You CAN Kick the Habit!

If you're still trying to give up smoking, don't give up! Sometimes it takes more than one try or a combination of methods to help you quit.

There are three basic ways to quit smoking:

1. "Cold turkey"—When you immediately give up smoking regularly to not smoking at all.
2. Tapering off—Setting a quit date and decreasing the number of cigarettes each day until you reach your quit date. It is better to quit over a few days, rather than weeks, since slow tapering off tends to drag out the process. You also may decide to postpone the actual date to taper off even more slowly.
3. Postponing—Delay your first cigarette by two hours each day until you are not smoking between the time you wake up and when you go to sleep. For example, if you normally have your first cigarette at 8 am, wait until 10 am the first day, until noon the second day, and so on.

There are several pharmacologic methods to help you with quitting. The first are nicotine replacement medicines which replace the nicotine but do not have the other harmful chemicals in them that cigarettes do. They come in many over-the-counter forms such as gum, patches, lozenges, and prescription nicotine nasal sprays. All of these methods decrease your cravings for cigarettes as well as withdrawal symptoms. If you choose to use one of these forms, you must NOT smoke. Smoking with the medications can cause heart attacks or heart arrhythmias.

Whichever method of nicotine replacement medication you choose involves two steps. First of all, you must get over your craving to smoke, which may take four to six weeks of no cigarettes. Secondly, you must withdraw from the nicotine itself. That may take another four to eight weeks, during which time you will decrease the amount of nicotine replacement you are using.

The second types of medications are those that stimulate the nicotine receptors in the brain to decrease nicotine withdrawal symptoms. These drugs are bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix). Varenicline reduces the desire to smoke by blocking nicotine from binding to nicotine receptors in the brain. Varenicline should not be used with nicotine replacements and should be started about one week before the quit date. Both of these drugs are by prescription only.

Withdrawal
Your body tries to recover from its addiction to cigarettes by showing withdrawal symptoms. These may include: irritability, increased coughing (which makes you wonder why quitting cigarettes is good for you), insomnia, depression, poor concentration, and increased appetite (which is partly due to the fact that you can taste food better if you are not smoking). These symptoms will go away, but you must have a way of dealing with the symptoms when they occur. Activities that help include: drinking water frequently during the day, taking walks or engaging in other forms of exercise, and using deep breathing or visual imagery to relax. Avoiding situations where you used to smoke also helps. For example, if you always smoked at the breakfast table with a cup of coffee after you have eaten, get up and take your coffee into the living room to watch the news.

You can avoid weight gain by careful planning. It is true that 80% of people who quit smoking gain up to ten pounds, but almost 60% of people who continue to smoke gain the same amount of weight in the same amount of time. You should follow a healthy diet (see a dietician if it will help you to identify what you need) with plenty of vegetables. Make sure you do not substitute high-calorie snacks for cigarettes. Keep low-fat foods and vegetables readily available as healthy snacks and chew sugar-free gum.

Relapse
If you relapse, do not give up. Get back on track. Throw away the cigarettes. Figure out what triggered your relapse and avoid it the next time. Get a "non-smoking" support buddy whom you can call when you really crave a cigarette. Use a stress ball when you have the urge to smoke. Clean your house and your car to get rid of the "cigarette smell." Most of all, avoid situations where you want to smoke. Save the money you would have used to buy cigarettes and reward yourself in a month with something you really want—or save up for a year and take a trip. Remind yourself why you wanted to quit smoking.

Success
By using some of these strategies, you CAN successfully quit smoking. If you had a smoker's cough, it should gradually disappear. Your risk of vascular disease, cancer, and lung disease should decrease. Congratulate yourself and breathe easier!