Buzz - Student Health Services Newsletter
(Vol. 1) |
|
Smoking Cessation
An estimated 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases caused
by smoking. Smoking is responsible for an estimated one in five
U.S. deaths and costs the U.S. over $150 billion each year in health
care costs and lost productivity. It is directly responsible for
87 percent of lung cancer cases and causes most cases of emphysema
and chronic bronchitis.
Contents
- The Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking
- Preparing Yourself To Quit
- Quitting for Good
- Nicotine Substitute
- Related Sites
The Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Eliminating smoking can greatly reduce the occurrence of coronary
heart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease. The report
also states that quitting smoking reduces the risk of repeat heart
attacks and death from heart disease by 50 percent or more. Smoking
cessation is important in the medical management of many contributors
to heart attack. These include atherosclerosis (fatty
buildups in arteries), thrombosis (blood clots), coronary artery
spasm and cardiac arrhythmia (heart rhythm problems). Quitting
smoking also can help manage several other disorders, especially
arteriosclerotic peripheral vascular disease (fatty buildups in
peripheral arteries) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
People who quit smoking live longer than those who continue to
smoke do. After 10 to 15 years, a previous tobacco user's risk
of premature death approaches that of a person who has never smoked.
About 10 years after quitting, an ex-smoker's risk of dying from
lung cancer is 30 percent to 50 percent less than the risk for
those who continue to smoke. Women who stop smoking before becoming
pregnant or who quit in the first 3 months of pregnancy can reverse
the risk of low birth weight for the baby and reduce other pregnancy-associated
risks
Back to Contents
Preparing Yourself To Quit
What does it take to make this the last time you have to quit
smoking? What needs to be done differently than in past attempts?
Preparation. Instead of running headlong into cessation without
a clue as to how you'll weather the rough patches, start ahead
of time by educating yourself. Learn what to expect and how you
you'll manage. Preparing yourself to quit is a good place to start.
Make this the quit that will last you a lifetime.
About 48 million Americans smoke cigarettes, but most smokers
are either actively trying to quit or want to quit. Since 1965,
more than 40 percent of all adults who have ever smoked have quit.
Back to Contents
Quitting for Good
Studies have shown that these five steps will help you quit, and
quit for good, and you have the best chances if you use them together:
- Getting Ready
- Set a quit date.
- Change your environment.
- Get rid of ALL cigarettes and ashtrays in your
home, car, and place of work.
- Don't let people smoke in your home.
- Review your past attempts to quit. Think about
what worked and what did not.
- Once you quit, don't smoke-NOT EVEN A PUFF!
- Get Support and Encouragement
Studies have shown that you have a better chance of being successful if you have
help. You can get support in many ways:
- Tell your family, friends, and coworkers that
you are going to quit and want their support. Ask them not to
smoke around you or leave cigarettes out.
- Talk to your health care provider (for example,
doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, psychologist, or smoking
counselor).
- Get individual, group, or telephone counseling.
The more counseling you have, the better your chances are of
quitting. Programs are given at local hospitals and health centers.
Call your local health department for information about programs
in your area.
- Learn New Skills and Behaviors
- Try to distract yourself from urges to smoke.
Talk to someone, go for a walk, or get busy with a task.
- When you first try to quit, change your routine.
Use a different route to work. Drink tea instead of coffee.
Eat breakfast in a different place.
- Do something to reduce your stress. Take a hot
bath, exercise, or read a book.
- Plan something enjoyable to do
every day.
- Drink a lot of water and other fluids.
- Get Medication and Use It Correctly
Medication can help you stop smoking and lessen the urge to smoke.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
approved five medications to help you quit smoking:
- Bupropion SR-Available by prescription.
- Nicotine gum-Available over-the-counter.
- Nicotine inhaler-Available by prescription.
- Nicotine nasal spray-Available by prescription.
- Nicotine patch-Available by prescription and over-the-counter.
- Ask your health care provider for advice and carefully
read the information on the package.
- All of these medications will more or less double
your chances of quitting, and quitting for good.
- Everyone who is trying to quit may benefit from
using medication. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant,
nursing, under age 18, smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day,
or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or other health
care provider before taking medications.
- Be Prepared for Relapse or Difficult Situations
Most relapses occur within the first three months after quitting. Don't be discouraged
if you start smoking again. Remember, most people try several times before
they finally quit. Here are some difficult situations to watch for:
- Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol. Drinking lowers
your chances of success.
- Other smokers. Being around smoking can make you
want to smoke.
- Weight gain. Many smokers will gain weight when they
quit, usually less than 10 pounds. Eat a healthy diet and stay
active. Don't let weight gain distract you from your main goal-quitting
smoking. Some quit-smoking medications may help delay weight
gain.
- Bad mood or depression. There are a lot of ways
to improve your mood other than smoking.
If you are having problems with any of these situations, talk
to your doctor or other health care provider.
Back to Contents
Nicotine Substitute
If you feel that you are severely addicted to cigarettes, you may wish
to consider using a nicotine substitute product:
- Nicotine gum: This is
a drug in gum form, with enough nicotine to reduce your urge
to smoke. The gum releases small amounts of nicotine, which is absorbed
into the body through the mucous membranes of the mouth. This
cuts down on withdrawal symptoms and makes it easier to break the smoking
addiction. It tastes very different from regular gum, because
it is a medicine.
- Nicotine patch: The
nicotine patch is applied to your skin. Over a prolonged period
of time, the nicotine dissolves right through the skin and
enters the body. Nicotine from the patch replaces some of the nicotine
you were getting from cigarettes. This can relieve some of the physical
symptoms associated with quitting smoking, so you can concentrate on your
behavioral and psychological addiction to cigarettes.
- Nicotine nasal spray:
The spray delivers nicotine through the nose. The spray comes
in a pump bottle containing nicotine that tobacco users can inhale when
they have an urge to smoke. This product is not recommended for people
with nasal or sinus conditions, allergies, or asthma, nor is it recommended
for young tobacco users.
- Nicotine inhaler: The
inhaler delivers nicotine into the mouth, which produces a sensation
in the back of the throat similar to that produced by tobacco
smoke. The nicotine inhaler has the advantage of satisfying the "hand-to-mouth" ritual
smokers miss when they quit. The inhaler consists of a mouthpiece connected
to a cartridge containing nicotine.
People usually develop cravings for things that develop immediate satisfaction,
such as chocolate or cigarettes. Since nicotine replacement provides nicotine,
but not the quick nicotine uptake of cigarettes, it's easier to give up
nicotine replacement than it is to give up cigarettes.
With the patch, the nicotine level in your body stays relatively constant day
after day. There is no immediate satisfaction, so there is less craving for
a patch. As a result, "quitting" nicotine replacement after you're securely
off cigarettes is generally pretty easy.
Nicotine patches, gums, inhalers, and nasal sprays are expensive. But during
the first year alone, a pack-a-day smoker who successfully quits smoking
will more than pay for the medication with the money saved from not buying
cigarettes.
Back to Contents
Related Sites
www.smoking-cessation.org
www.lungusa.org , American Lung Association
www.americanheart.org , American
Heart Association
www.cdc.gov , Center for Disease Control
Back to Contents
|
