✔ YES!
❏
❏ NO
❏ MAYBE
READY TO QUIT
SMOKING?
C
ongratulations! You have made a very good decision. You
are ready to quit smoking. It is very important for you to
always keep in mind:
1 your reasons for wanting to quit
2 that you know you can DO it
Write Your reasons for quitting down:
______________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
✗
© 2009 The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
WAYS OF QUITTING
There are several ways of quitting and you
must pick the way that you think will work
best for you. This means that it is important
for you to know what to expect as you stop
smoking. This booklet will discuss:
1. Some of the physical and emotional effects
of quitting.
2. Different methods you can choose.
3. How to develop a quit smoking plan that will work for you.
4. Places where you can get some help and information.
5. Ways to get your family and friends to support you
6. Setting a quit date.
WHAT YOU MAY EXPERIENCE
Different people have different experiences when they quit
smoking. For some it is very easy and for some it is very hard.
Much depends on how addicted you are to the nicotine in
cigarettes and how dependent you are on the cigarettes for
pleasure.. What is important is that millions have quit smoking
and so can YOU. If you have some unpleasant feelings after you
stop, know that they won’t last. The first two weeks are often
the most difficult.
Some of the physical experiences you may have are:
1. urges and cravings
2. trouble sleeping
3. headaches
4. constipation
5. being more hungry
6. coughing
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Some emotional feelings may include:
1. being irritable
2. being stressed and tense
3. being tired
4. not being able to concentrate
Health Benefits
Remember those unpleasant feelings last only a short time.
The rewards or benefits you get from not smoking will last you
for the rest of your life.
Here are some of the health benefits of not
smoking:
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•
•
•
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blood pressure goes down
heart rate goes down
you will get fewer wrinkles
blood flow to hands and feet increases
your blood will have more oxygen
sense of taste and smell gets better
it becomes easier to breathe
you’ll cough less and your sinuses will be less stuffed
women will have more regular periods
risk of getting lung cancer goes down
risk of getting other cancers goes down
risk of getting a heart attack or stroke goes down
risk of getting emphysema goes down
All these good changes will start immediately after you stop
smoking. Think about the wonderful things you are doing for
yourself and your family. Write these down as you begin to feel
them.
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PICKING THE BEST WAY OF QUITTING FOR YOU
You can make quitting easier if you and your doctor decide
that medication may help you.
There are three types of medication:
1. Nicotine Patch, Nicotine Lozenge or Nicotine Gum
•
The nicotine patch, nicotine lozenge and nicotine gum are
medications that put nicotine in your body.
•
This helps with the cravings and urges to smoke and other
physical problems.
•
They are used for people who are very addicted, who smoke
a pack a day or more, or who smoke within 30 minutes
after waking up. They do not help with the stress or other
unpleasant feelings.
2. Bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin – taken for 12 weeks)
Varenicline (Chantix – taken for 12 weeks)
•
These are medications taken by mouth.
Your doctor must give you a prescription
for these. You take the pills for about 6
weeks and they will help you feel less
stressed and irritable. These pills also make
the cravings less. (FDA Warning: Use
only under a doctor's guidance. May
impair driving; do not operate commercial vehicles).
3. Cold Turkey
•
Most people pick this way to quit smoking. It means stopping
smoking without any medications and doing it all at once. It
may be hard in the beginning, but it works for many people.
4. Tapering off or smoking less and less
•
4
If you choose this way, you will pick a day in the future to quit
smoking. The plan is to smoke fewer and fewer cigarettes
each day. First try not to smoke those cigarettes you smoke
out of habit, that you sometimes don’t even want to smoke.
Next, stop with the cigarettes that you smoke for pleasure and
finally, don’t smoke the few cigarettes you think you need.
This method gives you a chance to think about why and when
you smoke each cigarette.
A PLAN OF ACTION
YOU WILL HAVE MORE SUCCESS IN QUITTING IF YOU HAVE
A PLAN OF ACTION
You need to plan what you will do to help you stop smoking. It helps you think about the way you will deal with the
times you want to have a cigarette, but decide you won’t.
It is best if you come up with a plan that will work for you,
but we have some ideas.
1. Tell yourself that you can do it. You are not going to let those
cigarettes control you any longer.
2. Destroy your cigarettes: smash or tear them up. Don’t just
throw them in the trash because it is too easy to fish them out.
Get rid of your ashtrays.
3. Do some exercise every day. Take a walk, do some sports or
anything that works for you and you enjoy. It will help with the
stress and other bad feelings.
4. Don’t be around other smokers. The smell of smoke may make
you want to smoke again. This is specially important in the first
two weeks. Go to places where you can’t smoke such as the
library, the movies, a public building, the mall.
5. Change your routine. Do things in a different way or at a different time than usual. Do some new things that you have
always wanted to do.
6. Don’t go places or don’t do things for a while that you connect with smoking, such as bars, restaurants (except nonsmoking ones).
5
If you have always smoked while watching television or on the
phone or driving, plan on doing something else, like chewing
gum, or squeezing a ball, or anything else you can think of.
7. Take your coffee breaks with people who don’t smoke.
8. Brush your teeth right after a meal. It beats smoking and you’ll
smell better.
9. Keep your hands busy. Learn to knit, play with a yo-yo, draw
or whatever you may enjoy.
10. Try to relax. Take a warm bath, breathe deeply, listen to music.
11. Each day that you don’t smoke do something nice for yourself.
You deserve it.
12. Talk to your health educator or your doctor. They can help you
with support, information and ideas. They can also help you
develop a plan and set a quit date. You don’t have to do this
alone.
13. Get support from your family and friends.
READY TO GO
If you have read all this, you are ready to go:
SET A QUIT DATE:_________________________
Write down your own ideas/plans:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
6
It is generally best to start on a day that
is not a special day or at a special time like a
birthday or a holiday. It’s also easier if you are
not feeling too stressed out.
If you have stopped smoking for a few
days and start again, know that happens to
most people who try to quit. Start over again and think about
what made you go back to smoking. Try something different
this time when those urges come up.
Remember to reward yourself for each day that you don’t
smoke. Write down some of the things you can do for yourself
and ask your family to do something nice for you. You could
ask for a back rub, or fix you a nice meal or whatever you like.
CONGRATULATIONS-YOU HAVE MADE
A
GREAT DECISION!
If I need support, I will call:_ ______________________________
(family member, friend, etc.)
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UNM Hospitals Tobacco Treatment
933 Bradbury Dr, SE Suite 1112
Albuquerque, NM 87106
505-272-2340
[email protected]
Pamphlets based on material written by The Health Education Division, Student Health
Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M.
Printing funded by the New Mexico Department of Health
Design/layout: Paul Akmajian, UNM HSC Communications & Marketing
07/09