DAY 1..
You’ve planned to stop smoking for a long time because of its dangers, its expenses, and its pointlessness.But smoking isn’t like just any other bad habit. It affects your nerves, your heart—your entire body. Maybe you’ve tried many times before to quit smoking, or maybe this is your first attempt.
What you need is an all-out, comprehensive plan that addresses every aspect of your life. The Five-Day Plan, based on physical and psychological principles, is designed to support your decision to quit smoking so you can succeed. You will be participating in a comprehensive physical fitness program for the total health of your body, mind, and spirit.
You are about to stop smoking!
There may be some rough hours or days ahead, but this program was created to help you get through those stressful periods and to lessen each and every craving. This major life change can be yours through willpower and the right choices.Get ready for a better life.
You can choose not to smoke. You can, if you set your mind to it!
Tonight
Plan to go to sleep a bit earlier than usual tonight, to accomplish the following:o A good rest for your nerves, so that you are fresh for tomorrow.
o So you can wake up well-rested a bit earlier in the morning.
Just before bed
1. Go for a short walk. Practice deep breathing.2. Have a warm, not hot, shower or bath to help you relax.
3. If you usually have a drink to help you sleep, try an herbal tea or warm milk instead. You must not drink alcohol for the next five days.
4. Restate your decision several times: “I choose not to smoke.”
Keep this page near your bed. You will need it first thing in the morning.
Set an alarm for a half-hour earlier than usual.
o Take a relaxing shower or bath before breakfast. This is a must.o Drink one or two glasses of water—warm, if possible. Make an herbal tea with some lemon if you prefer. This week will be easier if you avoid coffee, caffeinated tea, and energy drinks for the week.
o Eat lots of fresh fruit and drink fruit juices for the first 24 hours. Try a variety of fresh fruits, such as bananas, berries, melons, grapes, or whatever is in season.
Waking thought
“I choose not to smoke no matter how strong the urge.”Repeat several times.
Now is the time to tell you: Forget about your weight for a few days. The most important thing now is to stop smoking. Weight control, if necessary, can wait.
After breakfast:
o deep, rhythmic breathing of fresh air (Three deep breaths can help to calm your nerves.)o a five-minute walk, if possible
Deep breathing and walking are vital—do both after every meal. If you are not on a regular exercise program, consult a clinician as to what is best for you.
In 1988, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that nicotine is just as addictive as heroin and cocaine.
Here you are at class or work. Watch out: tension can build. Remember: you’ve stopped smoking.
What to do if a craving strikes
1. Say to yourself: “I choose not to smoke” and mean it.2. Immediately get a glass of water.
3. Start deep, rhythmic breathing in time with your steps while you get some water.
4. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking on mints may be helpful.
5. Snack on fruit, celery, carrots, or other crunchy vegetables.
6. Call a friend.
Check to be sure that you have drunk at least three glasses of water or juice between 8:00 am and noon.
1. ________ 2. ________ 3. ________
Aim to drink three more glasses between noon and your evening meal.
Fluids weaken cravings. Each craving you resist strengthens your will.
Noontime
1. Avoid eating lunch with someone who smokes, if possible.2. If you feel you must eat something other than fruit, try this recommended lunch:
o sandwich (avoid fried or spicy meat)
o salad, either fruit or vegetables (little
or no dressing)
o soup, mildly seasoned
o fruit juice
After lunch
1. Get outside for a ten-minute walk. Breathe deeply. Again, deep breathing will blunt the edge of a craving.2. Say to yourself: “Sure, it may be hard, but right now I’m not smoking!”
BENEFITS: You will lose your hacking cough and shortness of breath, and avoid things like upper respiratory infections, emphysema, early wrinkles, lung cancer, and heart attacks.
Smoking contributes to all of these.
Your first afternoon
During the early afternoon, contact a supportive friend or partner who is also trying to stop smoking. Ask how they’re doing—your encouragement might come at just the right time.My partner’s name: ____________________
Phone number: ________________________
Email address: ________________________
Afternoon fluid intake:
1. ________ 2. ________ 3. ________
Weaken that craving
In the late afternoon, don’t let down.1. Check the section on “what to do if a craving strikes.”
2. Remember that you are on the way to a smoke-free life.
3. Restate your decision: “I choose not to smoke.”
4. Keep the printout of this page with you.
Don’t forget about the second day of the Five- Day Plan to stop smoking. Print out the Day Two page that will carry you through the next 24-hours.
At home, after class or work
Avoid idle time. Keep yourself occupied with your favorite recreation, if only for a short period. Above all, stay away from:
o a favorite chair or place where you often smoked
o any alcoholic beverage—one small drink can lead to a cigarette.
Tonight’s dinner
Fruit and more fruit: If you feel you are about to fall apart, eat a light meal like you may have at lunch:
o soup with very light seasoning
o salad—cottage cheese or vegetables, with little or no dressing
o whole wheat bread or toast
o milk or juice
Don’t linger too long: Don’t stay at the table after a meal. Good food, good conversation— these can make you crave an after-dinner
smoke.
Use your willpower. Get up and away from the table.
Immediately after dinner
1. Watch out! Again, stay away from that favorite chair or place where you used to smoke.
2. Breathe the fresh air for a few minutes and go for a five- to ten-minute walk. Deep breathing can help calm your nerves.
3. Try rinsing with mouthwash to help eliminate the urge to smoke after a meal.
Did you know…
o There are over 4000 chemical compounds in tobacco smoke. According to the Surgeon General, over 40 of these can cause cancer.
o At some point during the next few days, you will hit a period where your cravings are worst—but after that, your cravings will start to lessen.
If you did smoke…
What if you smoked a few cigarettes today? Remember this: You may have lost a battle, but that doesn’t mean you lost the war.
1. Follow the plan more carefully.
2. Tonight’s therapy session is to help strengthen your willpower.
“Each year more Americans die from smoking-related diseases than from AIDS,
drug abuse, car accidents, and homicide combined.” USCDC, Smokefree Educational Services, Inc.
At home tonight
1. Go for a short walk—practice deep breathing.
2. Take a relaxing shower or bath, but make sure it’s not too hot.
3. Set an alarm early enough for a morning bath or shower and unhurried breakfast.
4. Keep this page at your bedside to look at first thing in the morning.Finally
Fill up the Information Form of DAY- 1, in which you have to mark the items you have noticed as you quit smoking.
Download Day-1 as a pdf file to your computer
