medicines and counseling.
Support is another key part of your plan. In-person or virtual quit programs, advice from health care professionals, telephone quit lines, phone reminder apps, Nicotine Anonymous meetings, self-help materials such as books and pamphlets, and counselors can be a great help. Online support groups where you can connect with others who are quitting may also help. And tell your family, friends, and co-workers that you’re quitting. They can give you help and encouragement, which increases your chances of quitting for good.
Combining 2 or more of these types of quit aids may work better than using just 1.
Prepare for your Quit Day
Here are some steps to help you get ready for your Quit Day:
Make a quit plan.
- Pick the date and mark it on your calendar.
- Think about attending a quit class to help you decide on a plan and get support.
- Decide on a plan. Will you use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or other medicines? Will you get counseling or call a telephone Quitline?
- Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what might work best for you.
- Check with your insurance company about coverage for programs and medicines.
- Come up with ways to deal with triggers (situations that bring on cravings to use tobacco).
- If you’re using bupropion or varenicline, take your prescribed dose each day leading up to your Quit Day.
- Think about your past attempts to quit. Try to figure out what worked and what didn’t.
Remove temptations.
- Get rid of all the cigarettes, vape pens, and ashtrays, and all the smokeless tobacco products in your home, car, and at work.
- Stock up on oral substitutes like sugarless gum, carrot sticks, hard candy, cinnamon sticks, coffee stirrers, straws, and/or toothpicks.
- Practice saying, “No thank you, I don’t use tobacco.”
- Ask family and friends who still use tobacco not to use it around you, and not to leave any tobacco products where you can see them.
Get the support you need.
- Tell friends and family about your Quit Day.
- Set up a support system. This could be a support group, or a friend or family member who has successfully quit and is willing to help you.
- Call a Quitline to talk with a coach. They can help you with a quit plan and give you tips on how to stay tobacco free.
- Think about working with a counselor to support your efforts to quit.
Successful quitting requires planning and commitment. Decide now on your own plan.
Tobacco Quitlines
Quitlines are available in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
- 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
- 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569) (Español, Spanish)
Other steps you can take before your Quit Day
Cutting down, cutting back, and delaying your tobacco use can also help you prepare for your quit day.
Cut down on how much you use
One way to cut back before quitting is to reduce the number of cigarettes or cigars you smoke each day or cut down on the amount you vape, dip or chew. This helps you slowly reduce the amount of nicotine in your body.
Try cutting back to half of your usual amount before your quit day. If you usually carry a supply with you, try leaving it behind. Carry something else to put in your mouth instead.
Cut back on when and where you use
You can also try cutting back on when and where you smoke, vape, dip, or chew. This gives you a chance to notice when your cravings are the worst. It’s easier to come up with an action plan if you know what triggers your cravings.
Once you’ve decided not to use tobacco at a certain place, leave it at home when you go there. Try your substitutes instead.
Put off using tobacco when you have a craving
Go as long as you can without giving in to a craving. Start by trying for at least 10 minutes, then longer and longer as you near your Quit Day. Pick your 3 biggest triggers and stop using tobacco at those times. This will be hard at first, but practice will make it easier.
On your Quit Day
Over time, using tobacco becomes a strong habit. Daily events like waking up in the morning, finishing a meal, drinking coffee, or taking a break at work may trigger your urge to use it. Breaking the link between the trigger and tobacco use will help you stop.
On your Quit Day, go down this list:
- Do not use tobacco. This means not at all – not even one puff!
- Stay busy. Try walking, short bursts of exercise, or other activities and hobbies.
- Drink lots of water and juices.
- Start using nicotine replacement if that’s part of your plan.
- Don’t use e-cigarettes to help you quit. They are not a safe option and can also cause nicotine addiction.
- Avoid situations where the craving to use tobacco is strong.
- Stay away from people who are using tobacco.
- Drink less alcohol or avoid it completely.
- Think about how you can change your routine. Use a different route to go to work. Drink tea instead of coffee. Eat breakfast in a different place or eat different foods.
Be prepared to feel the craving to use tobacco. The urge will likely be pretty strong. But it's important to remember that a craving will pass whether you give in to it or not.
Use the 4 D’s to help fight the urge:
- Delay for 10 minutes. Repeat if needed.
- Deep breathe. Close your eyes, slowly breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Picture your lungs filling with fresh, clean air.
- Drink water slowly, sip by sip.
- Do something else. Some activities trigger cravings. Get up and move around.
Often, this simple trick will allow you to move beyond the strong urge to use tobacco.
Learn more
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
This content has been developed by the American Cancer Society in collaboration with the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center to help people who want to learn about quitting tobacco.
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Last Revised: October 28, 2024
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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