Kick Smoking Now!

by Deb Brothers-Klezmer, BSN, RN-BC, CRRN, NCTMB and Wendy Midgley, MEd, RD, LDN, CDE

According to a 2009 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, smokers cost the USA $96 billion in health care costs and an additional $97 billion in lost productivity.

Each year, smoking or exposure to second hand smoke causes ~ 443,000 people to die prematurely from smoking or from exposure to second hand smoke and another 8.6 million individuals to live with a serious illness (CDC report:  “Targeting the Nation’s Leading Killer: Tobacco Use, At a Glance, 2011)

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SMOKING:

• Raises the risks of having a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event.  It leads to breathing issues such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as lung and other cancers.  . 

• Decreases our vital energy stores. It can shorten one’s life span. 

• Makes women smokers more prone to bone loss.   They are also more likely to experience earlier menopause.

• Can harm the fetus during pregnancy.  An infant born to a smoking mom can be born too soon, have low birth weight, and be more at risk for birth defects.

• More than doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia two decades later for people who are heavy smokers in their midlife (2+ packs per day).  (www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20101025/smoking-linked-to-alzheimers-and-dementia)

• Increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents.

• Increases the risk for hearing issues, such as ringing in the ears.

• Narrows blood vessels and can affect both genders’ performance in the bedroom because nicotine is a vasoconstrictor.

• Subjects others in proximity to second hand smoke--which can contribute to increased risk of lung cancer, heart disease, eye irritation, headaches, nausea and dizziness. 

Some studies have linked 2nd hand smoke to increased risks for depression and mental illness.  (1) A Scottish study in the Archives of General Psychiatry on-line article 6-7-2010 states that 2nd hand smokers are 1.5 times more likely to suffer psychological issues than the general population. (2)  A study of children in the April 2011 edition of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine indicated that children exposed to second- hand smoke are more likely to experience physical health issues as well as attention deficit disorders and depressive episodes.

***“Quitting smoking is the single most important step smokers can take to improve their health.”  (Norman Edelman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the American Lung Association)*** 

What is the attraction to smoking?   Why do smokers persist? 

We have asked our clients who smoke, why they smoke and here are some of the answers:
• It relaxes me
• It helps me sleep
• It picks me up in the morning
• It gives me something to do with my hands
• It helps me maintain my weight
• It helps me study and focus
• I love having a good cup of coffee (or a beer) and a cigarette and socializing
• All my friends smoke
• I am too angry and irritable a person when I don’t smoke
• I get to paint my kitchen more frequently--(since smoking causes discoloration of home and furnishings)
• I am often sick with colds, and my boss tells me to stay home
• I would rather spend money on cigarettes than buy a new pair of shoes
• Smoking gives me more pleasure than anything else

NOTE: an average pack of cigarettes costs ~$6.00.   For a 1 pack a day smoker, the total cost for cigarettes is ~$180 per month.

Quitting is a challenge because most smokers are addicted to nicotine, entrenched in behavioral habits, and enjoy the pleasurable feelings and social interactions associated with smoking.  It can be discouraging to read statistics re: “relapse” for those who have given up smoking and started up again.  Steven Schroeder, MD, professor of Medicine and Director of Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at UCSF states that some data showed that if you get counseling—together with one or more prescribed medications—it will increase your chances of quitting long-term.

Regardless of statistics, it is possible to stop!   Even if someone has tried to stop 30 times and not quit long-term, it is still possible to stop on the 31st try!   Inspiration and motivation can come from a loved one with sincere concerns, or due to a life threatening diagnosis.  

***Learn from the past.  Any time you make a positive change, consider it a step towards your goal.  Each sincere attempt provides a teaching moment. Think about what worked and what didn’t and thank yourself for your effort.  Maybe this attempt will be better!

***Sometimes an individual feels a strong positive shift within them that moves them to say:  “This is the day to quit. It is the right time”.  And they “just do it.

If a person is sincere about stopping smoking and feeling “this is the time”, here are SOME TIPS that can help:

• At meetings or social gatherings, sit by non-smokers and avoid social cues/places that would invoke a desire for smoking, especially in the first few days.  Be aware of triggers such as alcohol, caffeinated beverages or salty and sweet snack foods.
• Make distractions available.  For oral needs, have toothpicks, raw vegetables, sunflower seeds, gums or diet mints available.
• Drink eight glasses of water per day to flush out toxic breakdown products and keep your body hydrated and moisturized.
• Eat a balanced diet of three meals per day with protein (lean animal protein, grass-fed beef, nuts, seeds, yogurt, egg) at each meal.  Choose healthy snacks such as raw vegetables, a fruit, nuts and a fruit, or a Greek yogurt.
• Stay physically active on a daily basis (ideally) for general health and well-being.  Short exercise breaks are a perfect antidote for a nicotine craving that may seem to come out of nowhere.
• Consider alternative treatments such as acupuncture which focuses on the jitters, cravings, irritability and feelings of restlessness associated with quitting smoking.  In one study conducted at the University of Oslo, Norway, acupuncture was found to significantly reduce the desire to smoke up to five years after initial treatment.   Subjects also reported that the treatments had effectively reduced their taste for tobacco.
• Give yourself a reward for avoiding smoking each day.  It could be something simple like listening to a favorite CD.  Keep your sense of humor about the whole process.
• Seek out support from family, friends, co-workers.
• Seek out professional support and medication options with your doctor.
• Consider group support: online, or in person.  Suggestions include:
www.quitnet.com; www.TobaccoFree.org; www.nicotine-anonymous.org;
www.lung.org/stop-smoking  (or call 1-800-LUNG-USA or 1-800-586-4872);
www.ffsonline.org (freedom from smoking, on-line).

Or call the Massachusetts Smokers Helpline at 1-800-784-8669 OR 1-800-quit-now.