“Becoming a nonsmoker requires learning new skills,” says Jennifer McClure, PhD, a Group Health Research Institute scientist who leads the Institute’s tobacco studies. “You can learn from every attempt to quit smoking and use your new skills to be more successful the next time.” And if you pay attention to when and why you slipped and started smoking again, you’ll be better prepared to stay quit the next time you stop smoking. Think of each attempt as practice or training for your future success.
Follow these important steps each time you slip:
Get back on the wagon.
A slip doesn’t mean a total relapse. Accept that you slipped and then return to staying quit.
It’s important to celebrate daily, weekly, and monthly successes. In the beginning, celebrate your freedom from tobacco hourly, daily, and weekly. Keep this simple goal in mind: Beat your previous best.
Say you made it two weeks without smoking the last time before you slipped. Use that marker as your first goal to beat this time around. Keeping this milestone in mind will really help you increase your chances of staying quit.