How to Find Ways to Stop Smoking

Smoking is the number one cause of many cancers and other medical conditions, as well as a strong contributor to causing medical problems for other people, especially children and the elderly from secondary smoke. It is a toxic drug that has many carcinogenic properties including addiction to the nicotine and withdrawal symptoms from quitting. Smoking tobacco/cigarettes contributes to nearly half a million deaths each year, yet is is still so readily available on the consumer market. Tobacco/nicotine is a drug; smoking is an addiction and a conditioned behavior and possesses toxic substances that gradually destroy the body and its internal organs over time. Like any drug addiction, smoking is a habitual behavior that is hard to break, but quitting it is not impossible. Thousands of people successfully quit smoking each year. Here are some helpful ways and available resources to help you start the process towards quitting this unhealthy habit.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. A good book to read when thinking about quitting is Dr. Tom Ferguson's "The Smoker's Book of Health" which covers the 10 stages of quitting. When you think of quitting in this way, it will help you to approach the problem in a more realistic manner, since quitting smoking is a gradual step-by-step process that may last for months or even years.
2. When you plan your strategy for quitting tobacco, use the U.S. Surgeon General's five keys to quitting: get ready, get support and help, learn new skills and behaviors, get and use medicine and be prepared for relapse.
   
   Get ready. Try and pick a good time to quit. Contact your doctor or local health department to find out the kinds of medicines and help available in your area for people who want to quit smoking. Telephoning help lines operated by your state can also assist you in finding information and support for quitting tobacco use.
   
   Set a quit date and stick to it. Once you quit, don't even take a puff. Get rid of all ashtrays and lighters after your last cigarette.
3. Reducing smoking can prepare you to quit smoking at a later date. Methods to reduce smoking include the following:
   Each week choose a few specific cigarettes to give up
   Gradually increase the time between cigarettes
   Limit your smoking to certain places
   Reward yourself in other ways when you achieve a mini goal towards quitting the habit (e.g. you did not smoke for a week)
   Keep a journal or diary to log your smoking habits and changes in your pattern of behavior, habits, difficulties and setbacks
4. Get a strong support network of friends, family members, healthcare professionals and therapy groups. Evidence has shown that people who have and maintain a strong support network will have a better chance of quitting the habit and staying cigarette-free for longer periods. Counseling may help you learn to recognize and cope with situations that tempt you to smoke. Counseling sessions can also offer comfort if you have a relapse.
5. Choose a smoking cessation program. Consult with your doctor, check with your local health department or call the national quit line at 1-800-QUITNOW for help.
6. Find other ways to replace your smoking habit and modify your behaviors toward a healthier, positive and quality lifestyle. For example, try to engage in more active sports or creative pursuits that will help reduce anxiety and stress. Try meditation, yoga and pilates.
   
   One important modification is to remember that people tend to stay or mix around others who are similar to themselves, so if you want to quit smoking and stay so, then you should be around nonsmokers and people who have stopped smoking.
7. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several medications to help people quit smoking including the following:
   Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
   Bupropion SR (Zyban)
   Varenicline (Chantix)
   Nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
   Clonidine (Catapres)
   
   You should consult your own medical doctor or healthcare provider about quitting smoking programs, therapies and medications. The physician will discuss with you a strategy and management plan to help you best work towards kicking this nasty, unhealthy habit.
   
   Research and evidence have shown that the combination of a smoking therapy cessation program along with counseling has a better chance of the patient quitting smoking and maintaining this status for longer periods of time, or even forever. Speak with your own medical doctor.
8. If it is time to try quitting smoking, then be prepared for a RELAPSE. "Rome was not built in a day" as they say. The key is to find out where the weakest points occurred and how and why, so that you can learn about it and become aware of the problem(s) and find ways to resolve it or other strategies to approach it. Keeping a smoking log or diary might be useful. The point is to give yourself some credit for trying and then attempt to again. NEVER GIVE UP. Ultimately, it is a choice you have to make for yourself. It is about your body, your health, the quality of life you want to live, your concerns for others who will be affected by your nasty, unhealthy habit such as significant others, children, family, friends, and ultimately, the price you are willing to pay for continuing it (which could also include costly medical expenses to treat illnesses and complications from secondary smoke) and even premature death!

Tips & Warnings

• Smokefree.gov is a government website to help you quit smoking or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (a free service).
• Some written materials to help you quit include:
• "I QUIT! What to Do When You're Sick of Smoking, Chewing, or Dipping," a booklet to help you quit, "Questions and Answers About Smoking Cessation," a fact sheet from the National Cancer Institute, "Quit Smoking," tools and guides to help you quit, "Quit Tips," Five tips to help you quit, "Pathways to Freedom: Winning the Fight Against Tobacco," a guide addressing tobacco issues specific to African Americans,"Tobacco Cessation—You Can Quit Smoking Now!" the latest information from the Surgeon General's website and "You Can Quit Smoking," a consumer guide to help you become tobacco free, American Cancer Society's Guide to Quitting Smoking and American Legacy Foundation Quit Plan, a 5-day plan to get ready to quit.
• Other helpful phone numbers are: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (American Heart Association) and 1-800-LUNG-USA (American Lung Association).
• This article was written for the purpose of educating and is not a substitute or replacement for seeking professional attention or care from your own medical doctor or healthcare professional.