The Kick-Butt Guide to Kicking Butts

THE KICK-BUTT GUIDE TO
KICKING
BUTTS

Table of
Contents
Preparing to Butt Out:
Am I Ready to Quit Smoking?........................​.3
Be a “Man with a Quit Plan!”...................​........ 5
Arm Yourself to Quit.................​....................... 9
Plan to Manage Your Cravings.......................11
Do’s..................................................................16
Don’ts...............................................................17
Winning the Fight............................................18
2

Preparing to Butt Out:
Am I Ready
to Quit
Smoking?
You’ve downloaded this ebook, so you
must be itching to take your smoking
habit to the cleaners. So far, so good!
Now ask yourself the all-important
question: “Am I ready to start moving
toward a smoke-free life?”
3

If your
answer is
hell yeah!
Or even maaaaaybe, then write down the
No. 1 thing that will keep you on track.
For example:
I DON’T WANT MY KI DS TO SMOKE.
Many dads go with this for a good reason. Research
shows that teenagers whose parents are addicted to
cigarettes are three times more likely to become
addicted themselves.
I WANT THE MAN CAVE OF MY DREAMS.
If you’re smoking a pack a day, you’re shelling out
more than $5,000 a year on cigarettes, which
are only getting pricier. Just think what you could do
with all that extra cash!
MY SOLDIER HAS TROUBLE SALUTING.
Smoking puts you at a higher risk of erectile dysfunction
and low testosterone. Want more sex? Does a bear shit
in the woods? Yep, it’s time to quit smoking.
I’M ABOUT TO GO UNDER THE KNIFE.
Quitting smoking even a few weeks before surgery
can reduce your chances of a heart attack and infection,
and speed up recovery.
The good news:
smoking is on the ropes
BIG TIME! You, too, can
give smoking the knockout
punch and join the legions
of battle-scarred champions
who have successfully quit.
What is your why?
Write it down.
Click here to download
a Quit Plan you can fill out
and use to stay on track.
I WANT TO LI VE LONGER.
Smoking cigarettes shortens guys’ lives by 10 years
on average.
4

“
BE a
MAN WITH a
Quit Plan!
”
Your smoking habit has a wicked uppercut
in the form of nicotine. The intense cravings
caused by the addictive chemical may make
smoking feel like an old friend you just can’t
say goodbye to, but you can’t beat your
smoking habit if you’re a slave to nicotine.
As your body gets used to not having nicotine,
withdrawal will make you crave cigarettes
and may leave you feeling grumpy, miserable,
or even like you’ve come down with the flu.
You may also have trouble sleeping.
No one said quitting would be easy,
but the following are some tried-andtrue
strategies to make you more
likely to succeed.
5

UNDERSTANDING
The typical
quitting
experience
Knowing when cravings tend to
strike can help you stay mentally
strong. If you’re two days in and
climbing the walls, remember
that the first three days of
quitting smoking can be the
worst and that you’ll be over
the hump by Day 4. A slight
uptick in cravings may occur
around your seventh day. By
the 10th day, there’s light at the
end of the tunnel. You’re really
going smoke-free!
6

FREQUENCY OF YOUR CRAVES
Average Number of
Coping Episodes
Figure.1 – Estimated # of coping episodes in the first 10
days of quitting smoking (Source available upon request)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DAYS
No crave episode will last longer than 3
minutes but time distortion is very real so
keep a clock handy.
Strong urges to smoke gradually taper
off over the next 3 to 4 weeks. Stay
focused on the 1-month milestone.
That’s when most urges and withdrawal
symptoms finally F-off. You won’t suffer
forever — keep going and you’ll win the
epic slugfest against cravings!
7

Know your
triggers
Certain people, places, situations, or feelings can trigger your
need to smoke. Waking up in the morning with coffee, for instance,
or having drinks with buddies during the big game. Other
common triggers include meals, parties, social events, and breaks
at work. Knowing what your “triggers” are will help you find ways
to handle them.
Dodge your triggers.
If downtime has always meant “smoke time,”
switching up your daily and social routines
can send your triggers to the showers.
For example:
• Play a game on your phone when buddies
go for a smoke.
• Replace smoking with showering before
your first cup of joe.
• Instead of taking a smoke break at work,
head to the lunchroom and chat with
whoever is there. You might be surprised
how cool (and hot) the lunchroom crowd is.
• Fidgeting on your own? Time to buff
your banana, jerk the one-eyed trouser
snake, test-fire your meat missile...you
get the idea. Who said quitting
smoking can’t be fun?
8

Choose your path and
arm yourself
to quit
You’ve got plenty of help in your corner.
Ask other guys how they quit smoking or
where they relapsed. There’s more than
one journey to the champions’ podium.
Cold turkey: If you suddenly stop smoking
the first few days of nicotine withdrawal may
be intense, but may disappear more quickly
than if you try to wean slowly off cigarettes.
If you have a single cigarette after going
cold turkey, you have a 90% chance of
returning to smoking regularly.
Cut back and count down: It doesn’t have
to be all or nothing. Try smoking one cigarette
at a time until you find yourself counting down
the number of cigarettes you smoke each day.
If you smoke like a chimney, tapering off will
help you prepare for going cold turkey.
Mix it up: By combining the use of
nicotine replacement products with
going cold turkey, you improve your
chances of success by 50-60 percent.
9

Get help
from the
experts:
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about nicotine
replacement patches, chewing gum, lozenges,
nasal sprays or inhalers. Many of these options may
be covered by your provincial health insurance.
Click on your province to learn more:
Figure 2.
Availability of
nicotine replacement
therapy (NRT) in
Canadian provinces
and territories.
NU
YT
NT
BC AB SK MB
ON
QC
NL
NB
PE
NS

PLAN TO
MANAGE
YOUR
CRAVINGS
Practicing the four D’s
is a tried-and-true way
to keep cravings at bay.
11

1.
Delay
your
CRAVINGS
Resist the urge to suck on a tar stick
for 5 min and the feeling may pass.
12

2.
DRINK
A GLASS
OF WATER
This will change the feeling and
taste in your mouth and help reduce
cravings. At the same time, your
body needs plenty of H 2 O to flush
out cigarette toxins. Plus, you’re
replacing the smoking habit with a
healthy one. Water for the win!
13

3.
TAKE
A Deep
breath
Inhale through your nose
and hold it for a count
of 5. Slowly breathe out
through your mouth
for a count of 7. This will
help you relax and stave
off cravings. If your urges
get really bad, take deep
breaths as if you’re smoking
a cigarette.
14

4.
DISTRACT
yourself
There are lots of great ways to take your
mind off smoking. For example:
Get busy: Chewing gum or sucking on hard candies keeps
your mouth busy, while toothpicks or straws do the same for
your hands and mouth. Doodle while on the phone at work,
and take frequent walks. Eat more slowly and savour the
flavours of your food.
Load up the fridge: Snacking is another great way
to cope with nicotine cravings and the habit of always
having something in your mouth. Try to fill the fridge with
healthy snacks, such as ripe fruit and crisp veggies,
to prevent weight gain.
Exercise: Go for a walk when you usually have a
cigarette. Distract yourself by taking someone with you,
listening to your favourite tunes, or making a phone call.
Routinely getting your ass in gear will curb cravings and
make you feel better.
Make a plan: Last but not least, keep your Quit Plan
handy, so you can find it quickly in times of need!
Click here to download a Quit Plan you
can fill out and use to stay on track.
15

DO’s
DO prepare for battle. Cigarette cravings,
or what many call a “nicotine fit,” have been
described as “walking through the Sahara Desert
while someone shoves a pound of salt into your
mouth.” Work to build your mental toughness,
which in turn can go a long way towards beating
those cravings.
DO get enough sleep. When the going gets
tough, the tough get snoozing. It’s harder to skip
a smoke break when you’re tired. Solid shut-eye
has been linked to self-control and focus, with the
U.S.-based National Sleep Foundation reporting
that most guys between the ages of 26 and 65
need between 7 to 9 hours a night. Mentally
tough men make quality sleep a priority by
practicing good sleep hygiene.
DO laugh about it. When the going gets
tough, the tough laugh: Try to build some
humour and fun into your Quit Plan. One way
to make it “interesting” is to put something on
the line with a buddy! A recent study revealed
that smokers with $150 at stake were much more
likely to kick the habit. Some stakes are worth
more than money. Habit-kicking bets have ranged
from winners being called “Your Majesty” for a
month to paying up by doing jumping jacks on
Instagram. Of course, everyone’s a winner when it
comes to quitting smoking.
DO hang out with family and friends.
Chances are there are people around you who
love and respect you. Their encouraging words
can work wonders, as can sharing their own
struggles and successes when they kicked the
habit. They’re in your corner to provide the
support you need to quit smoking for good.
DO use an app. Digital tools for quitting, such as
MyQuit Coach and QuitNow!, provide roundthe-clock
encouragement and tips. Research
shows that supportive text messages can double
your chances of quitting. There really is an app for
that!
DO save cigarette money. To the victor goes
the spoils! Reward yourself once in a while with
next-level snacks on game night, a new big-screen
TV, or even the vacation you always wanted!
You’ll be shocked at how much money you
save by quitting, so maybe now you can afford
these rewards.
DO Share your goal. If all of your buddies
smoke and you’re a very social guy, let them
know you’re trying to quit smoking. On one hand,
they’ll likely support you — they’ve probably tried
themselves and realize they should try again. On
the other hand, it will explain why you’re hanging
out with non-smokers while battling cravings.
16

DON’Ts
DON’T think that binging will get it out
of your system. It won’t.
Setting the Guinness World Record for smoking
the most cigarettes at once won’t get you any
closer to your goal.
DON’T beat yourself up if relapse occurs.
Very few smokers kick the habit on their first try.
In fact, research shows that more than half of
smokers have tried to quit in the past year, with
one-third trying more than once. No titleholder
got there without practice, so aborted attempts
shouldn’t be seen as failures. You’ve had a taste
of the cigarette cravings you must beat. Maybe
it’s time to go back to your main reason for
quitting. Does it still light a fire under your ass?
Has it changed? Update your Quit Plan and
get back in the ring.
17

WINNING
THE
FIGHT
No matter how many times you get knocked down,
or how bloody and bruised you may feel, you’ve got
to stay in the ring and NEVER throw in the towel when
quitting smoking.
This isn’t a fight for a trophy, belt or medal, after all.
You are fighting for your health, your kids, or any other
awesome “why I’m quitting” reason you wrote down.
So let’s wrap things up with one final “do”:
DO yourself proud!
Quitting smoking is a big deal! Tell your smoker
buddies and coworkers you’re quitting so they:
a) don’t think you’re snubbing them,
b) decide to quit smoking, too, and
c) marvel at your courage.
There’s nothing wrong with getting a little braggy about
how long you’ve gone without lighting up. Then when
you achieve your goal, you’ll look and feel like what
you are: a champion!
18

This guy’s Guide provides you with straight forward
health tips to quit smoking. Consult your doctor
or healthcare provider if you have any questions.
AND Visit
to learn about
small changes you can make to improve your health.
AND Take your confidential all-in-one men’s
health assessment.
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