The Personal Planner for Success is your personal support companion.  It is a compilation of your history of smoking and plan for smoking cessation.  In the words of Sun Tzu, “Know your enemy and know yourself.”  This is the short version used by many people.  The extended version translated into English is: 

“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

I would venture to say most people understand what they are up against on the tobacco side of smoking cessation.  They have attempted to quit more than once, might have been successful for a time, and then went back again.  The underestimation wasn’t because of the strength of the tobacco; it was the unrecognized strength of the person to realize whether they were ready.  This website is full of the tobacco side of the equation.  What has been lacking in most people’s unsuccessful attempts is an individualized way for a person to “know yourself.”  This is where the Personal Planner for Success plays a vital role in your smoking cessation goals.  In a very slow, methodical, leisurely, and (hopefully) enjoyable pace, I would like for you to design your own smoking cessation history and formulate your own plan for smoking cessation success.  It really can be done at any point in the smoking cessation process whether the planning/preparation, initiation/action, or maintenance/relapse prevention stage.  However, the sooner the better.  

Remember, once you write something down in an organized, easily retrievable, permanent manner, you allow yourself to concentrate on other, potentially more important, topics.  Your subconscious mind is a very powerful tool.  Using it to your advantage is a simple, easy (and inexpensive) way to get yourself in tune with the thought process of smoking cessation.  You’ve heard the term “mind over matter.”  Will you use this cliché as it was meant?  Or will you change it to the self defeating “if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter?”

The purpose of the Personal Planner for Success is to:

1)  Allow yourself to concentrate on the process of smoking cessation while alleviating the stress of trying to remember all the topics you create or are concerned about.

2)  Provide an interactive framework which is a permanent, recordable, and reviewable record of your plans and progress.

3)  A motivational tool for yourself and others.  If you’ve elected to quit with a friend, your Personal Planner for Success allows a way to converse and compare notes in a friendly, interactive, organized manner.  Even if you are quitting on your own, discussing your plan and having something to show other’s helps reinforce your determination and motivation.  Your friends, family, and coworkers will provide valuable input.

4)  An incredible motivational force TO STAY QUIT!  Rough day?  Stress at work?  Relationship problems?  Money concerns?  Thinking about lighting up?  Where is your Personal Planner for Success?  What are your craving control / coping mechanisms again?  You wrote them down, right?  You have them readily available, right?  The number one cause of relapse is failure to plan to prevent relapse.  Your Personal Planner for Success helps in two ways:  One, to help change your mindset.  Repetition is one of the easiest and quickest ways to adapt new behaviors.  Keep your Personal Planner for Success close, review it, update it, and review it again.  Two, since your Personal Planner for Success was made by you; it is unique in its influence when you are in a situation of possible relapse or faltering.  The more you put into it, the more it can help.  It reminds me of a memorable quote from the movie The Matrix:

Neo (Keanu Reeves): What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge bullets?
Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne): No, Neo. I'm trying to tell you that, when you're ready, you won't have to.

Preparation to prevent relapse, when you are ready, will inevitably eliminate the possibility of relapse.

5)  A motivational tool to HELP OTHERS QUIT.  Smokers know smokers.  No matter how or what method you use to quit, you should share your Personal Planner for Success with others.  They don’t necessarily need to know your particular comments or thoughts, just the structure and importance of their very own Personal Planner for Success.

6)  In the unlikely event of relapse, you have a driving force to ease the quitting process in the future, hopefully way before the smoking gets out of control again.  If this occurs, you have a golden opportunity to write more valuable information in your Personal Planner for Success.  Smoking cessation should be your target.  It reminds me of when I was in the military and had the annual M-16 rifle qualification training.  We were required to pick up this weapon and shoot a target without ever having used this particular weapon before.  Everyone’s method of holding and targeting a weapon is slightly different.  In order to make the weapon you were going to use for qualification adjusted to the way you fire a weapon, it had to be “Zero’d.”  This required you to fire the weapon at a paper target multiple times.  In the Army, it’s in groups of three.  You would fire your weapon three times at the paper target.  First you would have to have an adequate “grouping,” the three rounds would have to be in close proximity to each other.  The goal was to have all three rounds as close to each other as a quarter (the twenty-five cents coin).  If not, you had to work on your firing technique.  Once this was accomplished, you would adjust the weapon, not the person, to account for the various ways people hold and target.  One person may need to have their sights adjusted down and to the right, while another person night need up and to the left.  The ultimate goal is for you to hit your target in your individualized way.  Your Personal Planner for Success will help you “Zero” into your target of smoking cessation.

First and foremost, this is YOUR Personal Planner for Success.  This section of the website is offered as a guide only.  Feel free to deviate, add or subtract as you feel necessary.  My recommendation is, however, more is better.  Even if it means writing thoughts, new topics, questions and concerns in multiple places.  Rearranging, writing, rewriting, and reviewing are necessary.  Remember, the main intent is to allow yourself to know your personal interest of smoking cessation is on paper and you no longer have to utilize brain power to remember that input.  Move on to something else.  Add to your topic or subject as you think about it, and then allow yourself NOT to concentrate on it.  If it’s important enough, your mind will come back to it with a fresh view and possibly a new way to look at that particular subject.

My recommendation is to get yourself a POCKET-SIZED notebook or personal planner.  Something you can carry around with you.  If you carry a purse with you everywhere, it should fit conveniently in that purse.  If you don’t usually carry anything throughout the day, again, a POCKET-SIZED memo pad is good.  Your Personal Planner for Success is much less effective if you don’t have it when you need it or have a new, fresh idea to add.

Examples of ideas and pricing of what to use for the Personal Planner for Success

These can be found at your local stationery or office supply store (i.e. Office Depot, Office Max, or Staples)

3” x 5” 60 page top or side bound spiral-bound memo books 3 pack $1.79

4” x 6” 40 page top or side bound spiral-bound memo books 3 pack $2.49

3” x 5” Oxford 2-ring index card binder with 50 cards    $3.69

Pocket sized accordion file for 3” x 5” index cards which holds 50 cards $3.69

   (Index card file place-cards also available)

4” x 6” Oxford Classic White Spiral View Front spiral bound index cards with 50 cards $2.49

3” x 5” Mead hard plastic index card carrier with 25 cards $1.99

5-1/2” x 3-1/2” 96 sheet Tops “Designer” pocket notebook $3.99

5-1/2” x 3-1/2” 96 sheet Tops pocket notebook $5.39

For a more professional feel (and more expensive):

6-3/4” x 3-3/4”, Black, Day Runner Express Organizer       $28.99

6 ring refillable binder which can be used as a personal organizer for later use also.  This is similar to what I used in medical training for my daily notes and to do lists.  There used to be inexpensive refill sheets by Stuart Hall “Executive Loose Leaf Memo Refill” for Executive No. 1626 and No. 1616 Memo Books.

6-3/4” x 3-3/4”, Black, Boorum & Pease 6-Ring Memo Book with 50 sheets    $6.79

Manufacturer #ESS-70006

Refill sheets 50 sheets per pack Manufacturer #ESS-465550                                        $2.39

If you don’t already have one, consider an electronic organizer which can print out your memo pages, store them on the device, cut and paste them to a word processing program, or store them on your computer.

The very first page, the page you will see when you open your Personal Planner for Success, should contain the following:

THIS PERSONAL PLANNER FOR SMOKING CESSATION SUCCESS BELONGS TO:

______________________________________________

RIPI – Reflect, Indentify, Plan, Initiate

Age I started smoking:                                                                       __________________

Maximum number of packs I smoked in a day (for at least 3-6 months)       __________________

(Be honest, this is your Personal Planner for Success)

Number of years I’ve smoked (current age minus the age you started)         __________________

(Do not subtract years you were smoke-free unless you quit for 10-15 years before starting again)

Number of “Pack Years” I’ve smoked (Maximum packs per day multiplied by number years smoked).  (20 Pack Years is significant but I’ve had patients well over 100 Pack Years!)

                                                                                                                        __________________

Date I was sure I was ready to quit smoking (your Quit Date):                                             __________________

Date I started My Planner / formulating my plan:                                          __________________

Date I started A+ Smoker‘s Control® (the night before your Quit Date):    __________________

Date I was comfortable stopping A+ Smoker’s Control®:                            __________________

Date I told the first person “I’m an EX-smoker”:                                          __________________

The SECOND page should contain:

Dr. Knowles’ (or My) Rules of Smoking Cessation Success

1)      Smoking is a stimulant NOT a relaxant

2)      Components of tobacco smoke cause disease and death

3)      I am in control

4)      I am NOT weak

5)      Smoking is a thing of the past

This should be your mantra.  You should repeat these Rules many times throughout the day.  If I were to meet you on the street and asked you about the “Rules,” you should be able to recite them as if you were telling me your phone number.  If you want to add your most important personal reason(s) for quitting smoking, please do so.  

YOUR SMOKING STORY

What is your story / personal experience of how you started smoking? 

• Do you remember your first cigarette?  Was it pleasant?  Who were you with?  Do you even still know them?  Did you feel pressured?  Did you want that first cigarette?  Did you like that first cigarette?  Did you think in your wildest dreams smoking would become a habit?  Did you tell yourself “There is no way this will become a habit for me, they are too disgusting?” 
• When did you transition from a “starter” to a casual smoker? 
• To a regular smoker? 
• To a dependent / habitual smoker?

PERSONAL  MOTIVATIONAL  LISTS FOR SUCCESS

Why did you start smoking?

• It looked cool – James Dean, the Marlboro Man.  By the way, two of the most famous Marlboro Men, Wayne McLaren and David McLean, died of lung cancer. 
• My family smoked     The most common first cigarette is from a brother / sister or friend.
• My friends smoked  /
• Peer pressure, to fit in.
• It was the “social” thing to do at the time.
• Low self-esteem at the time.
• My partner did it so I started
• I wanted to feel “grown up.”
• It was thought to relieve stress
• Curiosity – “I just wanted to try it.”
• Ego – “Even if I experiment, or start smoking outright, there is no way cigarettes are strong enough to make it a habit of mine.”
• Attitude / Rebellion /Control / Act of Defiance
• Advertising – smoking is/was thought of as elegant, rugged, sexy.

Why do you continue to smoke? 

This is a very tricky list.  It forces you to look into yourself and, in the words of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, “Face the peril.”  Why do you smoke?  It isn’t as easy as one might think.  The reasons you started smoking might be quite different than why you smoke now.

• Smoking helps me look mature / older. 
• Smoking makes me look more confident and in control
• Smoking is an ice-breaker and helps me meet new people
• Smoking helps me cope with my problems
• Smoking makes me feel good
• Smoking helps me lose weight.  FACT – you will feel better and have more energy when you quit smoking.  That extra energy can be channeled into a new workout routine…
• Smoking helps me relax.  FACT – smoking is a stimulant.  It is felt the reason most people feel it “relaxes” is because A) you have been influenced by advertising, TV, movies and the media, and B) every time you finish a cigarette starts the beginning of the withdrawal process, the relaxation is simply calming the withdrawals.
• Smoking helps me think
• Smoking gives me something to do with my hands and mouth
• Smoking is fun
• Smoking is a reward
• Smoking helps me pass time
• Smoking is something I can do with my friends
• Smoking gives me something to do when I’m alone
• It’s such a major part of my life, I don’t even realize I’m lighting up half the time.
• I like to watch the smoke
• I have many memories associated with smoking
• I am addicted to smoking
• It is so readily available it makes it more difficult to quit
• Someone close to me also smokes which makes it more difficult to quit.

Smoking DENIAL and RATIONALIZATION list.  There is a certain component of denial to putting off smoking cessation.  How many of these apply to you?  How have you been fooling yourself concerning smoking?  The following are very common, and some might even seem comical, but they are the reality of the habitual smoker.

• “I do not have a problem, I can quit anytime.  It’s not a habit for me.”
• “I am in control, not the cigarettes.”
• “I only smoke when… (insert denial/rationalization thought here).  It’s not a habit for me.”
• “I only smoke a few times per week.  I don’t smoke that much.” -- Any habit that continues to compound on itself can lead towards poor health; even a few cigarettes per week can make you dependent on nicotine in a few months, and your cravings for cigarettes will only increase. Smoking a few times per week does have one benefit; you have more days to commit to better health so you can get rid of your smoking sessions completely.
• “The dangers of smoking won’t happen to me.”
• “I’ve had relatives who smoked and lived to very old ages.  The hazards of smoking are overrated.”  --Please remember these are exceptions.  The fact remains approximately 50% of all regular cigarette smokers will ultimately be killed as a result of this habit.  This does not include the impact of smoking on other forms of disease.  Even if that relative lived to be very old, were they in good health?  Did they have heart disease, diabetes, stroke or impotence?  They did have damage to their lungs and other tissues and organs.
• “It’s not as bad as other ‘drugs.’” -- This is a common excuse of many people who are seeking a 'substance fix,' but it doesn't offer much when nicotine is controlling your life. Becoming dependent on cigarettes to feel good puts you at risk for a variety of illnesses and disease, and doesn't necessarily make you better off than another drug habit. The key is getting out of being dependent on any substance or drug in order to “feel better.”
• “I only smoke organic/natural cigarettes.” -- Natural and organic cigarettes are just as potent, if not more, than the average brand. Don't fall for the misconception of 'natural' being a friendly word; it is commonly used as a marketing tactic, and these cigarettes still lead to many health problems with long-term use. 
• “I just visited my doctor, had a chest X-ray and he said everything is fine.” – This is a common misconception.  It is human nature to sometimes hold on to false hope.  The problem is an X-ray is only a screening tool.  This means a positive finding will prompt other tests.  Another problem is if you do see something on X-ray, it is too late.  The lungs have a remarkable reserve.  A person will usually go in to see the doctor after 50% of their lung capacity is gone.  This is too late.  The horse is out of the barn, too late to shut the gate.  No one knows which cigarette is going to be the one to cause lung cancer or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).  The key is to stop NOW.  Smoking is playing Russian Roulette with 50% of the chambers loaded.  50% of individuals who continue to smoke will die because of a smoking-related disease process.  Sure, a person here and there might get away with the game, but chances are the gun will go off eventually.
• “I am not at increased risk of health problems.  I won’t get cancer or COPD.”
• “You have to die of something.”
• “All those reports of lung cancer and COPD are from pollution in the air and exhaust from vehicles, not from smoking.”
• “I’ll quit tomorrow, I promise…”
• “I don’t have a family history of lung cancer, therefore I won’t get it.”

Reasons YOU want to quit

• It’s expensive
• It’s unhealthy
• It’s not “fun” anymore.  I no longer enjoy smoking.
• I want to prevent / reduce the amount of wrinkles, especially my “smile lines.”
• I want fresh breath.
• I want this annoying cough to go away.
• I would like to breath deeper and without the wheeze I get every once in a while.
• It’s getting too restrictive to smoke.  I can’t smoke in public like I used to.
• I want more time with friends and loved ones.  All too often I have to remove myself from situations to go outside to smoke.
• I’m a closet smoker and I won’t have to hide my smoking habit anymore.
• I’ve had a person I care about have health concerns or die from smoking
• I’m starting to show signs of complications from smoking i.e. cough (with or without phlegm), hoarseness, shortness of breath, difficulty “catching your breath,” wheezing, coughing up blood, chest pain, frequent colds and upper respiratory illness, difficulty or pain on swallowing, change in exercise capacity, unexplained weight loss, persistent abdominal pain, headaches.  I want them to end.
• I want to be free from nicotine’s urges and cravings.
• I want to be a good role model for my children.
• I want to live longer.
• I want to have more energy.
• I want to reduce my risk of lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, stroke, and lots of other diseases.
• I don’t want to be concerned what people think about me since I’m a “Smoker.”
• I want to sleep better.
• I want to improve my sense of taste and smell.
• I want to be able to walk farther and breathe more easily I’m tired of my house, car, clothes, and working environment smelling of smoke. I don’t want my children, family, or friends to walk in these footsteps.
• I’m tired of covering up the fact I smoke with mints and perfume.
• My fingers are actually yellow.
• I want the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with quitting smoking.

What were the roadblocks to your starting your smoking cessation plan before?

• Fear of failure.
• Fear of serious illness.
• There’s always tomorrow…
• Feeling of being powerless to quit.
• Denial of what cigarettes can to do you.
• Denial the health concerns of cigarettes will happen to you.

What caused relapse in your prior smoking cessation attempts?

• Had “one too many” at a party.
• Angry at someone.
• Job loss.
• An anxiety, depression, panic situation(s).

How is your life controlled by smoking?

Smoking Triggers - Situations/places to avoid or change, smoking-associated habits

Be honest with yourself.  Make sure if it’s an unavoidable place to have a solution to change the environment slightly.  You need to break smoking patterns / routines.  Who of your family and friends can you call upon to provide emotional support?  Consider activities incompatible with smoking such as running, skiing, swimming.  Do not use cigarettes as a reward.  Even one cigarette decreases your success and increases relapse.  See Coping Mechanisms in the next section.

• While talking on the phone.  Solution:  talk in a different room, hold the phone in the other hand, sit in a different chair.  Keep your hands and mouth occupied with sugarless candy or gum.  Keep a squeeze-ball handy.  Stand instead of sit.  Limit the amount of time spent on the phone. 
• While in your “favorite chair.”  Solution:  Avoid that chair or move it to another location.  Rearrange your furniture. 
• Restaurants, bars and nightclubs.  Fortunately many are nonsmoking these days.  However, it doesn’t stop you from taking a smoking break outside.  If unavoidable, go with a supportive friend.  Avoid busy hours where there is increased smoke.  Consider changing your usual meal.
• While drinking.  This can be alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.  Break the smoking pattern:  if you drink out of a certain glass, mug, or cup, change to a different one.  If you drink in a certain location of your home or at a certain restaurant, change that location.  Consider reducing or eliminating alcohol for the first few weeks during the cessation process.  Consider alternative ways to socialize with friends for a few weeks.  Limit yourself to one or two drinks.  Change from what you usually drink.  You can still have fun without drinking, can’t you (if not, there might be another cessation project ahead for you)?  Willpower is weakened when you drink alcohol. Break the routine.
• Finishing a meal.  Need to form a new after-meal hobby or habit.  Go for a walk or run, do the dishes, check your email.  Get up from the table as soon as you are done eating.  Brush your teeth. 
• In the car.  Fill your ashtrays with little positive affirmations or reasons you are quitting.  Keep your sugarless candy or gum in them.  Consider removing the ashtrays from your vehicle all together.  Consider a different route for routine trips.  Keep your mind occupied:  listen to talk radio or books on tape.
• Being around smokers.  Avoidance is the best policy but isn’t always possible.  Limit access to the areas where smoking is prevalent (designated smoking areas at work).  Avoid going outside when your friends smoke.  If around smokers, try to keep your distance from the smoke.  Identify your non-smoking friends and, at least initially, spend more time with them.  Leave the scene from time to time if you have to be in a smoking environment.  Politely explain to the other smoker that you are trying to quit and ask him or her not to smoke in front of you.   
• Living with another smoker.  Negotiate with the other smoker about where and when they will smoke. Do not make demands.  Have the other smoker keep their cigarettes where the quitter will not be able to find them.  Give the smoker one ashtray and ask them to keep this ashtray clean and out of sight when not in use.  Determine a reasonable length of time for these changes (three to four weeks).  Surprise the smoker with a special dinner or gift after the first month of quitting as a thank you for their cooperation. 
• Social events / parties.  Develop and practice a plan to deal with the situation before you go out. In your mind, rehearse going to the function. See yourself having a good time, meeting people and enjoying the situation---all without having a cigarette. Practice saying, "No thank you, I don't smoke" just in case someone offers you a cigarette.    
• Boredom.  ALWAYS have something to do.  Your Personal Planner for Success can help.  Review and update your Personal Planner for Success.  Carry a motivational book or email with your (QuitNet.com).  Consider carrying a book/newspaper/crossword puzzle with you.  Plan ahead so you don’t get caught with periods of long inactivity.  Relax, it’s nice to have nothing to do from time to time. 
• Breaks (at work, school, etc) – Similar to boredom.  Consider taking you break in a different place that you would if it is a usual smoking break.  Plan ahead as in boredom above.  Find other reasons to take a break:  Go for a walk, call a friend, RELAX…
• Evenings / end of day / before retiring for the night – Find projects to do while at home.  Clean out the garage / basement, start a hobby, etc.  Keep your self busy while watching TV.  Do puzzles, make out the grocery list.  Start an exercise program.  Go for a walk.
• Upon waking.  Change the order of your routine.  Look in the mirror first thing every morning and say, "I'm proud to be a nonsmoker."  Eat something for breakfast if that is not a normal part of your routine.
• Mood swings / negative moods.  Rethink your belief that cigarettes calm or relax.  Ask yourself how a cigarette will make a situation any better.  Do deep breathing throughout the day.  As you do the deep breathing, think calming thoughts…"I can get through this" or simply, "I am calm."  Realize that smoking does not hurt anyone but the smokers. It is not a good way to get back at anyone or to punish someone you are angry with.
• Emotions – Stress, nerves, anxiety.  Separate the cigarette from the situation. Realize that smoking never made a situation any better or helped you deal with it.  Step back, take a deep breath, and say to yourself, " I can handle this." Then deal with the problem.  Strategize about how to handle stressful situations with friends, relatives or trusted clergy.  Realize that every problem has a solution that does not involve smoking. 
• If you smoke at work.  Rearrange your office or workspace as much as you can.  Change your work routine as much as possible.  Listen to music, talk radio, or motivational tapes.  Have a support person at work.  
• Studying
• Reading
• Smells
• Before, during or after sex
• In the bathroom
• Rejection – whether at work, play, or home
• When I see smoking on TV or in the movies
• When I’m hungry
• When I have nothing to do.
• Particular activities
• Reminders of the past:  special occasions, anniversaries, seasons of the year

Identify the times of day you usually smoke:

• When you wake up
• While getting dressed
• With your morning meal or cup of coffee
• While performing your “Honey Do” list or chores around the house
• On your way to work or school
• At work or school
• Breaks or studying
• Getting home from work
• After your evening meal
• While relaxing before going to bed

Coping Mechanisms - What are you going to do instead of smoking when you have a craving?

Remember the 7 “D’s”

1) DRINK lots of water.  It will help flush the nicotine from your system and reduce the intensity of withdrawal symptoms.

2) DO something else!!  Pull out your Personal Planner for Success.  Write the time of day, situation, and feelings concerning your urge in the Daily Activity Section.  This is exactly where A+ Smoker’s Control, Formula D – Aromatherapy, comes into play.  When the urge subsides, write down how you coped with it and whether there is something different you can do for the next time.  DO physical exercise.  Go to a gym; sit in the steam, exercise. Change your normal routine – take time to walk or even jog around the block or in a local park.

3) Distance yourself from the situation or trigger.  Just walk away. 

4) DEEP breathing.  Perhaps the single most powerful and important technique.  Every time you want a cigarette, do the following. Do it three times.
Inhale the deepest lung-full of air you can, and then, very slowly, exhale. Purse your lips so that the air must come out slowly.
As you exhale, close your eyes, and let your chin gradually sink over onto your chest. Visualize all the tension leaving your body, slowly draining out of your fingers and toes, just flowing on out.
This is a variation of an ancient yoga technique from India, and is VERY centering and relaxing. If you practice this, you'll be able to use it for any future stressful situation you find yourself in. And it will be your greatest weapon during the strong cravings sure to assault you over the first few days.  This deep breathing technique will be a vital help to you. Reread this point now, and as you do, try it for the first time. Inhale and exhale three times. See for yourself!

5) DISTRACT yourself.

6) DIAL a friend.

7) Delay.  Count to ten, use your Aroma Therapy.  Check your Coping Mechanisms list.

• Keep your hands and mouth occupied.  Treat yourself to a cup of mint tea or a peppermint candy.  Nibble on low calorie foods like celery, apples and carrots. Chew sugarless gum or suck on cinnamon sticks (the kind used for cider).  Sometimes typing messages keeps fingers busy and gives support during a strong craving.  Other items which may help include:  toothpicks, plastic straws, swizzle sticks, a stress ball (or any small ball that you can squeeze when you feel stressed such as a tennis ball), rubber bands, paper clips, pencils.  Sometimes finding something your can snap, bend, break, or squeeze can help you relax.  Sewing, knitting, gardening and jigsaw puzzles are options many people take.  Caution:  do not use fake cigarettes.  They do nothing but maintain the visual/hand to mouth/oral connection to real cigarettes.  Play cards.  KISS your significant other!!
• Talk about the urge.  Call your support person or let people around you know you need to talk for a few minutes.
• Write an email to your support person.  Read an email from QuitNet.  You did register with QuitNet, right?  Hit the forums, live chat.  This should be planned out IN ADVANCE.  Remember, preparation meeting opportunity is a golden key for success.
• Acceptance.  Thinking about smoking during cessation is natural.  Flip the rationalization bug around.  “It’s natural to think about smoking and it doesn’t bother me.”

What are you going to do to keep your mind off smoking?  KEEP BUSY!!

• Read a book.
• Take up a new hobby.
• Go to the movies or rent a movie.
• Go for a walk.
• Work around the house.
• Call or visit friends.
• Write emails/letters.

What are you looking forward to as a nonsmoker?

• I am looking forward to overall feeling better.
• I am looking forward to being more calm.
• I am looking forward to having more energy.
• I am looking forward to having more money.
• I am looking forward to being happier.
• I am looking forward to having more control in my life.
• I am looking forward to having better quality of life (as well as longer).

Support System - Who are you going to call, visit, text-message, or email for support?

Friends

Family

Coworkers

QuitNet.com

What are you going to do to reward yourself?  Today?  Next week?  Your first year anniversary?  Make it pleasurable but not destructive:  a bubble bath, a new article of clothing, a computer game

What are you going to do with all that extra MONEY (Monetary Motivation / realization of the cost of smoking)?  You calculated the amount of money you are spending on smoking, right?

What are you going to do with all that extra TIME?  It is estimated the average person uses 64 minutes in the average working day smoking. 

MILESTONES – Your smoking cessation is a journey.  You have much to look forward to.  Place a checkmark when you reach each milestone.  What are you going to do to celebrate each new change in your health?

I have been smoke-free for:

_____  20 minutes

• My blood pressure has dropped
• My pulse rate has returned to normal
• My body temperature of hands and feet has increased to normal

_____  8 - 12 hours

• The carbon monoxide level in my blood has dropped to normal. 
• The oxygen level in my blood has increased to normal

_____  24 hours

• My chances of heart attack have decreased

 _____  48 hours

• My nerve endings have started to regrow
• My ability to smell and taste has enhanced

 _____ 2 weeks to 3 months

• My circulation has improved
• Walking hasbecome easier
• My lung function has increased up to 30%

 _____ 1 to 9 months

• My coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath has decreased
• The cilia in my lungs (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) have regained normal function, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean my lungs and reduce infection
• My body’s overall energy has increased

_____  1 year

• My excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

 _____ 5 years

• My risk of dying from lung cancer has decreased by 50% (average former smoker with a pack a day habit)
• My risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is half that of a smoker’s
• My stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker (5-15 years after quitting)

_____ 10 years

• My risk of lung cancer is similar to that of a nonsmoker
• Any precancerous cells in my body have been replaced with normal ones
• My risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, kidney and pancreas have decreased

_____  15 years

• My risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker

DAILY ACTIVITY SECTION – What did you do today to help reinforce your smoking cessation?  Any motivating thoughts which kept you going?  Words of encouragement for a friend or loved one who is, or soon to be, involved with smoking cessation.

Did you have any cravings?  If so, add the time of day of your craving, what the possible trigger was, what you did, how long the craving lasted, how you can avoid it in the future, did your response to the craving help, and what you will do in the future if your avoidance strategy didn’t work quite as planned.  Review and update, as necessary, your Coping Mechanisms and Smoking Triggers section(s).

The very LAST page:

Dr. Knowles: 

I have used your idea of a Personal Planner for Success in conjunction with A+ Smoker’s Control®.  I would like for you to consider the following changes, additions, substitutions, concerns, comments for your consideration:

Is there an idea I have left out?  A goal?  A question?  Please let me know.  This is an ever changing and evolving website.  Change is constant.  Your addition to the website might be the one which helps another person be smoke-free FOREVER.