It's Time to Stop Smoking
Just One Big Change Makes a Big DifferenceMost people realize that smoking cigarettes is a risk factor for heart disease
. But did you realize
that it's the biggest risk factor for heart disease? If you are a smoker you should make quitting a top priority. Find out the best ways to kick the habit once and for all . Your heart (and lungs) willl love you for it!
It can be a lot easier to quit smoking with a little help from friends. Share your experience with others who are trying to quit
Question :
What can trigger a craving to smoke?
Answer :
Most smokers have "triggers" that initiate a craving to smoke. Triggers are usually certain times, places, people, or feelings that make you want to smoke. You probably developed your smoking habit over a long period of time, and your smoking is associated with things that you do, such as drinking coffee, talking on the phone, paying bills, driving your car, ending a meal, or talking to a smoking friend. These situations develop tight connections to your smoking habit and trigger a desire to smoke.
By identifying your triggers you can prevent or reduce the number and intensity of your cravings. When you have identified your triggers, you can become more aware of the difference between the trigger itself (or the stimulus), the craving that it starts, and the way you choose to respond to that craving.
You can use your awareness of your triggers to break the craving cycles by (1) avoiding the trigger; (2) modifying the trigger; (3) modifying the environment where it occurs; or (4) by modifying your thinking and behavior to it. For example, instead of smoking when you talk on the phone, you could (1) hold the phone in the hand that you used for smoking; (2) find something else to hold in your hand, like prayer beads or a pen; (3) put reminders of why you want to quit close to the phone, like your child's picture; or (4) doodle, munch on celery or carrots, or play with a fun toy.
You will gain more control over your triggers if you make lists of the people, places, situations, and things that trigger your desire to smoke. Then, for each trigger, find at least two to four ways to cope with the craving that it can initiate. Remember to include fun and enjoyable activities to substitute for the old pleasures that you got from smoking.
How Can I Tell If I Am Addicted To Nicotine?
Question :
I'm just a social smoker, yet my wife is convinced I'm addicted to nicotine. How can I tell?
Answer :
In general, you are probably addicted to nicotine if you experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms whenever you have not been smoking for more than 20 minutes.
The symptoms usually start out mild and get more severe, peaking within 2 or 3 days. The initial, more mild symptoms may include a growing craving to smoking with increasing obsessive thinking about smoking, headaches, hypersensitivity, sweating, sleep disturbances, or increased appetite with cravings for carbohydrates and sweets. The more severe withdrawal symptoms include phlegm production with heavy coughing, fatigue, anxiety, depression, muscle aches and cramps, constipation or diarrhea, nausea, impaired performance, or weight gain.
By using a general rule of thumb, you can "guesstimate" whether or not you are actually drug dependent or only habit dependent:
- You are probably not actually addicted to the drug, nicotine, if you smoke five or less cigarettes each day.
- You are possibly addicted to nicotine if you smoke ten or more cigarettes each day.
- You are probably addicted to nicotine if you smoke between fifteen to twenty cigarettes each day.
Even though you may not be drug addicted to smoking, you may still be heavily attached to the mood management that cigarettes give to you, as well as the soothing effects of the habit and the way that it occupies your hands and thoughts. Being physically addicted to nicotine is only one aspect of smoking dependency. There are other chemicals in the smoke of tobacco that affect chemicals in the brain besides nicotine, and these effects are very pleasurable as well. Your quitting plan should include ideas about how to cope with the habit changes as well as your nicotine addiction.
Question :
Are nicotine replacement therapies and other medications helpful ?
Answer :
Using medication in the beginning stages of quitting smoking can be very, very helpful. At this time, the use of medication is showing the highest rate of success, with the combination of the nicotine patches and the antidepressant, Zyban, having the highest rates of success. If you have been a heavy smoker, the use of medication is especially helpful. If you have been a light smoker, the use of medication is not necessary unless you have problems with strong cigarette cravings, depression, or anxiety. All medications that are currently approved for smoking cessation are intended for temporary use in the initial stages of quitting.
There are currently four types of nicotine replacement therapies (NRT's) available to assist you: the gum, patch, nasal spray, and inhaler. The gum and patches are available over-the-counter without a physician's prescription,.
If you are considering using a medication to help you quit smoking, you should consult your physician before you begin. Even the over-the-counter NRT's can affect blood pressure and heart rate, and your physician should be alerted to the major lifestyle change that you are about to make. You should not feel ashamed to rely on medication to help you quit; rather, think of it as a sign of the degree of your commitment. It is far more important for you to quit smoking and succeed than to refuse very helpful assistance and fail. Only five percent of heavy smokers who quit cold turkey, without the use of any medicines, actually succeed in quitting. Your odds for success, especially if you smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day, are much higher with the help of these effective medications!
Smoking, in and of itself, increases the odds of high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke. These conditions also become more common as we age. Components of oral contraceptives, in higher doses than are used today, may also increase these risks. In women under the age of 35, even if they smoke, the risks of having a blood clot, stroke or heart attack are extremely low and are outweighed by other benefits of the pill. In women over 35 who smoke, however, the risk of a serious, or even fatal, complication is too high to justify continued use of the pill.
As far as nicotine gum -- or the nicotine patch, for that matter -- is concerned, the risks do not seem to be as great as with smoking cigarettes. In properly selected women it may be appropriate to use a low-dose oral contraceptive along with nicotine gum or patches. If the woman has high blood pressure, is significantly overweight or has diabetes, however, the pill probably should not be used along with the gum or patch. This is a decision that can be made only by your own personal physician.
If you’re going to go through the hard work of quitting, you owe it to yourself to stack the odds for success in your favor. That’s the purpose of this Health Corner: to give you the tools to get motivated, make a plan, get ready, quit and stay quit.
No one has to tell you about the health risks of smoking. After all, you’ve been hearing about them for years from loved ones, friends and strangers, from the media, and even in that warning box on the back of each pack of cigarettes. You know that quitting now is the single best thing you can do for your lungs, for your heart—for your life.
For many, fear of illness, even death, is a primary motivation for quitting. And that’s fine. The key is to find the reasons to quit that mean the most to you. Maybe your motivator is to look better, to feel better, to have more jingle in your pocket. Consider the many ways that kicking the habit can kick-start your life. You’ll soon have:
· Sweeter breath. Your teeth will be whiter; your breath, fresher. And you’ll be less likely to develop gum disease, tooth decay or tooth loss.
· Smoother skin. Going smoke-free is one of the best ways to ward off wrinkles.
· Nicer nails. Who’s yellow? Make those stained fingers and nails a mere bad memory.
· A sharper sense of taste. Remember when you could really smell and taste your favorite foods? You’ll be able to, again.
· Fresher scents. Your hair, clothes, house and car will smell better.
· More time. Who doesn’t need more time? All those minutes once spent on cigarette breaks really do add up. Smokers spend 8 percent of their working hours on smoking rituals, the American Cancer Society estimates. Now you can spend that time getting things done more efficiently, or enjoying yourself.
· A fatter wallet. Think of the thousands of dollars you’ll save—$1,600 a year on cigarettes alone for the average smoker, according to the American Cancer Society, plus more from decreased medical bills, insurance premiums and other costs.
· A better feeling about yourself. You’ll know that you’re no longer exposing those around you to secondhand smoke, and if you have kids, you can feel really good that you’re setting a positive example.
How women (and babies) benefit
Need more reasons to quit? Women also reduce their risk for cervical cancer, osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and early menopause. Thinking of having a baby? Consider:
· Quitting smoking reduces your risk of infertility, and promotes a healthy pregnancy, with a lower risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, infant death and low birth weight.
· Your newborn’s lung function will be better, too. And the benefits will continue: Children of nonsmokers also have a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, allergies, ear infections, colds and serious respiratory infections.
Feel better, be healthier
Even the health benefits of quitting smoking go beyond the big picture. Yes, it’s true that the Cancer Society links smoking to several cancers, including 87 percent of lung cancers. But if these scary facts aren’t your best motivator, focus on the more immediate benefits: breathing easier, coughing less and having more stamina. As you find it easier to breathe, you can also breathe easy knowing that you’re reducing your risk of asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and other lung diseases as well.
Your eyes will benefit, too. Many people are unaware that smoking contributes to eye diseases such as cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
But wait, there’s more! Smoking worsens diabetic complications such as nerve damage, and it may contribute to developing diabetes. Smoking is also linked to heartburn, ulcers, liver damage, Crohn’s disease, kidney damage, dementia, depression, anxiety and many other disorders. Trying to prevent such conditions is yet another reason to give up cigarettes.
And your heart will thank you. Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of arterial disease, heart attack and stroke.
It’s also one of the best ways to add years to your life.
Where else in life can you win so much by being a quitter? Understanding why tobacco is such a powerful foe will help you escape its grasp. Knowledge is power.
tobacco is an addictive drug because it:
· Controls the user's behavior—for instance, forcing you to hit the Quickie Mart at 2 a.m. for another pack
· Leads to compulsive use despite the harm it inflicts
· Produces effects, such as feelings of alertness, that reinforce its use
· Requires increasing doses
· Causes a withdrawal syndrome if it is stopped, which often leads to relapse
No wonder that tobacco is so hard to ditch.
Fortunately, the science of quitting has also become stronger in recent years. Health professionals now have clear evidence that certain methods, and combinations of methods, really work. They make it easier than ever to help people quit—and stay quit. The first step is to know your adversary.
Nicotine's grasp
The addictive substance in tobacco is nicotine, a chemical found in a group of flowering plants called nightshade. There are tiny amounts of nicotine in useful nightshade plants such as tomatoes and potatoes, and much larger amounts in tobacco. Nicotine is so toxic it can be used as an insecticide, but this is one bug killer that your body can become dependent on. As the American Heart Association notes, "Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break."
The nicotine in cigarettes enters the bloodstream through the lungs and then goes on to the brain and other organs. It produces those pleasant feelings that get you hooked, such as reduced tension and increased focus, but it also does everything from interfering with your hormones to narrowing your arteries and raising your blood pressure.
You might wonder why some smoking-cessation aids contain nicotine. How can this be safe? One part of the answer is that these products don't contain the hundreds of other harmful chemicals ("tar") found in cigarettes and tobacco smoke, such as arsenic, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Also, smoking cessation products are used for only a short time to wean you off your addiction, so you're not exposed to as much nicotine as you would be if you smoked.
Quitting: what works
Tobacco addiction can be cured with medical intervention. A wide range of tools are available to help. The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco has characterized the most effective methods:
· Working with your physician greatly increases your chances of success.
· Telephone counseling works. These free 800 numbers, which provide access to counseling and quitting resources, have been shown to increase quit rates.
· Behavioral support, with multiple sessions of individual or group counseling, aids smoking cessation.
· Both nicotine replacement therapies and non-nicotine medications aid smoking cessation. (In fact, using either of these tools can double your chances of quitting, according to the American Cancer Society.)
Getting help
The best place to start is with your doctor. Even a short counseling session with a healthcare professional improves your odds of quitting, according to the National Cancer Institute. Your doctor can:
· Review the benefits of quitting
· Help you set a date for quitting, and decide on other preparatory steps
· Provide self-help materials
· Give advice on coping strategies
· Prescribe medications
· Offer referrals and schedule follow-up visits.
Exercise and stress reduction techniques such as yoga, tai chi, walking and bicycling may also help.
Joining a support group is another positive step. You can attend one in person or try Internet message boards and chat rooms. Many communities have chapters of Nicotine Anonymous. A little encouragement from someone who knows what you're going through goes a long way. Telephone help lines, which connect you to a professional quit-smoking counselor for free, are enormously helpful.
What about alternative therapies? There's hypnosis, acupuncture, acupressure, electrical stimulation and even laser beams. Though you may know someone who swears by these approaches, there is little evidence that these kinds of treatments are effective tools in smoking cessation, according to the National Cancer Institute. Some may even be dangerous: The American Cancer Society cautions against homeopathic aids and herbal supplements, which are unproven and are not reviewed by the FDA for safety.
Toss off temptation
Staying a nonsmoker isn't just about willpower. It's also about your environment. This is especially true in the short term; as your smoke-free ways become a permanent part of your life, you can allow yourself to be in more tempting situations. But as you are building up that capacity, make it easier on yourself:
Play out the plan
You worked hard on your quit-smoking plan. Now carry through.
· Keep appointments with your doctor/therapist/support group.
· Phone your hotline or call up your Internet chatroom when you need help.
· Take medication as prescribed by your doctor.
· Practice your stress reduction exercises.
· Reward yourself when you pass a hurdle or milestone.
Picture the prize
When the going gets tough, think about everything you have to gain from quitting. Think about:
· Your health and your family's.
· How much better you'll look and feel.
· The longer, easier life you'll lead.
· The thousands of dollars you'll save each year.
· Your cleaner home, car and clothes.
· Keep a written list of your goals with you for inspiration.
One day at a time
Remember that each day is a victory. Each day, the struggle becomes a little easier as your nicotine addiction eases. For the long term, you will have to remain alert to your smoking triggers and remind yourself that you can never again take even one puff. You are now an ex-smoker and plan to stay one. Welcome to your new life.
.
