In most countries, nicotine addiction is common because it is legal and societally accepted. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco kills up to half its users. New and relevant research shows the health concerns smoking poses and how addictive smoking can be.
Signs that may reveal you have a smoking addiction include:
- You smoke despite health conditions or sickness
- You find it difficult to not smoke in places where smoking is prohibited
- When and where smoking is prohibited, you use chewing tobacco or nicotine pouches instead
- Despite your family or friends’ pleas, you are unable to quit smoking
- You experience physical and emotional reactions when attempting to quit smoking (i.e., irritability, restlessness, anxiety, depression, headaches, weight gain, etc.)
Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Smoking Cessation
Talking to your primary care doctor can give you guidance on how to quit. Consider asking questions such as:
- What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
- What are the available smoking cessation aids (i.e. prescription medication, behavioral therapies, over-the-counter options, etc)?
- What are withdrawal symptoms like?
- How can I manage my symptoms?
- What are the risks of vaping or e-cigarettes?
Quitting smoking is a significant step towards improving your overall health, and your healthcare provider can play a role in helping you succeed.
Strategies to Quit Smoking And Ways To Support Yourself
Smoking withdrawal symptoms are not physically dangerous to your health. Your cravings will likely come in waves, but they will fade out if you resist the urge.
There are many strategies that you can utilize to help you manage your withdrawal symptoms and quit smoking for good:
- Distract yourself—replace your instinctive reflex to reach for a cigarette by actively choosing something else like going for a walk, working out, calling a friend or doing chores around the house.
- Use over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies—gum, patches or lozenges
- Manage your stress
- Stay busy
- Limit your alcohol intake
- Utilize relaxation techniques like yoga, mindfulness and breathwork to help relieve anxiety and stress
Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation
While quitting smoking can help your breath smell better and allow you to save money, one of the most important benefits are the health benefits. Some of these will be noticeable right away and some will improve your health over time, reducing your risk of serious disease.
- Your blood pressure and heart rate drop within the first day of quitting.
- You will see gradual changes in your teeth, gums and skin.
- Your circulation improves within 1-12 months, and you can tolerate more exercise.
- Your coughing and shortness of breath decrease, and your lungs can breathe clearly within 12 months.
- Within 3-6 years, your risk of heart disease decreases to that of a non-smoker.
- Your risk of certain cancers and stroke drops by 50% after 5-10 years.
Finding the right motivation, whether internal or external, to quit smoking is essential to real change. Everybody’s motivation differs from person to person, whether it’s the smoking bans at work or home, the high cost of cigarettes, or health concerns and pregnancy. Find what motivates you most and keep it at the forefront of your mind as you navigate triggers.
Resources for Smoking Cessation
In addition to over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies, behavioral counseling through private therapy or outpatient programs can help garner motivation and change your mindset about quitting nicotine. The therapies used in these programs include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help teach you coping skills and relapse prevention techniques as you navigate the stressful moments where you would typically be tempted to reach for a cigarette.
- Mindfulness can teach you to detach and observe your cravings and thoughts surrounding smoking. Being mindful of your emotions can help you reframe your thoughts and tolerate them more often.
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation may be able to treat addictions by non-invasively stimulating neural activity in the brain over the course of several weeks.
If you’re struggling to quit smoking on your own or with the help of a therapist, you can attend outpatient or inpatient rehab where you will have the dedicated time and space to focus on yourself and your healing. Often, people who are addicted to smoking may also have co-occurring disorders that present their own unique challenges. Fortunately, there are many rehabs that can address and treat each condition.
That’s why, to truly give up something as seemingly trivial as smoking, rehabilitation may be required. Whether you attend a centre in the United Kingdom , the United States or even in a country as far away as Thailand , treatment providers can help you quit smoking and quit for good.
How To Help A Loved One With Smoking Cessation
Quitting smoking can be tough, but having support from a loved one can be crucial in their success. Some of the best ways to encourage your loved one as they quit smoking are:
- Start a conversation about why they want to quit
- Ask what you can do to help
- Offer distractions by suggesting smoke-free activities
- Recognize and celebrate their progress