If you smoke, deciding to quit is a big step towards better health. The benefits are both immediate and long-term, for you and your loved ones. But it is not easy! Fortunately, there is a lot of support and information available for people who want to give up smoking.
Did You Know?
- 20 minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
- 2 days after stopping smoking, your senses of smell and taste begin to return.
- 1 year after you stop smoking, your risk of heart disease is cut by one-half.
- Within 3 years after you quit, your risk of heart disease is the same as someone who never smoked.
- Within 10 years after quitting, your risk of lung cancer is cut in half.
Tips for Quitting
Quitting smoking is difficult, but it can be done - and you’ve already taken the first step along the road to better health by realizing that you need to quit! Here are some tips to help you achieve that goal:
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Write it down. Writing down why you want to quit, and how you plan to do it, will make your decision seem more concrete - not just an idea in your head that can be forgotten or ignored. Picture how you are going to go about quitting and how you will approach it. Try this:
- List the situations in which you smoke and the reasons you smoke. This will help you identify what triggers you to light up, so you can alter or avoid those situations and behaviours.
- Make a list of the important benefits you see in quitting and read it over as often as you need to, to remind yourself of what you have to gain. Will you feel more in control of your life? Have better health? Set a good example for your children? Protect your family’s health?
- List activities you imagine could replace smoking - fun and healthy things to do, like go for a run or a brisk walk - and be ready to do these when you feel the urge to smoke.
- Avoid smoking triggers. Figure out what situations make you crave a cigarette. Then, starting on your quit day or before, try to avoid those situations or remove them from your life. For example, if you associate smoking with coffee-drinking, try drinking tea or water instead. If you usually smoke at parties, avoid such gatherings and get together with friends elsewhere until you feel confident about facing those situations.
- Don’t carry matches, a lighter or cigarettes. Sometimes, the simplest way to avoid smoking is to remove the physical means to smoke.
- A cigarette is a cigarette. Know that so-called “light” cigarettes are not any less unhealthy than other kinds of tobacco smoke.
- If you can’t go cold turkey, cut back with a schedule in mind. Each day, delay lighting your first cigarette by one hour. After the first cigarette, when you have your next craving to smoke, delay that for another 15 minutes or half an hour. By delaying each cigarette, you take control over your addiction.
- Get moving! Exercise is a great way to relax, feel good, and start repairing some of the damage smoking has done to your body.
- Get support. Enlist the help of a close friend or family member, your doctor, someone you know and respect who has recently quit or someone who wants to quit smoking with you.
Choosing the Right Approach
There are many ways to break the smoking habit. Think ahead about which one might work best for you.
Cold Turkey
Some people can stop smoking without any help at all. They pick a time to quit, stop lighting up and get through the side effects without outside support. But nicotine is a very addictive substance and this technique does not work for everyone.
Weaning Off the Tobacco
Some people find it easier to quit gradually. They smoke less often, smoke fewer cigarettes at one time than normal, and try to go longer without a cigarette. Some people develop little tricks - they use matches instead of a lighter; they put their cigarettes in a cupboard and force themselves to make a trip to find them, instead of having them readily at hand; or they may butt out after half a cigarette, instead of finishing the whole thing. If you do this, make sure you write down your plan and stick to it. Find what works for you - and ask other former smokers for ideas if you have any trouble.
Counselling and Support Groups
Individual counselling programs can be especially helpful for some smokers. Talk to your doctor about whether this route is an appropriate option for you. Group support programs - where small groups of people get together to talk about the challenges of quitting - have been proven to be one of the most successful methods for quitting smoking. Qualified health professionals lead some group programs, and these tend to be more effective. Contact your local public health department or visit HealthyOntario.com’s Community Resources section to locate stop-smoking groups in your community.
Help is also a phone call or computer click away. The Canadian Cancer Society’s Smokers’ Helpline offers advice, information and support by phone at 1-877-513-5333 or online at www.smokershelpline.ca to help smokers develop a personalized quitting plan.
For those interested in becoming part of a clinical study, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is conducting the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Study. The study is funded by the Ministry of Health Promotion. The study offers counselling and free nicotine replacement therapies to thousands of Ontarians through a variety of community partners, and monitors their progress.
In general, speak honestly to your doctor, dentist or other health professional about your desire to quit for good. If you think there is anything that might give you an edge in staying in control of your new “non-smoking” habit, go for it!
Medical Treatment
There are several products on the market now that are designed to help you quit smoking. Most involve nicotine replacements to counteract withdrawal symptoms. In 2007, the Ontario government removed the provincial sales tax on Nicotine Replacement Therapy Products, including patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers, sprays and tablets. It is part of the Smoke-Free Ontario strategy, considered one of the most comprehensive of its kind in Canada.
In addition to nicotine replacement products, such as patches and gum, your doctor may prescribe a drug to help you stop smoking. These drugs, especially when combined with other therapies, can increase your chances of success. One drug, bupropion, is commonly used as an anti-depressant but, when used as a smoking cessation support, seems to help people get through initial withdrawal symptoms more easily. Another drug, varenicline, targets nicotine receptors in the brain and produces effects similar to nicotine, while blocking the nicotine itself. This is a different action from that of bupropion. Speak to your doctor about which medications, if any, may be helpful for you.
Alternative Therapies
Acupuncture and hypnosis have been shown to have some success in helping smokers quit. Ask your doctor to recommend a licensed practitioner in either of these two therapies.
In Conclusion
Tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of illness and death in the developed world. By making the decision to stop smoking, you’ve taken a step towards a healthier, longer life. Smoking costs you your health, the health of those around you and the health of your wallet. There is no downside to quitting - The early days may be difficult, but it’s worth it. Good luck. You have lots of support. Understand that this is one battle you can win!
Resources
Article - Smoking Cessation - Part 1
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Article - Smoking Cessation - Part 2
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Article - Life After Quit Day - Not Always Smooth!
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Lifetime Cost of Smoking Calculator - HealthyOntario.com
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Ministry of Health Promotion - Smoke Free Ontario
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Stupid.ca
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Health Canada - On the Road to Quitting program
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Canadian Cancer Society - Smokers’ Helpline
1-877-513-5333
Click here