3.3.3 Setting Your STOP Day

Guide quit date selection to maximise early success probability

Quit date selection is a modifiable factor that influences early abstinence success.¹ Guide patients away from high-risk periods (holidays, work deadlines, social events with smoking cues) and toward periods of relative routine. For patients who repeatedly delay date selection, consider collaborative date-setting in-session as a commitment device. Some evidence supports linking the quit date to a personally meaningful event to increase salience, though the primary factor is specificity rather than symbolism.