1. The most important thing to do is plan, plan, plan for the quit day.
   
2. Pick up your free nicotine patches or gum from the Quit & Win Enrollment Table when you complete Step 2 of the enrollment process and use them as recommended.
   
3. Tell your friends and family that you are quitting and turn to them for support and encouragement when you need it.
   
4. Identify your triggers for smoking and start writing your response plan in a stop-smoking notebook.
   
5. Make a list of the reasons why you want to quit and write them in your notebook. Read these when things get tough.
   
6. Stock up on non-food items like coffee stirrers, straws, toothpicks, and low/non fat snacks like gum, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, mints, fruit, vegetables, pretzels, licorice, sugar-free hard candy, rice cakes, popcorn, water, and flavored herbal tea. Use these to curb the urge to smoke.
   
7. Spring clean before the day and get rid of smoking reminders like ashtrays, lighters, and cigarettes.
   
8. Stay away from alcohol; it’s the biggest reason for failure. Instead, enjoy tobacco- and alcohol-free activities with your Smoke-free Friend. Spend as much time as possible in places where smoking is prohibited.
   
9. Watch your snack and caffeine intake to prevent weight gain and caffeine overdose and drink a lot of water.
   
10. Exercise, go for a walk, take the stairs, and try deep breathing to manage your stress.
    
11. Change your routine to break the ‘habit’ part of smoking.
    
12. Change the way you think about quitting. Smoking is not an option. Do not give yourself permission to smoke.
    
13. Be positive. Quitting is hard, so take it one day at a time. You can do it!

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1. Wait. Try not to act immediately on your urge. Cravings are natural, and they will pass.
2. Call your Smoke-free Friend. Let him or her know that you are having strong urges and you would like some help.
3. Don’t think about not smoking for the rest of your life. Just think about not smoking for the next 10-15 minutes.
4. Do something with your hands – play with a paper clip, play-doh, silly putty, or worry stone.
5. Keep your mouth busy – chew gum, drink a tall glass of water, or chew on a toothpick or straw.
6. Address your stress – talk to a friend, practice relaxation, take a bath or shower, go on a walk, breathe deeply, or get a massage.
7. Do fun things to pass the time – go to a movie, make a snack, pick up a new hobby, or go workout.
8. Utilize your nicotine replacement therapy, such as gum or patches.
9. Remember your reasons for wanting to quit. They may include your health, your future, your family, or your friends – or, the chance to win fabulous prizes!

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Step 1- Figure out what you enjoy most about smoking. Is it stimulation? relaxation? pleasure? handling? craving? or a habit?
Step 2 - See page two for specific Quitting Tips under each category (determined based on your answers).

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• Before using the product, carefully read the booklet that comes with the product.
• Each day apply a new patch to a different, dry, clean, and hairless place on the skin of the chest, upper arms, shoulders, or waist.
• Rotate the site of application so that you do not use the same site twice during a week. By rotating the site of application you will help reduce the risk of skin irritation or rashes.
• If the application site is washed with soap, rinse and dry the skin. Soap will increase penetration of nicotine into the skin. Wash your hands after applying or removing the patch.
• Do not touch your eyes or mouth with your fingers before washing them. Each patch may be worn for 16 to 24 hours.
• The length of time you need to wear the patch will depend on your level of craving for cigarettes.
• If you crave cigarettes upon waking, wear the patch for 24 hours.
• If you have vivid dreams or other sleep disruptions, remove the patch an hour before going to bed.
• Do not leave any one patch on for more than 24 hours.
• Remove and replace the patch at the same time each day.
• Discard the removed patch by folding onto itself (this will cover the adhesive area) and placing the folded patch in the pouch that new patches come in.
• Remember to keep the patches (used and unused) away from children and pets.
• Stop using the patch if you experience heart palpitations.

Cons of Nicotine Patches
1. You cannot just apply the patch when you have the ‘urge’ to smoke. You have to have it on 16-24 hours a day for at least four weeks depending on your needs and level of addiction.
2. There is a slow onset of delivery. Patches are designed to give you a steady, consistent level of nicotine.
3. The patch can cause mild skin rashes and irritation.

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• Before using the nicotine gum, carefully read the booklet that comes with the product.
  
• The nicotine gum is purposely made not to taste like ordinary chewing gum; it is a dose delivery device, not a chewing gum.
  
• It may take several days to adjust to the product’s taste and the special manner in which it should be used.
  
• It is more beneficial to use the nicotine gum on a schedule rather than on an as-needed basis.
  
• Do not eat or drink for 15 minutes before using the nicotine gum or while using it.
  
• If acidic drinks like fruit juices, pop, or coffee or foods like ketchup, soy sauce, salsa, or hot sauce have been consumed, rinse the mouth with water before placing the nicotine gum in the mouth. The acid in these products will influence the absorption of nicotine.
  
• To take advantage of the product’s slow-release formula, use the Bite-Park-Bite rotation method:
  
  • Bite each piece slowly (10-15 times) until a peppery taste or tingling sensation occurs [BITE]
    
  • Place the nicotine gum between the upper or lower cheek and gum [PARK]
    
  • After the peppery taste fades, retrieve the nicotine gum and repeat the process [BITE]
  • Keep the nicotine gum in your mouth for approximately 30 minutes.
    
• If biting the nicotine gum becomes tedious, push it from the outside of the cheek with a finger to expose a new surface of the gum to the saliva.
  
• Chewing the nicotine gum continuously, like chewing gum, may result in an unpleasant taste caused by too much nicotine in the saliva. If this saliva is swallowed, it may cause effects similar to those produced by excess smoking, for example: nausea (especially if the stomach is empty), irritation of the throat, hiccups, and light-headedness.
  
• Do not use more than 24 pieces of nicotine gum per day.
  
• Carry at least one full sheet of the nicotine gum at all times. Keep it where you normally kept your cigarettes.
  
• Follow the recommendations carefully; reduce the dosage as tolerated and stop using the product after the recommended time.
  
• Stop using the nicotine gum if you experience mouth, teeth, or jaw problems, or heart palpitations.
  
• Reduce the number of pieces if you experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or weakness.
• Keep the nicotine gum out of the reach of children or pets.

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Smoking has been connected to many activities in your life. Everyday routines, hearing a certain song, friends, foods, feelings, moods, and memories can lead to urges. Keep a log of these and pretty soon you will be able to predict and avoid the urge. This may seem tedious. However, everything you can do to help yourself stay quit will increase your chances of success and increase your odds of winning!!! To get started, download our PDF Trigger Log.*

For right now, when an urge hits do something else like,

• Wait and breathe deeply for 5 to 10 counts. Urges are natural, wait for them to pass.
  
• Keep your hands and mouth busy – eat celery, carrots, beef jerky, popsicles, or sugar-free hard candy. Chew gum or cinnamon sticks. Hold a toothpick or straw in your mouth. Carry a water bottle and drink lots of water. These can work to prevent urges too - give them a try!

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• 20 minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette. The temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
• 8 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
• 24 hours after quitting: Your chance of a heart attack decreases.
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases up to 30%.
• 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection.
• 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
• 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting.
• 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decrease.
• 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker's.
  (source: American Cancer Society)

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Studies have shown that smokers who are trying to quit and use a telephone counseling program are 7 times more likely to be successful. We encourage you to use as many cessation aids and recourse as possible before, during and after the contest. We want you to succeed!

There are several options available if you decide to use a telephone counseling program.

1. You can call QuitPlan at 1-800-345-PLAN. If you have health insurance, they will route you to your insurance provider’s telephone counseling program. If you do not have health insurance or your health insurance does not have a telephone counseling program, they will connect you with a QuitPlan telephone counselor.
   
   
2. If you have health insurance, you can call your health plan’s telephone counseling program directly. We have listed them for you below.

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1. QuitPlan Website: http://www.quitplan.quitnet.com
2. The Legacy Foundation Cessation Website: http://becomeanex.org
3. Surgeon General's Website: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/
   The Surgeon General issued the landmark report in 1964 on smoking. This was the first large scale, nation wide report that urged smokers to quit because of the harm caused by tobacco use. As the nation’s Chief Health Officer, the Surgeon General’s office still is making the same case urging people to quit.
4. The Foundation for a Smoke-free America: http://www.anti-smoking.org/quitting.htm
   If you’re looking for a little inspiration and tips on staying smoke free and not relapsing into a smoker again, check out this site.
5. The National Institutes of Health Website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/smokingcessation.html
   The National Institutes of Health provides a wide variety of smoking-related topics, including treatment, coping, clinical trials, research, law and policy, statistics, and pictures/diagrams on their site.
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website on Tobacco Information: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm
   The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has amassed the most comprehensive stockpile of information about tobacco use in the US. If you want to know anything more about tobacco's effects on you and others check this site out.
7. American Heart Association's Website on Quitting Tips:
   http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3038010
   If you are worried about weight gain, check this site out for some helpful tips to avoid gaining a few pounds when you are trying to quit.
8. American Lung Association - http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22938
   Learn more about secondhand smoke and tobacco product advertising and promotion.

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