QUITTING SMOKING… WHY YOU SHOULD DROP THE HABIT AND HOW YOUR LIFE WILL IMPROVE IF YOU DO BY: BRADYN MUSICH

SMOKING IS ADDICTIVE BUT A HABIT WORTH DROPPING  In % of all adults: 21.6% of males, and 16.5% of females (43.8 million people) smoke cigarettes.  Each day, nearly 4,000 persons younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette.  Each day, about 1,000 persons younger than 18 years of age become new daily cigarette smokers.  Approximately 69% of smokers want to quit completely and in 2010 approximately 52% of smokers attempted to quit. (Healton)

SMOKING IS ADDICTIVE BUT A HABIT WORTH DROPPING  Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by  Cigarette smoking is responsible for about one in five deaths  Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung diseases (including emphysema, bronchitis, and chronic airway obstruction)(Sander L. Gilman and Xun Zhou).

LIVE LONGER AND HEALTHIER  The benefits of quitting start immediately!  20 Minutes after quitting: You’re heart rate drops.  12 Hours after quitting: Carbon monoxide levels in you’re blood drop to normal.  2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: You’re risk of a heart attack drops and lung function begins to improve(Rabinoff).

LIVE LONGER AND HEALTHIER  1 to 9 months after quitting: You’re coughing and shortness of breath decrease  1 Year after quitting: You’re added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s  5 to 15 years after quitting: You’re stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker (Rabinoff)

DON’T WORRY…. YOU CAN QUIT!

ALTERNATIVES FOR QUITTING  There are alternatives to help you quit  Common methods today are Electronic Cigarettes, nicotine patches, and medication.

IF YOUR SERIOUS ABOUT QUITTING AND WANTING TO BE A SUCCESSFUL QUITTER..  You need to be ready to change  You need to be motivated to quit  You need to know that you ARE strong enough to quit, it will be hard, but YOU CAN DO IT!  99.9% of the people who quit are happier with their lives after they quit

IF YOU PLAN ON QUITTING, YOU NEED A PLAN! Steps to quitting:  1. Get Ready  2. Get Support  3. Learn new skills and behaviors  4. Get medication – if recommended by your doctor – and use it correctly  5. Be prepared for cravings and withdrawal symptoms

STEP 1: GET READY  Set a quit date  Get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays, at home, at work, and in your car.  Keep a diary of when and why you smoke  Call QUIT-NOW for free materials  Tell friends and family you’re are going to stop(""Center For Disease Control And Prevention" ").

STEP 2: GET SUPPORT  Your chances of success increase if you have a support network  Ask friends, family, and coworkers for their support in helping you quit  Ask others not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out in the open  Talk to your family physician about tobacco’s effects on the body, choosing a quit plan, and dealing with withdrawal  Get individual, group, or telephone counseling

STEP 3: LEARN NEW SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS  Distract yourself from wanting to smoke Good ways to do this are:  Talk to someone  Go for a walk  Get busy with a task  Go somewhere that you are not allowed to smoke

STEP 3 CONTINUED:  Get out of your old routine and into a new one Here are a few ideas:  Take a different route to work  Wake up at a different time  Eat breakfast in a different place  Substitute a piece of gum after a meal instead of a cigarette  Reduce stress – take a hot bath, exercise, or read a book  Plan something enjoyable to do every day

STEP 4: GET MEDICATION Your family physician may recommend one of these nicotine substitutes to help you quit:  Nicotine Gum  Nicotine Inhaler  Nicotine Nasal Spray  Nicotine Patches

STEP 5: AVOID RELAPSE  Most relapses occur within the first three months(Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults — United States).  Avoid drinking alcohol – drinking lowers your chances of success  Avoid being around other smokers – can make you want to smoke  Eat a healthy diet  Stay Active  Look for ways besides smoking to improve your mood

YOU CAN TOO!

MANAGING WITHDRAWALS Symptoms  Are most intense within the first 3 to 7 days and may continue for several weeks but will get less severe.  Triggers will queue your cravings  Anxiety and restlessness will be common

MANAGING WITHDRAWALS  Exercise: it will take away stress and help motivate you  Reduce or avoid other stimulants like coffee and other caffeinated products  When craving a cigarette relax and take deep breaths  Relax before going to bed and formulate a nightly routine  Drink plenty of water

MANAGING WITHDRAWALS When quitting it can be hard to concentrate: Here are a few tips to help  Adjust your schedule to a lighter workload  Lower your expectations on the amount of work you can do  Understand the amount of energy and time it takes to stop smoking

CONCLUSION: Smoking is addictive but by quitting your life will be improved as well as the lives of those around you. You’re life time will increase significantly along with your health. By using a plan that works for you, you can make progress, track you’re progress, and if you stick with it eventually quit smoking completely. The alternatives like nicotine patches do help but the best policy is to just quit!

REFERENCES: Sander L. Gilman and Xun Zhou, "Introduction" in Smoke: A Global History of Smoking; p. 26 Rabinoff, Michael. Ending The Tobacco Holocaust. 1st ed. Santa Rosa, CA: Elite books, 2006.Print. Healton, Cheryl. Smoking Risk, Perceptions, & Policy. 1 st ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Print. "Center For Disease Control And Prevention." CDC 24/7 Saving Lives. Protecting People. N.p., 05 Jun Web. 23 Jul "Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults — United States, 2011." Center for Disease Control Prevention. (2012): Web. 23 Jul