Five-Point Approach Dr. Michael Fiore, a smoking cessation expert, recommends a five-point approach for people who plan to stop smoking: Set a quit date. Choose a date sometime in the following two weeks when you will totally abstain from nicotine. Review past quitting experiences. What helped you and what hurt during previous attempts to break the habit? Anticipate challenges to this attempt. All smokers know what circumstances will put them at risk of relapsing. Plan how to avoid or deal with them. Alcohol. Half of people who relapse do so with alcohol in their bloodstream. Don't drink for three months or, if that is not possible, limit yourself to two drinks a day. Other smokers in the household. It's near impossible to quit if you live with a smoker. Quit as a couple or establish ground rules where the smoker won't leave cigarettes around or keeping part of the house smoke-free.