Here are some examples of things you can do as you get ready for your quit date:

• Find alternatives for the pleasure you get from cigarettes. Treat yourself to a new soft drink, sparkling mineral water or tea. Spend time with friends, try the hobby for which you never had time. As you breathe more efficiently reintroduce yourself to the pleasure of aerobic exercise. Begin to enjoy the sweet smells of cut grass, the smell of ozone before a summer storm, the aroma of cooking food. You will also rediscover how wonderful food tastes.

• Plan short periods of time (start with 1- 3 minutes) when you sit back, take a deep breath, close your eyes and relax without a cigarette. Plan more of these “time-outs” and make them last longer.

• When you are ready to quit you may find the nicotine patch or nicotine gum helpful. Plan other strategies to help you cope with the withdrawal from nicotine: a daily walk, breathing exercises, keeping a diary of your journey as you progress toward becoming a non-smoker.

• If you choose to reduce your smoking before you stop, keep your cigarettes in a different place. Keep them in your garage, and not in the house, where they are readily accessible. Always wait 10 minutes before smoking any cigarette. Do not smoke mindlessly; unless you really have a reason for a cigarette don’t smoke it.

• Switch to a lower tar, lower nicotine brand IF you can smoke it the same way you do your current brand. Never smoke down to the filter and try never to draw aggressively on the cigarette trying to get the same effect you get from your usual brand. Smoking down to the filter and pulling aggressively on the cigarette is even worse than smoking your regular brand in a normal manner. (These strategies are called compensatory strategies and are the reason that many experts think that in the end it is best to just stop smoking completely rather than to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke each day.)