How to quit

You may know someone who has gone ‘cold turkey’. They’ve decided to just stop smoking and never smoked again. It isn’t the same for everyone. It can take many tries to quit, but it’s worth it. 

Thousands of people in Aotearoa have quit smoking, and you can too. Here are some proven ways that can help you stop smoking successfully.

Preparing to quit

Knowing your reason to quit is a good start. Keeping this in mind can help you stay on track when you feel tempted to smoke. People quit for reasons such as:

• their health
• for whānau, or starting a family
• saving money. 

It’s also a good idea to get support from whānau, friends, or workmates who can motivate you, remind you of your goalsm and be there when you’re craving a cigarette. Share these tips with your supporters so they can be there for you during your quitting journey.

You can also work with a trained quit coach on a plan to get you where you need to be. Having support increases your chances of quitting for good. 

Smoking affects our moods and emotions in different ways. Understanding this can also help you prepare to quit.

Why it can be hard to quit

There are two main reasons why quitting smoking is so challenging for many people:

1. Nicotine is addictive. Read more about what nicotine does to the body.
2. Triggers to smoke keep people smoking. Triggers can be related to emotions, situations or habits. 

Having a plan that helps with both triggers and the physical addiction to nicotine can give you a good chance of quitting successfully. The following are some proven ways to help you quit.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Nicotine is the addictive part of cigarettes that people who smoke crave. Most people who are trying to quit experience withdrawal symptoms because of nicotine.

The part of a cigarette that causes health problems is tobacco smoke, not nicotine. This means that it’s safe to use Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to quit smoking. NRT provides lower doses of nicotine, and are usually available for free or at low cost.

The following NRT products are available in Aotearoa:

• gum
• patches
• lozenges
• inhalators
• mouth spray.

Patches, gum and lozenges are subsidised through a quit coach or your GP, but if you prefer another product, you can buy them at a pharmacy. Learn about NRT with our series of videos.

Medicines

You can ask your quit coach, GP, or a pharmacist about medicines to deal with withdrawal symptoms. These medications will need to be prescribed by your GP. Some options in Aotearoa are Varenicline (Champix), Bupropion (Zyban) and Nortripyline (Norpress). You will need a prescription to use any of these.  

Medications may have side effects so it’s important to be monitored by a healthcare professional.

Note: Varenicline is currently unavailable due to supply issues. According to Pharmac, it is estimated to be available again in March 2025.

Vaping to quit

Vaping may be a pathway to becoming smokefree if you’ve tried other ways to quit and haven’t found anything that works. 

Vapes have some risks, so trying other methods of quitting first is recommended. Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it is not harmless. 

Vaping is not for: 

• people who do not smoke
• people under 18 years old. 

Vaping can help with common habits that come with smoking, such as cigarette breaks and puffing on a smoke. 

We currently do not know about the long-term effects and risks of vaping. Vaping provides nicotine in similar levels to cigarettes, so people will still remain dependent on nicotine.

Once you’ve quit smoking, you should aim to quit vaping too, but only when you know you won’t go back to smoking.  

Quitline or your local stop smoking service can help you to make a plan to quit with vaping, and then help you quit vaping too. 

Support to quit smoking

There are free support services throughout Aotearoa that can help you and your whānau. These include kaupapa Māori services, Pacific services and programmes for people who are or people who are hapū (pregnant).