Plan ahead strategies to help you quit smoking

It is crucial to work out in advance a strategy when taking on quitting smoking. Some people manage to quit "cold turkey" — they just stop smoking, and that's it. This approach can be surprisingly successful, especially if you have the right support. However, many people need to have another strategy that works.

• One helpful tactic is to plan ahead; pick a date on which you will have your last cigarette and set about dismantling your psychological associations with smoking — this will make it easier to deal with when the time comes.
• If you decide to choose a stop date in advance, make it a day when you are least likely to be stressed and most able to break familiar habits and routines.
• Avoid trying to give it up at Christmas, during intense work periods or at times when you are likely to have heavy domestic or family commitments.
• Remember, trying to quit means having to deal with nicotine-withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, depression and tiredness.

• Willpower is your main weapon, but studies suggest that the more support you have — be it from friends, family or professionals — the more likely you are to succeed.
• It is a good idea to talk to your doctor about the help available in your community.
• Studies also find that people are more likely to be successful at quitting if they work with their health care team.
• Your doctor can provide individual counselling and refer you to a smoking cessation program.
• Success rates for people who are aiming to quit are substantially improved by programs that offer support, education, coping skills, counselling and behaviour therapy — virtually anything that means the smoker is not left to do it alone.
• Having the support of your family and friends, too, can make all the difference.

If you are a woman, choose a stop-smoking day that's during the second half of your monthly cycle. Research shows that women who try to quit during the first half of their cycle have only a 14 per cent success rate, compared with 34 per cent for women who stop between mid-cycle (ovulation) and the day before their next period.