It's Never Too Late to Quit Smoking
You are never too old, too healthy or too sick to quit smoking. When you quit smoking, you reduce your risk of health problems, including early death. The earlier you are able to quit smoking, the more you can look forward to better health.

 

You may notice some changes immediately after quitting:

• Less coughing and wheezing

• Clearer skin

• Lower blood pressure

• Healthier teeth and gums

 

How Can I Quit?
You are more likely to be successful if you quit with help. Ask your doctor about counseling, support groups, or hotlines that you can call for help. These programs can help you learn more about your habit and how to change your behavior. It also helps to tell your friends and family you're trying to quit, so they can support you.

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Interventions or medicines that may help curb cravings for nicotine and include:

• Nicotine Replacement Therapy – This includes nicotine gum, patch, lozenge, inhaler, or nose spray. These products release nicotine in your body that you would usually get from smoking. They help to reduce your cravings and can lessen symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

• Prescription Medicines (Buproprion and Veranicline) – These are medicines that you take by mouth. They always come with a doctor's prescription. These medicines work in your brain to help reduce nicotine cravings.

• Talk with your doctor about which option is best for you. 

 

Questions for My Doctor

• How long will it take for my cravings to go away?

• I've tried to quit before and failed. How can I quit for good?

• Are there any local programs to help me quit?

• Which medicine is right to help me quit smoking?

• How long will I need to be on the medicine?

• Are there side effects from the medicine?

• Can natural remedies like acupuncture or hypnotism help me quit?

• I'm not ready to quit. Will cutting down on my smoking improve my health?

 

 

UNDERSTANDING HABIT AND ADDICTION

Triggers and possible alternatives

• Waking up – brush teeth, meditate, stretch, deep breathe, and change routine

• Before bed – deep breathe, brush teeth, rinse with mouthwash

• After a meal – chew gum, eat candy, go for a walk, start kitchen cleanup

• Driving – drink water, use a straw as a cigarette, listen to new music

• Talking on the phone – doodle, play with coins (keep hands busy)

• Stress – deep breathe, talk to someone who can help, get support from a nonsmoker

• Social event – skip it if you can until you are stronger, get support from a nonsmoker

• Break time at work – go for a walk, stretch, take your break with a nonsmoker 

 

Avoid the following situations to minimize your chance of “slipping up:”
Remember "H. A.L.T."

• Hungry                            

• Angry                                 -

• Lonely                                -

• Tired                                 -

                                        -

The Five D's to help your quit

• Drink water

• Deep breathe

• Do something different

• Delay

• Dialogue

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The Four A's to help you quit

• Avoid situations that bother you

• Alter the situation

• Adapt your expectations and standards to make it easier to cope with something

• Accept that there are some things you can't change 

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E-CIGARETTES (VAPING)

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WHAT ARE E-CIGARETTES?

• E-cigarettes are electronic devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, or mix of small particles in the air.

• E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. Most have a battery, a heating element, and a place to hold a liquid.

• Some e-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some look like USB flash drives, pens, and other everyday items. Larger devices such as tank systems, or “mods,” do not look like other tobacco products.

• E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).”

• Using an e-cigarette is sometimes called “vaping.”

 

WHAT IS IN E-CIGARETTE AEROSOL?
E-cigarette aerosol is NOT harmless “water vapor.”
The e-cigarette aerosol that users breathe from the device and exhale can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances, including:

• Nicotine, a highly addictive stimulant drug. (In high doses, nicotine exposure can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, seizures and death)

• Ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs

• Flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to a serious lung disease

• Volatile organic compounds

• Cancer-causing chemicals

• Heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead

• The aerosol that users inhale and exhale from e-cigarettes can expose both themselves and bystanders to harmful substances.

 

HEALTH RISKS INCLUDE:
Brain – Mood altering, increased risk for stroke and seizure
Lungs – Electronic/Vaping Acute Lung Injury (EVALI), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), asthma and lung cancer
Heart – Increased risk for cardiovascular disease and elevated blood pressure
Other – Burns from explosions (defective batteries)

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