cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

New Year Resolution

Dr_Hurt
Mayo Clinic
0 1 13

Many people use New Year's Day as the day to stop smoking.  While quitting smoking is always a good idea, there are some pros and cons to using New Year's Day as your quit date. 

On the one hand, a January 1st stop date offers a clear and easy opportunity to stop smoking.  The quit date is never forgotten, and the new year offers an opportunity for renewal and healthy behaviors that is usually shared with other loved ones who are also making resolutions.  A new year brings with it a positive kind of energy that can help move a person through the tough days.  At the same time, sometimes a stop smoking attempt goes by the wayside in exchange for the often popular weight loss resolution.  Also the winter can be a difficult time because of post-holiday blues and cold, gray weather.

If you decide to make January 1, 2012 your quit date, commit to being one of those people who find all the positive reasons for stopping on New Year’s Day.  It will be one of the single most important decisions you will ever make!

1 Comment
About the Author
Retired in 2014. Dr. Richard D. Hurt is an internationally recognized expert on tobacco dependence. A native of Murray, Kentucky, he joined Mayo Clinic in 1976 and is now a Professor of Medicine at its College of Medicine. In 1988, he founded the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center and since then its staff has treated more than 50,000 patients for tobacco dependence.