here’s a markdown formatted quit plan for your notes app (based on this) with bullets for common answers to the questions that you can delete if they don’t apply / keep or add ones that do.
Quit PlanQuit Date
Choose a date within the next two weeks.
Quit Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
What to expect
- 1 week: Nicotine is out of your system
- 2 weeks: Physical withdrawal symptoms fade
- 1 month: Habit- and emotion-driven cravings may continue
Reasons for Quitting
- Feel healthier / Live longer
- Save Money
- See my kids grow up / set a better example
- Look healthier / smell better
- Reduce stress between uses
Triggers
Knowing your triggers helps you plan around them.
Emotional- Feeling stressed
- Feeling anxious
- Feeling down
- Feeling lonely
- Feeling bored
- After conflict
- Talking on the phone
- Drinking alcohol
- Watching TV
- Driving
- Finishing a meal
- Drinking coffee
- Work breaks
- After sex
- Bars or parties
- Social events
- Seeing someone else smoke
Coping Strategies If your hands or mouth need something to do
- Hold a straw or pen and focus on breathing
- Fidget with a coin or paperclip
- Slow breathing or short bursts of exercise
- Talk it out with someone you trust
Keep a short “craving list”:
- [TASK]
- [TASK]
- [TASK]
- Consider nicotine replacement (patch, gum, lozenge)
- Light exercise
- Regular meals and healthy snacks
- Adequate sleep
Substitute another reward:
- Music
- Movies
- Saving money for something specific
Remove Reminders
(Before Quit Day)
- Wash clothes that smell like smoke
- Clean your car
- Discard tobacco, lighters, ashtrays
- Place coping tools where tobacco used to be
Support (Optional)
Quitting is easier with backup.
- [NAME / ROLE]
- [NAME / ROLE]
Personal Notes
…and if you’re a transgirl I’d like to add to your reasons list that estrogen + smoking significantly increases the coagulability of your blood. I’ve had several transgirl patients with DVTs / PEs / strokes even who did not know that can happen!