Yellowknife (Jan 24/05) - Was Weedless Wednesday a welcome wake-up call? Did National Non-Smoking week give you the nerve to say "Never again?"

If you pledged to "kick the nic" last week, the campaigns are over, but the fight has just begun.

There are many things you can do to keep your mind off those cigarettes.

After crumbling his remaining cigarettes on Weedless Wednesday, Donnie Amos has a positive outlook when it comes to quitting smoking. The 16-year-old, who bought a book for help and started a workout routine, said you've got to find your own motivation. For him, it's his dad's disapproval of the habit. - Chris Hunsley/NNSL photo

"Keep your hands busy," said Lorraine Walton, health and promotion officer for the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Authority.

Quitters can play an instrument, computer or board game, or find their own simple way to keep the mind occupied and the cravings at bay while keeping those habituated hands occupied.

"I took up knitting when I quit 20 years ago," Walton said.

Get together with friends and family for an outing or just a chat. Their support can help get you through the hard times, said Walton.

"I remember phoning a friend when I felt like smoking," she said.

What better excuse could there be to catch up with an old chum?

For Donnie Amos, his pledge to quit has got him lifting weights and exercising.

The 16-year-old bought a copy of Quitting Smoking for Dummies over the weekend and can see the benefits already.

"It's working so far," he said.

Physical activity is considered an important part of the quitting process, according to the Department of Health. And it mitigates the possibility of weight gain.

Whatever works

Along with Amos' new workout routine and reading material, the smoker of three years took a slightly extreme approach to lose his taste for tobacco.

"You've got to make yourself not want to smoke," he said, as he described drinking a glass of cigarette butts and water for a bet.

After getting sick the first time, he did it again.

"That's what got me really motivated to quit." With a positive outlook on his non-smoking future, Amos acknowledged that his family will be happier once he's stopped. "My dad really doesn't approve of it," he said. "He gives me a hard time about it."