To help you through the first few crucial weeks of quitting we have devised various plans that you might like to try. The can be used in isolation or together, just choose whatever suits you best. There is Preparation Guidelines, Weighing up the pros and cons, and A Smokers Diary. If at any time you feel talking to someone would give you an extra boost then remember to ring Quitline 0800 00 22 00 for trained, friendly help and advice.

For & Against

A practical task to prepare you to stop smoking. This is not the right side versus the left, you need to decide what is important to you. Print out this page and give each benefit/reason a score out of 10, 10 being very important to you. Then add up each column , if the column on the right has a higher score then you are ready to stop smoking.

Stick a photo of someone you love here to give you an incentive to quit.

What will I gain financially?

How many cigarettes do you smoke a day? How much does it cost? It's worth thinking about this over a longer time scale. Fill in the chart below and you might be surprised at how much on are spending on cigarettes.

Your Diary

Keep a smoking diary for two days - start with your first cigarette of the day and enter every one you have until the very last one. If you are working you must include cigarettes smoked at work. Print out these questions then each time you have a cigarette write down your answers.

Analysing Your Smokers Diary

Print out your Smokers Diary. After two days, look at the entire diary, then answer the following questions:

• What sort of activities provoke me into having a cigarette?
• Is it having a cup of coffee, answering the telephone, going to the pub?
• Does someone provoke me?
• Which cigarette do you find most enjoyable and why?
• Which cigarettes could you easily have not smoked?
• Which cigarettes did I feel I could not have done without and why?

YOUR STRATEGY

Once you have answered the above questions you can identify potential danger points and need to plan your strategy. If you want some help, ring Quitline 0800 00 22 00.

CONTROLLING TEMPTATION TIPS

1. Think about when you enjoy a cigarette and when you need one then anticipate how you are going to cope in these circumstances. Some people find it helpful to write down these times. If you always have a cigarette in the morning with a coffee, then stop having coffee have fruit juice or water instead so there is not the association/trigger with smoking.

2. If you feel the need to eat something instead of a smoking decide on a sensible alternative such as sugar free gum or fruit.

3. If you regularly go to the pub and associate drinking with cigarettes try holding your glass in your usual cigarette hand. If you associate the drink with smoking avoid the pub for a few days.

4. Identify diversions or distractions that can replace the desire to smoke - physical exercise, chatting with a friend, brushing your teeth.

5. Remember cravings increase in intensity for up to 3 minutes and then subsides. Plan how you will distract yourself , deep breathing might be helpful.