People who want to quit smoking are most likely to succeed when they gain support. This can come from many sources--family members, friends, books, classes, counseling, medication, and more. However, only one in seven smokers reports using such resources during their last attempt to quit.

If you're a smoker, you can break this pattern. Take Nov. 16 as an opportunity to find stop-smoking strategies that work for you. That's the date of the annual Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

The idea behind this event is that quitting for one day can lead to quitting forever. And if you're willing to try, there are thousands of people who will join you on Nov. 16.

At least 46 million Americans have quit smoking for good, using a variety of methods. Whatever method you choose, include the following steps as recommended by the American Cancer Society:

1. Make the decision to quit. Perhaps there are many people who want you to quit smoking--your spouse or partner, children, grandchildren, coworkers, or friends. Yet their encouragement is no substitute for your genuine commitment to live smoke-free. Ultimately, the decision to quit must come from you.
2. Set a quit date, and choose a quit plan. The timing of your quit date is crucial. Picking a date too far in the future makes it easy to back out. But setting a date that comes too soon can leave you ill prepared to quit.
   
   A reasonable compromise is to set a date within the next month. If possible, choose one that's meaningful to you--a birthday, anniversary, or the date of the Great American Smokeout.
   
   Next, get ready for the big day. Mark the quit date on your calendar and tell close friends and family members about it. Also get your sources of support in place--perhaps an intensive quit program such as Hazelden's Your Next Step Tobacco Recovery Program, a class, a support group such as Nicotine Anonymous, nicotine replacement therapy, or all of the above.
   
   On your quit day, do not smoke. Also discard lighters, ashtrays, and other items linked with smoking. Get plenty of exercise, drink lots of water, and avoid situations where you feel an urge to smoke.
3. Deal with withdrawal. Treatments such as the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and prescription medications can help you deal with symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Even so, you may still feel strong cravings for a cigarette.
   
   Learn a variety of techniques to deal directly with cravings. One is to take a slow, deep breath and imagine your lungs filling up with clean air.
   
   Another is to procrastinate. Simply tell yourself that you must wait at least 10 minutes before lighting up. During that time, you may find that the craving reaches a peak and then subsides.
   
   Don't forget the power of distraction. On your quit day, snack on oral substitutes such as sugarless gum and hard candy. Also spend plenty of time at a hobby or other non-smoking activity that keeps your hands busy. Examples are gardening, woodworking, and sewing.
4. Stay quit (maintain success). Once you get through a 24-hour period without smoking, plan to make it permanent. Use any methods that helped you cope with cravings on your quit day. Then experiment with other strategies. If you relapse, don't get discouraged. Many people are not able to quit for good on the first attempt. What's important is figuring out what helped you in your attempt to quit and what worked against you, and then use this information to make a stronger attempt to quit the next time.

You can find more information about the four steps to quitting in the American Cancer Society's "Guide to Quitting Smoking," which is available online (access http://www.cancer.org/ and enter "guide to quitting" in the Search box on that page).

Other resources include:

• The American Cancer Society's toll-free line--800-227-2345.
• The American Heart Association, 800-242-8721, http://www.amhrt.org/.
• The American Lung Association, 800-586-4872, http://www.lungusa.org/.
• Nicotine Anonymous, 877-879-6422, http://www.nicotine-anonymous.org/.
• Hazelden's Your Next Step Tobacco Recovery Program, 800-257-7810.

--Published November 13, 2006