What should I record in a smoking diary before quitting?

01

Make the first entry recognisable, not exhaustive

‘After a meeting, alone, wanted a pause, smoked’ identifies a situation. ‘Bad day’ does not tell you what happened next. Approximate time or ‘after lunch’ may be enough; an exact address, colleague’s name or full account of an argument is not needed. Note a smoking episode as such, rather than silently replacing it with an urge-only entry.

If you already chose to stop, observation is not permission to carry on until the sheet is full. You can note an urge without smoking and record what you did instead. If writing is impractical at the moment, return when it is safe and mark the note as recalled. Do not record while driving or operating equipment.

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02

Check what a rating is actually asking

Official worksheets do not all measure the same thing. The French journal separates situation, desire to smoke and emotion. The German Rauchprotokoll also distinguishes the importance of a cigarette, mood, an expectation before smoking and whether that expectation was fulfilled afterwards. Importance is not interchangeable with urge strength; expectation is not an observed result.

Use plain words if that is clearer. If you choose a personal scale, label what its ends mean and keep its meaning consistent. Do not convert numbers between different forms, combine mood and urge into a ‘risk score’, or use a high mark to select medication. These records are not a clinical assessment.

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03

Read for one workable question—and keep the gaps

Review what was actually covered. A workday says little about an unrecorded day off. Several coffee-related entries raise a question about that routine; they do not isolate coffee as the cause. A gap means unknown, not zero. If you change your rating labels halfway through, mark the change rather than calling the later numbers an improvement.

Choose a specific planning question: ‘Where could I take the break without the smoking spot?’ Try an ordinary arrangement and note what happened, including no change. This is not an experiment proving effectiveness. Official preparation guides use different observation periods; do not treat a completed number of days as a prerequisite for quitting or asking for help.

Keep the notebook somewhere private. Do not put entries, names or health details into public posts, shared links or this site. If you want professional input, choose what to bring directly to the consultation; a complete diary is not required to ask. In England, NHS local Stop Smoking Services are one route. Elsewhere check local qualified support rather than diagnosing yourself from the log.

[1][3][4][5]

04

What to keep in mind

• Record the episode, context, urge and mood as different things.
• Mark recall and gaps; missing is not zero.
• Use the notes to choose a practical question, not a treatment or dependence score.