Tips to quit smoking
Posted Jan 1, 2011 07:26:52 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The beginning of the New Year is a very popular time for making personal resolutions. For many smokers, quitting their bad habit is number one on the list. However, butting out can be tricky because cigarettes contain nicotine.
“It’s an extremely addictive substance,” said Laurie Nagge, a Public Health Nurse for Waterloo region. “It is not simple for people to quit but it’s definitely doable and lots of people are successful at quitting.”
According to the Ontario Lung Association, approximately half of people who smoke wish they could quit.
“We know for sure that most smokers at least make one very serious, dedicated attempt to quit in a year,” said Nagge.
She says that picking a date to quit, like the first day of the new year, is a good idea. It can help people stay focuses and get ready to quit.
“We often ask people to pick a quit date that’s about 2 to 3 weeks in advance,” said Nagge. “So they can start to get rid of ash trays, cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke and start changing those days to day habits that become so engrained in smokers. It gives them a little bit of lead time to start practicing some of these new behaviours so when it comes to the quit date they can stop completely.”
But the old habits can be hard to break. Luckily, Ontario smokers have lots of options to help them quit. Pharmacies carry lots of different products to make quitting easier and they’re all available over the counter.
“What’s available in any pharmacy are nicotine replacement therapies,” explained Nagge. “In any Ontario pharmacy, smokers have access to the patch, gum, lozenge or the inhaler. What those do basically is give the smoker the nicotine, which is the addictive substance in cigarettes. It helps to calm the cravings a little bit and helps them to get through the difficult withdrawal from the nicotine.”
Not all smokers need the help of these nicotine replacement therapies. For some, all it takes it strong will and support from people around them. But for others, a combination of different quitting strategies is the only solution.
“If a person can receive any kind of counselling from a health care provider, in combination with nicotine replacement therapies, they have the highest success rates,” explained Nagge. “One of the resources that’s available is Smokers’ Helpline.”
Run by the Canadian Cancer Society, Smokers’ Helpline offers people free, telephone-based counselling. There are also lots of online resources through the same program.
The list of benefits from quitting smoking are well-worth the effort it takes to quit. The positive effects can felt within 24 hours. Toxic carbon monoxide levels start to sink after just 10 hours without a cigarette, improving blood flow are circulation in the body. Just a few weeks without smoking improves people’s sense of taste and smell.
“Reductions in risks for cancers do take a little bit longer,” said Nagge. She says it can take 10 to 15 years to get back to the risk level of a non-smoker. However, after one year without smoking, the risk of heart-attack decreases 50 per cent.
For more information and tips on how to quit smoking, visit www.smokershelpline.ca or call Smokers’ Helpline at 1-877-513-5333.
