|
Staying tobacco-free is the final, and most important,
stage of the process. You can use the same methods
to stay quit as you did to help you through withdrawal. Plan ahead
for those times when you may be tempted to use tobacco and think
about alternatives and activities you can use to cope with these
situations.
To get through these without relapse, try the following:
- Review
your reasons for quitting and think of all
the benefits to your health, your finances and
your family.
- Remind yourself that there is no such thing as just
one chew or dip.
- Ride out the desire. It will
go away, but do not fool yourself into thinking
you can have just one. What if you do use tobacco?
The difference between a slip and a relapse is
within your control. You can use the slip as
an excuse to go back to using tobacco, or you can look at what
went wrong and renew your commitment to staying off tobacco for
good.
- Get support from the Quitline, friends,
and support groups.
We have a listing of support groups and programs
in your area. You can call the Quitline anytime
to get help in finding a group that's right for
you. When considering a program, look for one that
has the following:
- Session length - at least 20-30
minutes in length
- Number of sessions - at
least 4 to 7 sessions
- Number of weeks - at
least 2 weeks
- The group leader is trained in
tobacco cessation.
Tobacco users use nicotine to help cope with stress.
When quitting, new ways of handling stress must be learned. Nicotine
replacement can help to some extent, but for long-term success other
strategies are needed. Exercise is a good stress-reducer. Exercise
can also help with the temporary sense of depression that some tobacco
users experience when they quit. Call the Quitline for a complete
Stress Management program or our relaxation tape. There are also
stress-management classes and self-help books that we can help you
locate. |
