How to Cut Down Smoking Gradually: A Taper Schedule

Q: What happens if I go over my target?

Nothing is locked or reset. The card shows Over or Over Target for that day, and tomorrow's target follows the schedule as planned.

Q: Can I stop a plan early?

Yes. You can deactivate the active plan from Reduction Plans in Settings, and create a new one whenever you like.

How does a gradual taper work?

Instead of stopping on one day, you smoke a little less each day until you reach your goal. A small daily step is easier to hold than a big weekly one, and a written target stops the number drifting back up.

Whether tapering or stopping at once suits you better is a good question for a doctor or stop-smoking service. The app only tracks the plan you choose.

Before you start: find your real number

Log normally for about a week first. When you create a plan, the sheet suggests your recent 7-day average as the starting point. Skipping this step and setting a target below what you actually smoke makes the plan read as failing on day one, which isn't the point. Starting from a guess makes the first days either too easy or impossible.

How do you create a reduction plan?

Open Settings and, under Reduction Goals, tap Reduction Plans.
Tap the plan for cigarettes (or vape). It says Tap to create a reduction plan.
On New Plan, set Starting Daily Target (1 to 100).
Set End Goal. Choose 0 to see Goal: Quit completely, or a lower number to cut down without stopping.
Choose a Duration: 2, 4, 6, 8 or 12 weeks, and check the Plan Preview.
Tap Create. A Reduction Plan card appears on Home.

A taper schedule, worked out

The target falls in a straight line from start to end and always rounds in your favour, so it steps down in whole cigarettes and never goes below the end goal.

Plan A: 20 a day to 0 over 4 weeks
Week	Target on day 1	Target on day 7
1	20	16
2	15	11
3	10	6
4	5	1
After day 28	0	0

Plan B: 15 a day to 5 over 6 weeks
Week	Target on day 1	Target on day 7
1	15	14
2	14	12
3	12	11
4	10	9
5	9	7
6	7	6
After day 42	5	5

Plan B drops by about one or two a week, a gentle pace. Plan A drops by one almost every day.

Reading the Reduction Plan card

The card shows the week you are in, Today's Target against Actual, the days left and a status. The status compares today's count with today's target:

Status at a target of 15
Logged today	Status shown
0	`Perfect!`
7	`Excellent`
12	`On Track`
15	`Close`
18	`Over`
19	`Over Target`

Close means you are at the target or just under it. Over covers up to 20% above it; beyond that the card says Over Target.

Things to know before you rely on it

Each type can have one active plan. Creating a new cigarette plan replaces the old one.
The schedule is linear. There is no custom week-by-week schedule.
Current Streak counts only days with nothing logged, so while you are cutting down it will usually stay at 0. Follow the plan card instead.
Reduction plans are free. They are not part of Premium, whatever older descriptions say.

Questions and answers

Can I use a reduction plan for vaping?

Yes. Each type has its own plan, so a vape plan sets a daily puff target. In Both mode you can run a cigarette plan and a vape plan at the same time.

What happens if I go over my target?

Nothing is locked or reset. The card shows Over or Over Target for that day, and tomorrow's target follows the schedule as planned.

Can I stop a plan early?

Yes. You can deactivate the active plan from Reduction Plans in Settings, and create a new one whenever you like.

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How to cut down smoking gradually with a daily target