Smoking ( 11 )

Staying Quit

Beating an addiction to nicotine takes a lot of willpower and determination. You should feel great about yourself for making it so far. Now's the time to focus on sticking with it.

Keeping your guard up

Your body has changed since you began to smoke. Your brain has learned to crave nicotine. So certain places, people, or events can trigger a strong urge to smoke, even years after quitting. That's why you should never take a puff again, no matter how long it has been since you quit.

At first, you may not be able to do things as well as when you were smoking. Don't worry. This won't last long. Your mind and body just need to get used to being without nicotine.

After you've quit, the urge to smoke often hits at the same times. For many people, the hardest place to resist the urge is at home. And many urges hit when someone else is smoking nearby.

Staying upbeat

As you go through the first days and weeks without smoking, keep a positive outlook. Don't blame or punish yourself if you do have a cigarette. Don't think of smoking as "all or none." Instead, take it one day at a time. Remember that quitting is a learning process.

Keep rewarding yourself for not smoking

Now that you aren't buying cigarettes, you probably have more spending money. For example, if you used to smoke one pack per day:

After 1 day You've saved $5

After 1 week You've saved $35

After 1 month You've saved $150

After 1 year You've saved $1,820

After 10 years You've saved $18,200

After 20 years You've saved $36,400


* Prices are based on a 2001 average of $5.00 per pack. The cost of a pack of cigarettes may differ, depending on where you buy them.

Think about starting a "money jar" if you haven't already. Put your cigarette money aside for each day you don't smoke. Soon you'll have enough money to buy a reward for yourself.