28-Day Quit Tracker: A Free Self-Monitoring and Milestone Rewards Worksheet for Stopping Smoking and Vaping
Behavioural Addiction · CBT · Practice-informed
A two-page tracker for the first 28 days. Each day records use, the strongest urge from 0 to 10, the trigger, the tool used and notes. Optional milestone rewards are set for days 3, 7, 14 and 28, and a weekly check-in records what helped, what was hard and one adjustment.
Underlying mechanism: Self-Monitoring, Milestone Rewards and Weekly Review for Nicotine and Vaping Cessation
What it helps with
- Showing what is really happening, so the client and therapist have something to learn from.
- Treating a slip as information and not a verdict.
- Marking progress with small rewards, while signposting incentive schemes that have strong evidence.
- Giving a weekly review that leads to one adjustment for the next week.
How clinicians use it
- Introduce it at Session 1 or 2 and review it at the start of every session.
- Offer a weekly summary if daily recording is too much.
- Signpost local stop smoking service incentives and say self-set rewards are a motivation aid only.
- Use the weekly check-in to agree one adjustment.
Clinical Implementation Guide
- Agree how often to record and set the quit date.
- Review the tracker at the start of every session and treat a slip as information.
- Use the weekly check-in to agree one adjustment.
What the worksheet looks like
| Day | Date | Used? (Y / N or count) | Strongest urge (0-10) | Trigger | Tool I used | Kind words or notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Oct | N | 7 | Morning coffee | Breathing and a walk | Hard but I did it |
| 2 |
Clinical cautions
Keep the tracker flexible: long or strict records can set the client up to fail and add shame. A missed day is information about the plan, not about the client. Incentives through a stop smoking service are different from self-set rewards, and the evidence only supports the first. Medication and nicotine replacement decisions belong to the client with their GP, pharmacist or stop smoking service. If the client reports hopelessness, self-harm or suicidal thoughts, follow local risk procedures. Take complex cases, pregnancy, serious mental illness and under-18s to supervision.
References
- Notley, C., Gentry, S., Livingstone-Banks, J., Bauld, L., et al. (2025). Incentives for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2025(1), CD004307. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004307.pub7
- Marlatt, G. A., & Gordon, J. R. (Eds.). (1985). Relapse prevention: Maintenance strategies in the treatment of addictive behaviors. Guilford Press.
- Chang, J., Kim, J., Lee, E. S., et al. (2025). The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for smoking cessation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 48(6), 941-954. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-025-00609-3
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2021). Tobacco: Preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence (NG209). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng209
Copyright and use in research
© 2026 Dr Richard Pomfret and Third Wave Therapy Tools. May be used in research with the author and site cited. Version 1.0, approved 12 October 2026, revised as the evidence develops.
Suggested citation (APA 7th edition): Pomfret, R. (2026). Quit Without the Fight: A third-wave protocol for stopping nicotine and vaping (Version 1.0) [Therapist guide and worksheets]. Third Wave Therapy Tools. https://thirdwavetherapytools.com/
Part of
Quit Without the Fight
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