Pick a quit day

Pick a specific day within the next month to quit smoking. If your quit day is too far in the future, you may find it hard to follow through, but you need to give yourself time to prepare. You might pick a random date, a day that would likely be less stressful, or a day that holds special meaning for you, such as a birthday or holiday. Mark the date on your calendar.

Although many smokers believe they would prefer to reduce smoking gradually, recent evidence indicates that abrupt quitting — setting a quit date and sticking to it — results in successful long-term quitting.