How to Quit Smoking - Using a Daily Smoke Log

Smoking Cessation: Learn About Your Smoking Habits

Smoking cessation starts with an initial “first step”. You have decided to quit smoking. Congratulations! Before deciding on the method you will use to quit, one of the best things you can do is learn about your own smoking behavior. Why do this before you quit? Regardless of whether you use the a nicotine patch or go “cold turkey” on your quit date, one thing is true – you will have to change your current smoking behavior in order to remain free from smoking.

Make a 3 day commitment to keep a daily smoking log. If you have a job, be sure that at least one of the log days is a “work” day. One of the days should be a weekend day or a day when you are not scheduled to work. It is best to keep the log for a minimum of 3 consecutive days.

Your log sheet should contain: time of day, location, the activity you are engaged in, the feeling you are experiencing just before you light up, and your degree of need for the cigarette: 1 (low) to 5 (high). Examples :
7 AM / Bedroom / Just got out of bed / groggy / 5
7:30 AM / sitting at kitchen tale/ drinking coffee and reading the newspaper / tired / 4
8 AM / in car / getting ready to drive to work / anxious about work / 4
Wrap the paper around your cigarette pack to keep the two together. There is one rule in keeping a log: you must write your notes on the log BEFORE you light up to have the degree of need and feeling be accurate.

You may feel angry or resentful about writing down all the information. This is normal. What you learn about yourself and your smoking will be worth your efforts.

At the end of 3 days, the records will show you the number of cigarettes you are smoking daily and the times of day that you smoke the most cigarettes to build up a nicotine level in your body. You will see that a certain events are triggers to smoke: drinking coffee or alcohol, driving your car, being with a friend who smokes, the end of a meal, answering your phone. You may realize that negative feelings trigger smoking or that it is difficult to describe your feelings. After a few hours without a cigarette, your degree of need may be ranked 4 because your nicotine level is low and you crave a cigarette. It may take 2 cigarettes to satisfy the craving. You will learn these things and much more – especially if you continue with your log.

If you keep the log for a full week, you begin to ask, ”Do I really need this cigarette? What can I do instead?” At this point, you begin to cut down on your smoking, and begin to discover the power of the log in smoking cessation.