Wean Yourself from Cigarettes 3 Weeks From Today

Have you tried quitting smoking cold-turkey, only to smoke again a day or even an hour later? Many health practitioners will tell you that making a clean break from cigarettes is the only way to quit smoking. What do you do if you simply can't quit this way? You must create a way to quit smoking that you like and can do successfully.

In all the methods you have used to end your smoking habit, did you try reducing smoking slowly? Reducing smoking in this way allows you to acclimate your body to less nicotine. Additionally you will take control of your addiction by smoking "on purpose."

Use the following steps to make a gradual quit smoking schedule for yourself:

Step 1. Determine how many cigarettes you typically use every day.
Step 2. Establish how rapidly you wish to quit smoking. In other words, what number of cigarettes will you reduce each day? I recommend the quantity to shoot for is 2 per day. This number will be called the Daily Reduction Number.
Step 3. Divide your estimate from step 1 by your Daily Reduction Number from step 2. For example, if you smoke 60 cigarettes each day, divided by 2, you get the number 30. This is the number of days it will take you to completely stop smoking.
Step 4. Using a piece of paper, on the left hand side write out the number of days you just determined you need in step 3 above. For example, if your result was 25, write Day 25. Just below that write Day 24, Day 23, etc. until you reach Day 1.
Step 5. From the bottom of the list (Day 1) write your Daily Reduction Number from step 2 ("2" in our example). On Day 2, add the Daily Reduction Number to the number on Day 1. In this example, you would write 4 on Day 2. On Day 3 you add the Daily Reduction Number to the result on Day 2. Continue adding until you add up to the top of your list of Days. You are now that many days away from quitting smoking!

Once you make these calculations you are ready to gradually cut back on your cigarette smoking. Keep your "reduction plan" with you wherever you go. You may want to rubber band it to your pack of cigarettes.

Begin the plan by using the quantity of cigarettes on the first date of your plan. Every time you smoke, make a mark next to the day you are currently on. When the number of marks reaches the number of cigarettes specified for that day, you are finished smoking until the following day. Be sure to pace yourself!

To drastically improve the success of this plan, try the following. As with most anything worthwhile it takes some effort. Every day, count out the day's allotted cigarettes and keep them together. Since you can see exactly how many cigarettes you will be smoking that day, you can more easily understand how to space out your cigarettes. By the way, if you get to the end of the day and have cigarettes remaining, DO NOT tack them on to the next day’s cigarettes. Instead, pat yourself on the back for smoking less than your allotment.

Use this formula to calculate your smoking reduction plan:

(Typical Number of Cigarettes Smoked Daily) ____ / ____ (Daily Reduction Number) = ____ days
(for example 22 cigarettes / 2 fewer cigarettes each day = 11 days)

Print this chart for your own plan:

Day 30 _____
Day 29 _____
Day 28 _____
Day 27 _____
Day 26 _____
Day 25 _____
Day 24 _____
Day 23 _____
Day 22 _____
Day 21 _____
Day 20 _____
Day 19 _____
Day 18 _____
Day 17 _____
Day 16 _____
Day 15 _____
Day 14 _____
Day 13 _____
Day 12 _____
Day 11 _____
Day 10 _____
Day 9 _____
Day 8 _____
Day 7 _____
Day 6 _____
Day 5 _____
Day 4 _____
Day 3 _____
Day 2 _____
Day 1 _____

The plan I have given above is just one alternative of the smoking reduction process. Adjust the plan to suit your own situation, if this exact process doesn't fit for you.

Weaning yourself from cigarettes over a few weeks can be an easy way to stop your smoking addiction. By weaning yourself from the prison that is nicotine, and taking control of your habit, you make stopping much more achievable. Begin your reduction plan today!

Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com

Fred Kelley helps thousands of people to stop smoking each year at www.quitsmoking.com Smokers can find over 100 smoking cessation articles, plus get quit smoking products, and get help at the stop smoking forum.

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