I Can Quit!

There are usually certain times of the day, or certain activities that make you want to reach for a smoke or chew.

Before you light up, think about exactly why you want that cigarette. Is it a psychological smoking trigger like an argument, or is it when you are driving in the car or after eating a meal? These are called triggers. Triggers are usually people, places, or things you associate with smoking. If you learn to deal with these triggers when they occur, you will be well on your way to quitting.

What could you do instead of lighting up this cigarette or grabbing for a chew? If you have a plan, it makes your attempts easier. For example, change your habits. Use a different route to work, eat breakfast in a different place, or get up from the table right away after eating.

Here are some tips to help you avoid your triggers during the Great American Smokeout.

1. Deep breathing
2. Drink ice water (water helps flush residual toxins out of the system – it helps)
3. Delay smoking. If you delay, the urge usually passes in a short time
4. Do something else that isn’t connected with smoking

In addition, you can:

• Use self-talk
• Focus on YOUR reasons to quit (decide on 4 or 5 reasons that you feel are important to quit – be specific)
• Change your routine.
• Call another person for support if you are tempted
• Exercise

 In the Morning: Don’t just lounge in bed. Get up. If you usually go out for a smoke, then eat breakfast, change your routine. Shower first, then eat breakfast, and kip the smoke. Keep gum, straws, or flavored toothpicks to help curb the cigarette craving.

Coffee:  Coffee, soft drinks, or alcohol can increase your urge to smoke.

After a Meal: Freshen up! Leave the table after a meal and brush your teeth. Use some baking soda or mouthwash for that extra clean feeling. When eating out, choose places that don’t allow smoking. Eating several small meals instead of one or two large ones will help keep your energy in balance and help prevent the urge to smoke a cigarette or chew tobacco. Avoid sugary or spicy foods.

Stress: Overworked? Overwhelmed? Exercise or get busy. If there’s a deck of cards nearby, play alone or ask a friend. Hobbies help, too. Put together that 1,000-piece puzzle. If you can’t get away, try deep breathing. Imagine filling your lungs with fresh, clean air.

Boredom: Talk to someone who will support you in your efforts to quit smoking and chewing. Do other activities that will engage you in some way. Change your surroundings by getting up and walking around. Or start researching a new hobby you’ve always wanted to try.

Social Event: Get busy! Keep your mind occupied by helping the host or hostess. Offer to hang up coats, refill platters, or introduce guests. Be sure to bring along friends who don’t smoke, dip, or chew so you’ll have someone to talk to when you get the urge. Stay away from alcohol by sticking with soda or punch and munching on low-calorie snacks. Instead of grabbing a cigarette, grab a plate of grapes, celery sticks, and cheddar. In a recent study, smokers found that cigarettes tasted worse after they drank water or juice and after they ate fruit, vegetables, or dairy products. If you need something in your hand, try a long straw or lollipop stick.

Before Bedtime: Chill! If the sight of your pillow makes you want to puff, take five. Put on your favorite songs. Relax and visualize yourself as a successful non-tobacco user. You’ve come too far to quit now—you can do it!

Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. November 19^th is the Great American Smokeout. To help you quit, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or go to www.IndianaTobaccoQuitline.net

Interesting new study:  Middle-aged people who smoke or have high blood pressure or diabetes are more likely to develop dementia later in life, according to a new study. In an article published online August 19, 2009 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, researchers suggest that controlling cardiovascular risk factors in midlife may prevent dementia later on.

Dr Robert Stewart (King’s College London, UK), who isn’t connected with the study, said in an interview that the data are convincing and consistent with those from other studies that have screened community populations for this disorder.

“In general,” Stewart said, “there is now a large body of evidence that indicates that what is bad for the heart is bad for the brain—that is, that the well-known risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke are also risk factors for dementia.”

Read more about it at http://www.theheart.org/article/993633.do

Recently, a man from Porter County, Indiana was interviewed who said that after 50 years, and a severe heart attack, he was finally able to quit smoking. I thought you might be interested in an article about Mr. Watkin:

“For smokers trying to quit the habit, James Watkin of Valparaiso may be the perfect role model. After more than 50 years of smoking cigarettes, Watkin quit smoking last year at the age of 77. His example proves the point that it’s never too late make new, healthier choices.

            Even when he began smoking in the 1950s, Watkin knew that it wasn’t a good choice for his health. However, he began smoking while serving in the military in Korea from 1953-1954.

            “(The military) didn’t encourage it, but they didn’t say anything against it,” Watkin said. “If I hadn’t been in
Korea I don’t think I even would have started.

            Watkin remembers back when smoking was an acceptable social habit, but he never personally approved of it. When he was younger, Watkin remembers seeing commercials in which doctors advocated one brand of cigarettes over another.

            “Nowadays, if you found a doctor who smoked, he would be ostracized,” Watkin said.

            Although he smoked for many years, Watkin was aware of the health risks, especially after his brother, a nonsmoker, died of lung cancer. Watkin tried to keep his own habit in check.

            “I’ve met a few people that smoked three or four packs a day. A pack a day is all I let myself to. Even then, as the price went up it got expensive,” Watkin said.

            “We had kids, and I didn’t want to smoke in front of them,” Watkin said.

            Watkin says that none of his five children smoke. “They got tired of seeing their dad and what he did, and they never started,” Watkin said.

            “I’ve often thought, ‘Why did I keep it up?’” he mused. “It’s a habit I suppose, and you have a craving for it.”

            “Death was the furthest thing from my mind (when I started). But when you get to be my age…”

            Last year, after 55 years of smoking, Watkin suffered a severe heart attack that landed him in the hospital. Doctors blame his smoking habit for the life-threatening attack.

            “The doctor told me ‘Mister, you’re very fortunate you’re still alive. You had two arteries blocked and that’s because you smoked,” Watkin said. “That scares you, for a doctor to tell you that you’re lucky to be alive.”

            “That day my son came home with my wife, and I didn’t know it at the time, but they threw (my cigarettes) away.”

            While in the hospital, Watkin experienced his first day without cigarettes in more than five decades. Doctors had to call his wife to come to the hospital to keep him calm and get him through the first nicotine cravings. Watkin’s insurance helped him purchase a month’s worth of nicotine patches, and he has not smoked since leaving the hospital.

            “When you’re lying in the hospital and the doctor is operating on you, you just quit, cold turkey…I lost my desire for it. I realized what it cost me.”

            Watkin has seen many of his friends quit smoking as they got older. One former smoker used hypnotism to help him control his cravings for nicotine. “The best way to quit is don’t start. But if you do (start), just quit. There is help available.”

            He worries about the young people he sees just beginning the smoking habit.

            “I don’t see many people my age smoking anymore, it’s all young kids…There’s a certain amount of social acceptance,” Watkin noted.

            Since his heart attack, Watkin has also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He doesn’t often leave his home other than to go to the doctor’s office or to church. But when he does encounter people smoking, he makes sure to share his experiences with them. “I’ve told half a dozen people I see, ‘Throw it away buddy, or you’ll end up like I did,’” Watkin said.

For anyone interested in quitting tobacco, the Indiana Tobacco Quit Line offers free sessions with a quit coach and 2 weeks of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy in the form of either patch or gum to those who enroll (1-800-QUIT-NOW).”

The following article, written by Liz Szabo, appeared in USA Today. It is important to know that electronic cigarettes contain toxic chemicals and carcinogens. http://www.usatoday.com/_ads/interstitial/2008/page/interstitial_new.htm?http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-07-22-electroniccigarette_N.htm

“The Food and Drug Administration, recently granted the authority to regulate tobacco as a drug, is taking aim at electronic cigarettes — battery-powered cigarette look-alikes that deliver nicotine and produce a puff of odorless vapor. Tests show that e-cigarettes contain “known carcinogens and toxic chemicals,” including diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze, officials announced Wednesday during a teleconference. The FDA notes that the products have no warning labels.”

With the increase in the federal cigarette tax, more people are taking steps to quit. The Indiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) is a great resource.

The Indiana Tobacco Quitline offers 2 FREE WEEKS of Nicotine Replacement Therapy – (PATCH OR GUM) for those who enroll

The Indiana Tobacco Quitline assists:

•         Tobacco users, in any stage of readiness to quit 

•         Pregnant smokers Smokeless tobacco users 

•         Former smokers who want relapse prevention support 

•         Friends and relatives of tobacco users who want to offer support 

If you need information about pharmacotherapy interactions and contraindications, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) dosages, etc., call the Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free information.

When you call the Quitline, a trained Quit Coach will provide:  

•         An assessment of readiness to quit 

•         A customized quit plan  Motivation and problem-solving advice 

•         Up-to-date information about nicotine replacement therapy

•         A Quit Kit, including materials in English or Spanish, tailored for your patient’s needs 

•         Referral to cessation services offered by local resources or by health plans

For more information, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or go to the website: http://www.indianatobaccoquitline.net

Do you smoke or use tobacco products in some situations more than others? If you can determine when the urge is greater, then preparing for these times helps in your attempts to stop using.

I recently came across these ideas from the National Cancer Institute about what to do with your time when you stop smoking. I want to share them with you.

What To Expect

• You may take a break at work and find that you now have nothing to do.
• You may feel very bored when waiting for something or someone (a bus, your spouse, your kids).

Did You Know?

• Many smokers say they sometimes smoke to overcome boredom.

What To Do

• Plan more activities than you have time for.
• For those empty minutes, make a list of things you like to do.
• Move! Do not stay in the same place too long.
• Carry a book, magazine, or crossword puzzle for waiting times.
• Notice what is going on around you. (Look at the shape of the buildings you pass, listen to the sounds outside around you.)
• Carry something (like a cell phone) to keep your hands busy.
• Listen to a favorite song.
• Go outdoors, if you can, but not to places you associate with smoking.

Nicotine and Your Body and Mind

• For smokers, boredom often brings the urge to smoke—this urge may have a physical and chemical basis.
• When you quit smoking, you may miss the increased excitement and good feeling that nicotine gave you. This may be true when you are feeling bored.

Keep up the good work…you can do it!!

We help the restoration of our sanity as we learn to determine our priorities. We want to deal with first things first. Many of us worry that when we stop using nicotine we will eat more and gain weight. Often people do gain some weight. Our metabolism can change, and we may use food to relieve our cravings for a while. The physical and emotional effects of additional weight are important, but nothing is more important than not using nicotine. The health dangers from nicotine addiction far outweigh weight gain.

As we regain our senses we are often graced by desires to eat healthier foods and cleanse our system with plenty of water. Vigorous exercise can also help release the frustration and deprivation we may initially feel when we stop using nicotine.

Our priority is to stop putting nicotine into our body. Then many improvements become possible. So, in the beginning of our recovery, the worry about the weight can wait.

Almost all people who try to quit tobacco have some form of nicotine withdrawal. Generally, the longer one has been a smoker and the more nicotine and higher number of cigarettes consumed, the more likely it is that withdrawal symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be. People who are regular smokers tend to have particularly strong cravings and worsening of withdrawal symptoms at certain times, places, or situations associated with smoking. It is good to prepare for these times.

Tobacco contains nicotine, an addictive drug, and smokers become addicted. If you quit abruptly, you will go through the physical and psychological effects of drug-withdrawal. These may include intense food cravings, jittery nerves, anxiety, short temper, depression, and sleeplessness. The addiction-withdrawal symptoms will be worst the first week and less severe during the second. After a month, most of the withdrawal symptoms will be gone, If you quit gradually, the withdrawal may be less intense but more prolonged. This is why many experts recommend quitting abruptly!

The best advice for someone who is trying to quit smoking is to take it one day at a time. Remember that it gets better with each passing day, and that the health benefits are worth every bit of effort that goes into the quitting process.