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Why do you use? | Know why you want to quit | Develop a plan | Medication | Prepare for the urge | Practice

Get support | More ideas | Quit day | Rewards | Your new tobacco free life!

 

80% of Sacramento State students are tobacco-free.

(Sacramento State Core Survey, Spring 2006)

And research shows that most students who use tobacco want to quit.

 

Getting Ready to Quit If you are one of the students who wants to quit, you have come to the right place! Student Health Services provides Sacramento State students free one-on-one cessation counseling with a Health Educator. To schedule an appointment with our Health Educator call 916.278.6026. Additionally this page will provide you with some things to help you get started with your new tobacco free life.

Know why you use tobacco:

A 2005 survey of college students showed these to be their top 5 reasons for smoking:

• When drinking
• To relieve stress / to relax
• It’s pleasurable
• To take a break
• To socialize

Colorado Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative 2004-05

To find out what kind of tobacco user you are take the quiz at healthylifestyle.upmc.com

Also, spend some time looking at your personal habit. Keep a diary where you record:

• Each time you smoke/chew (8:00, 12:30, midnight)
• Your mood when you light up (happy, sad, angry, bored, etc.)
• How bad the craving is (scale of 1-3)
• Who you are with (friends, alone, boyfriend/girlfriend)
• What you are doing (driving, studying, between classes, partying)

 

This diary will help you identify your triggers which are life cues that cause you to light up. Identify your strongest triggers (those are the times, when you need your fix the most). When you quit you will develop a plan to deal with those triggers without using tobacco.

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Now that you know why you use tobacco, start writing down the reasons why you want to quit:

Need some help? Here’s a list to get you started:


Cost
The average cost for a pack of cigarettes in California is $4. Go to
www.tobaccofreeu.org to find out how much you are spending on your habit.

The Social Factor
Studies have shown that most college students would rather date, live and hang out with non-smokers. In addition, stricter laws continue to be enacted, restricting where people can smoke. Wouldn't’t it be better for your mental health and social life to quit for good?

Make A Statement About Who You Are and What You Believe In!
What do you stand for? Your generation is the most environmentally and politically conscious since the 1960’s and your use (or non-use) of tobacco is an assertion of your beliefs. Consider these facts:




• Almost half of the items collected in the annual beach clean-up in California are cigarette butts.
• About 75% of all the land used to grow tobacco is in developing countries where starvation is more common than in Western countries.
• Making cigarettes leads to deforestation, soil erosion, flooding, the greenhouse effect, and global warming.
• The fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides used to grow tobacco get into the soil, polluting waterways and food chains and poisoning livestock, food crops, and farm workers.
• Child labor is widespread in all major tobacco producing countries including: Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Mexico and Zimbabwe.
• In Brazil, almost 70% of the tobacco farm workers are under the age of 18.
• The land used in Asia to produce tobacco could provide food for 10-20 million people.
• In Mexico, an Indian tribe called the Huicholes has been almost completely destroyed because of working in tobacco fields and being exposed to harmful pesticides.

Whether you are passionate about the environment, the eradication of starvation, children’s rights or all of the above your decision to quit using tobacco is a positive statement about your refusal to support an industry that relies on the exploitation of the earth and its people.

What else? There are so many more reasons to quit. What are yours?
Write a list of all of your reasons. Pick your top 3-5 to write on a small card and keep with you as a reminder of why you are quitting.

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Develop your Quit Plan

Now that you know you want to quit, the first step is to SET YOUR QUIT DATE. Ideally you should give yourself one-two weeks to start preparing. Since quitting tobacco can be stressful, ideally you want to set your quit date during a less stressful time in your life (like after finals!).

Here are some things to do to prepare:

Consider medication or Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).
These can help you quit by lessening your urge to use tobacco. Here is an overview of what’s available:


• Bupropion SR (Zyban, Wellbutrin)—Available by prescription.
• Nicotine gum—Available over-the-counter.
• Nicotine inhaler—Available by prescription.
• Nicotine nasal spray—Available by prescription.
• Nicotine patch—Available by prescription and over-the-counter.
• Nicotine lozenge—Available over-the-counter.
• Varenicline tartrate (Chantix)—Available by prescription.

For more detailed information on tobacco cessation visit lungusa.org

Please note the following about smoking cessation medication and NRT:

• Ask your health care provider for advice about which of these is best for you and carefully read the information on the package.
• All of these medications will at least double your chances of quitting and quitting for good.
• Nearly everyone who is trying to quit can benefit from using a medication. However, if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, nursing, under age 18, smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or other health care provider before taking medications.

Adapted from cdc.gov

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Prepare for the Urge

Remember that tobacco diary you kept? Now’s the time to take it out and start working on a plan to handle those stronger urges. Here are some ideas:

Trigger	Plan
In the car	Bring a healthy snack/drink with you Call a friend (using your hands-free device of course!) Play your favorite CD/music
Between Classes	Have a healthy snack/drink Go straight to your next class and read Go to the library/union and study Take a walk with a non-smoking friend
Hanging out at home/Bored	Call a friend Watch TV/Play on the computer Take a walk/Exercise Read
Out Partying	Stay inside the club/house the whole night Drink water or another non-alcoholic beverage Make other plans with friends that don’t involve drinking
Stress	Take a Walk Practice Yoga Deep Breathing Exercise

 

The possibilities are endless. To find more ideas for coping with triggers visit www.determinedtoquit.com or
quitsmoking.about.com.

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Practice makes perfect…

Now that you have set your quit date you should start “practicing” being a non-smoker by incorporating the following changes to your habit. Trust us, it will make things much easier when your quit day comes:


• Wait 10 extra minutes for your first cigarette of the day.
• Lock your cigs in the trunk of the car when you drive anywhere.
• Drink one extra glass of water per day.
• Eat one extra fruit and vegetable every day.
• Wait 10 extra minutes after each meal to smoke/dip.
• Skip smoking during short breaks between classes. Go straight to your next class.
• Start carrying healthy snacks, gum and mints with you.
• Don’t smoke at parties/bars.
• Put off smoking when you get an urge for 5-10 minutes. Deep breathe instead.
• Start studying/working on a project without lighting up first.
• When you are feeling stressed take five deep breaths to relax

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Getting Support
           
Now that you have decided to quit you need to enlist some help. Think about who is going to be able to support you when the urge gets bad, who you can call to talk you through it (family, friends, roommates, partner). This person is a good listener, caring and compassionate, and is someone who is willing to do a little research to understand what you will be going through and how they can best help you. Ideally it is someone who doesn't use tobacco. Once you’ve identified these people you need to talk to them about the decision you have made to quit, what you expect it will be like and the best (and most specific) ways they can help you stay tobacco free. This is also a good opportunity for you to let your smoking friends know that you won’t be joining them on “smoke-breaks” any longer, and that you would appreciate it if they wouldn’t ask you to!

Here’s a list of websites for advice on how your friends and family can support you:

American Lung Association- How to Help a Friend Quit Smoking


AOL Health-Help Your Loved One Quit Smoking


Web MD- Quitting smoking: Helping someone quit

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Other Preparation Ideas

Here is a list of some other things that will help you get ready for the big day!

• If you smoke inside your house/apartment-stop! Move your ashtrays (and habit) outside!
• Clean out your car/home (hint: you are looking for any stray cigs that might be hiding in the nooks and crannies)
• Stock up on healthy snacks
• Make a dentist appointment so you have a fresh, clean mouth to quit with!
• Start exercising-if you do not work out regularly start out with a thirty minute walk 2 -3 times a week.

Plan to keep busy. Since a lot of people smoke/chew when they're bored make sure you keep yourself busy that first week!

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Quit Day!

All right, you’ve done all the prep work to get here so here it goes!

• Throw out all of your cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays and any other items you use to smoke or your chew the night before your quit day. That way you will already have eight hours of quit time when you wake up!
• Don’t buy or bum any cigarettes/chew!
• Hang out in places where you can’t smoke-movies, mall, University Union, Library, class.
• Stay away from people and places where you used to smoke.
• Stay busy.
• If you get an urge have your back-up plan ready!
• And remember…

The urge will pass whether you smoke or not!

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Rewards

We saved the best for last. Part of your quit plan is to make sure you take really great care of yourself for being a non-smoker/chewer. Research shows that positive reinforcement is the best way to encourage a new habit so you need to reward yourself for all of your hard work! Here are some ideas:

Day One	Download a new ringtone or song Go to the movies or out to eat Find an old friend on Facebook
Day Two	Download another new song Coffee drink or smoothie Spend one hour reading for pleasure
Day Three	Rent a movie Ice cream or frozen yogurt One hour of watching funny videos on You Tube
Day Four	Take a nap Spend some time in a park, museum or on a beach Call someone you haven’t talked to in awhile
Day Five	Download another new song Doughnut or another pastry treat Watch a favorite TV show you never have time for
Day Six	Rent another movie Make yourself a nice dinner Spend one hour reading for pleasure
Day Seven-ONE WEEK!	Have a manicure/pedicure Get a massage Go to a comedy show Go out on a date Get a facial Go out to dinner Go shopping

 

You should give yourself at least one small reward every day you are quit for the first month and give yourself a generous reward to celebrate each week you are tobacco-free. And celebrate with something special at least once per month until it’s been one year.

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Living your tobacco-free life

There will come a day when you don’t even think about tobacco. We know it seems a ways away but millions of people have kicked the habit and so will you. You are doing such a great job but what if the unmentionable happens, and you slip? Remember Slip does NOT mean failure. You learned how to smoke and now you are learning how to quit, which is bound to come with some set-backs. The most important thing for you to know is that the recipe for success at anything means never quit trying. So never quit quitting, and if you do slip look at what made you do so and you will be ready for next time!

 

For more resources on Quitting Tobacco check out the following websites:

 Smokefree.gov

Created by the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society. This comprehensive site provides an online guide as well as downloadable resources to quitting smoking.

Clearing the Air: Quit Smoking Today
An online booklet that guides a smoker through the day-to-day process of becoming a non-smoker is available from the National Cancer Institute. The document describes practical, step-by-step approaches and techniques for preparing yourself for quitting, understanding the ways of quitting, knowing what to expect on the day you quit, and lots more. Referrals to additional information and resources are included.

Quit Smoking Action Plan
From The American Lung Association's Tobacco Control Website providing information on how to quit smoking, including a Quit Smoking Action Plan and a Nicotine Replacement Therapy Fact Sheet.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Tobacco Information and Prevention Source
Current tobacco-related news, educational materials, and guides to help you quit smoking.

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