|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
|
Allergy & Asthma Advocate: Winter 2007
|
||||||||||||
|
© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
||||||||||||||
Find An Allergist / Immunologist | Pollen Counts | Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology | Annual Meeting
Site Map Contact
Home
Patients & Consumers
Pollen Counts
Diseases 101
Drug Guide
Featured Resources »AAAAI Tips Brochures
Topic of the Month
Information Request Form
Donate Now
Constituencies »
Allergy & Asthma Advocate: Winter 2007
Smoking Cessation
By Richard W. Honsinger, MD, MACP, FAAAAI
Tobacco use continues to be the leading preventative cause of death and illness in the United States. Smoking is not as socially acceptable as it used to be. Smokers are having difficulty finding smoking areas on public transportation, finding a smoking environment at work, and even finding entertainment.
Smoking is as addicting as narcotics or alcohol but does not make you dysfunctional. Many smokers have a craving for a cigarette in stressful situations. With help and motivation anyone is able to quit. Most pregnant women are able to quit during their pregnancy with the motivation of a healthy baby.
To quit smoking:
1) Prepare to quit. The American Cancer Society has had success with their “Great American Smokeout.” By establishing a quit date, you can prepare emotionally, prepare by not buying extra cartons of tobacco, and can prepare your home and workplace by getting rid of ashtrays and making these areas non-smoking. Pick a date that is meaningful to you – birth date, special anniversary, holiday, even a New Year’s resolution.
2) Get help from your family, friends, and coworkers. Tell them that you are going to quit and you want their support. Also, tell them that admonishing you is called nagging when it is given by a family member, friend or coworker. When it comes from your physician or counselor, it is called advice.
3) Get help from your physician and voluntary agencies. The public health service has a quit smoking consumer guide available from your health department or on the web (www.cdc.gov/tobacco). The American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society all have helpful programs. Nicotine Anonymous has a free phone line, (800) 642-0666. The Cancer Institute has a smoking quit line, (877) 44U-QUIT.
4) Get help from other quitters. People who quit smoking together are more often successful. They can commiserate together and support each other when they feel the need for another cigarette.
5) Get pharmaceutical help. Nicotine is a drug. You can help yourself by supplying nicotine in another fashion, such as gum, a patch, nasal spray, or an inhaler, while you withdraw from your habits. The nicotine patches are now available generically over-the-counter.
There are medications that can help decrease your urge to smoke. These are available by prescription by your physician. Bupropion (Zyban®) and varenicline (Chantix®) are prescription drugs that more than double your chance of quitting.
6) Help yourself. Smoking desire is partly addiction and partly habit. Look at your habits and find out what you do when you smoke. Do you have a cigarette in your hand when you have a cup of coffee? Try putting something else in your hand, such as a cinnamon stick. Change your routines where you find that smoking is your pleasure, find something else enjoyable to do every day. You should find other means to solve your depression or your bad mood. This can often be done by opening up and talking to your friends or your doctor.
7) If you fail the first time do not despair. In interviews with ex-smokers, the average permanent quitter had quit 8 times before finally quitting for good. Realize that being around other smokers can make you want to smoke. This is particularly true if you are using alcohol. You may gain weight as you change your desires from tobacco to food. Usually weight gain is less than 10 pounds. By staying active and eating a healthy diet you can avoid the weight gain.
If you relapse, reevaluate your smoking withdrawal. What worked for you last time? What did not work? Are you a person who needs to withdraw slowly or does “cold turkey” work better for you?
Quitting smoking can improve your health and the health of those around you.
© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
