Staying quit

You've done it! You are now a non-smoker!

Now you have quit smoking it’s important to stay focused on remaining smoke free.  Here are some tips to help you keep your non-smoker status:

Remove as many temptations as possible

• Remove from sight any smoking reminders like ashtrays and photos of you smoking.
• Avoid places where smokers go. Enjoy places with fresher air, like parks and rivers.

Grow the number of people who help you become healthier

• Talk to ex-smokers and how they stayed stopped.
• Tell others how you stopped and that you are an ex-smoker – this makes it harder to go back.
• Reach out to people and visit places that are more likely to be smoke-free eg cafes, exercise groups.

Continue developing healthy routines to help you stay quit

• Keep busy. Start small projects that confirm you as a non-smoker that you can spend your extra cash on, for example, getting fit, going to a film once a week, buying clothes as a non-smoker.
• Drink more water, avoid sugary snacks and get help if you start to put on unwanted weight, see our Weight management services page.

Coping with any urges to smoke that are left

• Remember that if you crave a smoke – it will pass in a few minutes.
• Talk about these feelings with someone who cares for you or others on the same journey.
• If the urge becomes strong – go see your stop smoking advisor for help or visit the NHS Better Health website for ideas for staying motivated and committed.

Continue to think like a non-smoker

• Remember that smoking ‘just one’ cigarette will undo all the effort you and others have made. Remember you have told lots of people you are a non-smoker.
• Remind yourself how good it is to be a non-smoker and go through the list of benefits eg saving money, more in control, healthier, better for others around you.
• Remember that you are in control and you have chosen to be a non-smoker.