Stay Smoke Free

Staying smoke free or "staying quit" is the final, and most important, stage of the quitting process. You can use the same methods to stay quit that you used to help you with withdrawal.

There will be times when you will get an unexpected strong urge to smoke. This might happen months or even years after you have quit. To get through these times without going back to smoking (known as a relapse), try the following:

• Review your reasons for quitting. Think of all the benefits to your health, your finances and your family.
  
  
• Remind yourself that there is no such thing as just one cigarette or even just one puff.
  
  
• Ride out the desire to smoke. It will go away. Do not fool yourself into thinking you can have just one cigarette.
  
  
• Do not drink alcohol if it will tempt you to smoke.
  
  

Some special concerns

Weight gain

Many people do gain some weight when they quit smoking. This is because your metabolism (when food breaks down and changes into energy) slows when you quit. So even if you do not eat more, you may gain weight.

But, it is important to remember that the weight gain is usually less than 10 pounds. And, continuing to smoke is much more dangerous than gaining a few pounds.

You are more likely to quit smoking if you deal with your smoking first and losing weight later. Stressing about your weight may make it harder to quit. Here are some tips to help you maintain a healthy weight:

• Increase your physical activity. Consider walking. It lowers stress, burns calories, tones muscles, and gives you something to do instead of thinking about smoking.
  
  
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
  
  
• Limit the amount of fat you eat.
  
  
• Drink plenty of water.
  
  
• Get enough sleep.
  
  

Stress

Stress is a part of everyone's lives. People who smoke use nicotine to help cope with stress and other feelings. To stay quit, you will have to learn new ways to handle stress.

• Exercise. Exercise is a good way to lower stress and feelings of depression that some people have when they first quit.
  
  
• Stress-management classes and self-help books. Check your community newspaper, library or bookstore for these resources.
  
  
• Spiritual practices, such as prayer and meditation. Many people have used these practices to help them deal with other addictions. These practices may also help you as you try to quit smoking.
  
  

Slip versus relapse

What if you do smoke? The difference between a slip and a relapse is within your control. A slip is a mistake you make one time. A relapse is going back to smoking. You can use the slip as an excuse to go back to smoking. Or, you can look at what went wrong and renew your promise to stay away from smoking for good.

Even if you do relapse, try not to get too down. Very few people can quit for good on the first try. In fact, it usually takes people many tries before they quit for good. It is important to figure out what helped you and what hurt you when you tried to quit. You can then use this information to make a stronger attempt at quitting the next time.

Content adapted from the American Cancer Society’s Guide to Quitting.
Available at www.cancer.org