Tips to help you Taper Down Your Smoking Habit

Last week we talked about what type of cigarettes you smoke, when and why. You should of kept a record so that you know more about your smoking habit and which cigarettes you want to start to STOP smoking each day. In addition here are some tips that will help you:

1. Do not carry your cigarettes with you. Make it hard to reach for a cigarette.

2. Put your cigarettes in “out of the way” places. Make sure you have to walk to get them, downstairs, in a basement, in a room where you don’t spend much time, make it inconvenient for you to reach for them.

3. Change Brands. If you smoke non-menthol, change to menthol.

4. If you enjoy a drink or coffee with your cigarette, taper down on that drink. For instance do not have coffee after dinner and eliminate that “cigarette and drink” fix you get. Just while you’re tapering down.

5. Start smoking a litter later each day. If you have to have a cigarette first thing in the morning, try and do a few things first, like take your shower and get ready before that first cigarette.

6. Quit smoking earlier each day. If the last thing you do at night is smoke than tell yourself you will stop smoking 1 hour before bedtime and increase the time as you go along.

7. Give up smoking in certain places. For instance, if you light up in the car, stop smoking in the car.

8. Stock up on cigarette substitutes like hard candy, mints and gum. In addition you might try a smoking cessation product.

9. Before you reach for a cigarette, read your reasons for quitting. This may delay or eliminate your need for a cigarette.

10. Go for a walk immediately after meals. By substituting a bad habit with a good one, you are retraining yourself.

11. Put away all ashtrays, lighters and matches so that you will have to get them out every time you want a cigarette.

12. Take fewer and smaller drags from each cigarette you smoke.

13. Practice taking deep breaths and telling yourself you are a non-smoker

14. Put yourself in “non-smoker” situations, i.e. sit in non-smoking sections of restaurants, visit non-smoking places such as movies, libraries etc.

15. Give up your “going to work” and “going home” cigarettes

16. Give up smoking on the phone

17. Write down 5 additional places / ways you can taper your smoking habit by giving up cigarettes


Good Luck and Remember becoming a non-smoker is a Choice ! You can do it !