American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [25]
Giving up smoking is not easy. But as hard as quitting may be, the results are well worth it. Take some time to think about the many health benefits of being an ex-smoker. This is an important first step in kicking the habit.
Make a Plan
Once you decide to give up smoking, set a target date to quit. Pick a time when you won’t be under a lot of stress. On the night before your quit date, throw away all of your cigarettes, matches, lighters, and ashtrays. Plan some special activities to help you get through the next few days without cigarettes. Try these tips:
• Avoid smoking triggers. Familiar activities, such as talking on the phone or drinking alcohol, can bring on the urge to smoke. Make a list of your triggers and avoid as many as you can. Try to avoid being around smokers, especially your smoking friends, until your cravings start to subside.
• Keep busy. Engage in activities that keep your hands busy (such as doing crossword puzzles). When you feel the need to put something in your mouth, chew gum, eat raw vegetables, or suck on a straw.
• Consider using a nicotine-replacement product. Nicotine patches, pills, and gum are available over the counter, and other products are available by prescription. These products are safe for most people, but talk to your doctor before using any of them because they can have side effects.
• Try a stop-smoking program. Contact a local hospital or the American Lung Association and ask about smoking cessation programs in your area.
Most people who quit smoking experience unpleasant side effects—including irritability, sleep loss, headaches, fatigue, depression, nervousness, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating—during the first 3 or 4 weeks after quitting. These symptoms result from the body’s withdrawal from nicotine and can be severe. Nicotine use causes changes in brain chemistry that make the brain crave higher and higher levels of stimulation and pleasure. Ask your doctor if the prescription medication bupropion could help you through these difficult few weeks.
If You Relapse
If you slip and smoke a cigarette or two after your quit date, don’t be hard on yourself. But try to get back on track quickly. Most people relapse several times before they quit for good. If you have a cigarette:
• Don’t be discouraged. Quitting smoking is difficult—a relapse doesn’t mean you can’t succeed.
• Learn from your experience. Figure out what triggered your urge to light up and try to avoid it.
Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke (also called passive smoking) is a combination of the smoke given off by cigarettes and the smoke exhaled by smokers. Secondhand smoke is classified as a cancer-causing agent and is responsible for about 35,000 deaths from heart disease and 3,000 deaths from lung cancer each year, primarily among nonsmoking spouses of smokers. Every year, nearly 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children under 18 months of age are directly linked to secondhand smoke, which is also responsible for triggering or worsening hundreds of thousands of cases of childhood asthma. Also, children who regularly breathe secondhand smoke are more likely than other children to have frequent ear infections and more dental cavities.
Medical Treatments for Quitting
For smokers who are highly addicted, many doctors recommend nicotine-replacement products. These products—such as nicotine gum, pills, and patches (available over the counter) and inhalers and nasal sprays (available only by prescription)—release small amounts of nicotine into the bloodstream to relieve withdrawal symptoms from nicotine and help reduce cravings for cigarettes. These products provide safer doses of nicotine than cigarettes—the nicotine enters the body less rapidly and in a lower concentration and does not have the thousands of harmful chemicals present in cigarette smoke. Over a period of about 6 to 12 weeks, the dose of nicotine is gradually reduced to slowly lower your craving.
The prescription antidepressant medication buproprion is another proven treatment for helping people