6 Tips to Quit Smoking Ahead of the New Year

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Quitter's Circle, a collaboration between the American Lung Association and Pfizer. All thoughts and opinions presented in this post are purely my own.

Is it me or has this year sped up in the time/space continuum? I’ve put up the holiday decorations, started ogling additional ones at the store and of course, started thinking about the reason for the season.

This is my favorite time of the year. I tend to sit back and think about family while attempting to plan for their visits. Y’all know I love me some lists! I may or may not have 3,098 for the month of December. I see you over there judging me! Don’t, okay?

I dislike resolutions because I feel that, by their nature, they are meant to be broken and never maintained.

My daughter takes issue with smoking. I don’t know where she picks this up, but she has really honed in on the health aspect of it. She really wants everyone to be healthy.  

More than 4 in 10 adults[1] that smoke attempt to quit in a span of a year[i] and more than 16 million adults in the U.S. are living with a smoking related disease.[ii]

I want us to help them. Not with a resolution but with a revolution! Let’s not wait until January 1^st to give ourselves permission to be healthy.

Here are a few tips I wish we’d had when Mami quit smoking.

1. Plan – I’m obsessed with lists and quitting smoking is no different than any other project where a list could be helpful. So let’s plan! You can check out what exactly a quit plan is and how it can help you along the way.
2. Let people know – This is important on so many levels. I know it’s difficult because sometimes we don’t want to say we are doing something and then not go through with our plans, but letting people know will help establish who your support system will be. It also helps keep you accountable to people who are supportive and genuinely care about you.
3. Set a date – On your calendar, be sure to write down the date of when you are planning to quit smoking, and stick to it!
4. Count your money – How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke in a month? A year? Write down what you’ll be saving by not buying cigarettes and plan for how you will spend that money. This will give you an additional incentive on those hard days.
5. Find support – If you write this on your plan, you can check it off already because I got you on this one (you’re welcome). Download the Quitter’s Circle app! It helps you track your success, and gives you all types of resources to help you on your quit smoking journey. Remember how I said to let people know so you can identify who will be supportive? Well, you can add those supporters to your Quit Team on the app.
6. Show yourself some grace – Nearly 7 in 10 adult smokers want to stop smoking.2 It’s not an easy journey. The 5 steps above may help you get there, but if you don’t show yourself some grace in the process, I’m afraid this journey will be a lot more difficult for you. Do the best that you can and cut yourself some slack on the days when you fall short.

Let’s not wait till the New Year to make the decision. Start putting together your quit plan today. It’ll bring an extra bit of peace of mind to your family and friends. Won’t that be a great gift?

[1]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking and Tobacco Use: Quitting Smoking. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/cessation/quitting/. Updated May 21, 2016. Accessed December 12, 2016.

[i]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking and Tobacco Use: Quitting Smoking. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/cessation/quitting/. Updated May 21, 2016. Accessed December 12, 2016.

[ii]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking and Tobacco Use: Fast Facts. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/. Updated December 1, 2015. Accessed October 13, 2016.