The Method

The Jar Method, step by step

This is the entire method. There's nothing to buy. Nothing to download. Nothing to hide from anyone. Just nine quiet steps.

1. 1

   Find a sealable glass jar

   Anything with a lid that screws on tight. A mason jar. An old sauce jar. Nothing fancy.

2. 2

   Fill it about halfway with water

   Plain tap water is fine.

3. 3

   Empty every ashtray in the house into the jar

   Ashes. Old cigarette butts. Everything. Do this once, thoroughly.

4. 4

   Continue smoking normally

   This is important: do not force yourself to quit. You're not fighting anything yet. You're just observing.

5. 5

   Every cigarette you smoke, the used filter goes into the jar

   Ash into the jar whenever it's practical. Only cigarettes and water go in. Nothing else.

6. 6

   Before every cigarette, open the jar and smell it deeply

   Every single one. Do not skip this step — this is the whole method.

7. 7

   Allow yourself to react honestly

   If you feel nauseous, gag, or become disgusted — that's okay. Do not fight it. That disgust is your body telling the truth. Slowly it becomes attached to the cigarettes themselves.

8. 8

   Continue until you simply don't want another

   For many people, there comes a moment when the next cigarette just isn't interesting anymore. That's freedom, quietly arriving.

9. 9

   Keep the jar — and keep smelling it — until the new habit sticks

   Quitting isn't the finish line; the new habit is. Research suggests it takes anywhere from about three weeks to a couple of months for a new behavior to feel automatic. Keep the jar sealed but nearby, and keep smelling it whenever a craving whispers — for us, the new habit we're building is having quit smoking. Don't throw the jar out too early. Let the truth stay close until living smoke-free feels like the most natural thing in the world.