Many people who tried to quit before worry about trying again. But everyone has strengths they can use. Anyone can quit smoking with support.
Tips to quit smoking again
If you want to try to stop smoking again:
- keep a smoking diary to learn patterns of when you smoke
- think about your strengths and how you used them in a difficult situation before
- plan different ways to avoid smoking
- change your routine if you found certain times of the day hard
- find healthy ways to deal with stress instead of smoking
- think about using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
- ask your GP about prescription treatments
- try a different type of NRT or medicine if a type did not work before
- use a fast-acting form of NRT at the same time as the nicotine patch or prescription medicine
Make a new plan
It can take more than 1 attempt to quit for good.
Think about other times you tried to quit and:
- what caused you to start smoking again
- things that worked well
- what support you may need
- how to cope when you want to smoke
Decide what you can do differently this time.