• Taper down by cutting back to half of your usual amount before you quit.
• Don't carry your cigarettes or lighter around with you, try leaving them behind.
• Carry substitutes like carrot sticks, gum, candies, and any hand or mouth toy.
• Switch to lower nicotine cigarettes. This will help prevent strong withdrawal when you quit.
• Learn to manage your triggers (cues). For more information on your personal cues, try this activity.

Take notice of what triggers you to smoke. By keeping a record of your triggers and how you deal with them, you identify possible difficult situations before they occur, in fact, before you even quit! One way to monitor your tobacco use patterns before quitting is to use "Track Sheets". This can help you keep track of how often you smoke. On your sheet, you should write down the situation you are in (on the phone, work, on break, etc.), how badly you feel you need that smoke (on a scale of 1 to 5), and your strategy for coping. If you are going to be tapering your tobacco before quitting you can use this information to eliminate low-need smokes. Look over your Track Sheets and pick three of your strongest triggers, then stop smoking at those times! Notice what your friends or coworkers who don't smoke are doing at those times. If you can't stop all at once, go as long as you can (wait at least 10 minutes). Try to increase this time as you approach your quit day. This will give you ideas for smoking substitutes. Remember that there is no safe way to use tobacco. The goal of cutting down or switching is to QUIT! The only health benefits come from quitting completely.

You can reach Health Education Services at (703) 993-3690/3686 or E-mail jpalmore@gmu.edu.

Download Track Sheets in Microsoft Word format.

Proceed to Step 4

Health Education Services
(703) 993-3690/3686
SUB I, Room 219J