WHY SHOULD I QUIT SMOKING? Smoking cigarettes tops the list of major risk factors of our number one killer – heart and blood vessel disease. In fact, almost one-fifth of deaths from heart disease are from smoking. The list of diseases and deaths due to smoking is frightening. Smoking also harms thousands of nonsmokers who are exposed to cigarette smoke. It causes infections, disease and death in infants and children. If you smoke, you have good reason to worry about its effect on your health and the health of your loved ones and others. You could become one of the more than 400,000 deaths smoking causes in the U.S. every year. When you quit, you reduce that risk tremendously!
IS IT TOO LATE TO QUIT? No matter how much or how long you’ve smoked, when you quit, your risk of heart disease goes down. Three years after quitting, your risk of heart disease is almost the same as if you’ve never smoked. That’s like gaining back the health you almost lost! Ex-smokers have better health than current smokers.
HOW DO I QUIT?
- STEP ONE: List reasons to quit and read them daily. Wrap your cigarette pack with paper and rubber bands and when you smoke, write down the time of day, how you feel, and how important that cigarette is to you on a scale of 1-5. Rewrap the pack. Try to think of something to do instead of smoking; you might chew gum or drink a glass of water instead.
- STEP TWO: Keep reading your list of reasons and add to it if you can. Don’t carry matches and keep your cigarettes a bit out of reach. Each day, try to smoke fewer cigarettes, trying not to smoke the ones that aren’t most important.
- STEP THREE: Continue with Step Two. Don’t buy a new pack until you finish the one you’re smoking. Change brands twice during the week, each time for a brand of cigarettes that you don’t like that is lower in tar and nicotine. Try to stop for 48 hours at one time.
- STEP FOUR: Quit smoking completely. Set a quit day within 2 to 4 weeks from today. If possible, have a friend quit smoking with you. Get rid of all of your cigarettes. Throw away your ashtrays and lighters. Do not buy any more cigarettes. Avoid situations you relate to smoking. Increase your physical activity and stay busy. Find a healthy substitute for smoking. Do deep breathing exercises when you get the urge.
WHAT IF I SMOKE AFTER QUITTING? It’s hard to stay a nonsmoker once you’ve had a cigarette, so try everything you can do to avoid that “one”. When you get the urge to smoke, do something else instead. Carry other things to put in your mouth, such as gum, hard candy, or a toothpick. The urge to smoke will pass. The first 2 to 5 minutes will be the toughest. If you do smoke after quitting: this doesn’t mean you’re a smoker again – do something now to get back on track. Don’t punish yourself – you’re still a nonsmoker. Think about why you smoked and decide what to do the next time it comes up. Sign a contract with rewards to stay a nonsmoker. Reward yourself at the end of the day for not smoking. See a movie or go out and enjoy your favorite meal. Don’t think of quitting as giving something up. Rather, think of it as gaining good health.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I QUIT?
- Sense of smell and taste come back.
- Smokers cough goes away.
- Will digest more normally.
- Feel alive and full of energy.
- Breathe much better.
- Easier to climb stairs.
- Feel free from the mess, smell and burns in clothing.
- Feel free of “needing” cigarettes.
- Live longer and have less chance of heart disease, lung disease and cancer.
The first few weeks after you stop smoking are the most difficult ones. Stay focused. Soon you will be SMOKE-FREE. Celebrate your success: 1 week, 1 month, 1 year at a time.
HOW CAN I LEARN MORE? Talk to your doctor, nurse or health care professional. Or call your local American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, or state and local health departments
(Print and insert the following charts on the front and back of your next pack of cigarettes)
