Happy smoke-free New Year!
January 8th 2011 20:47
Contributed by Jayne Munoz, director of cardiopulmonary in the Respiratory Department at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.
Question: My New Year's resolution was to quit smoking. What are some suggestions that can help me follow my resolution?
Answer: Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking. Quitting may be one of the hardest things you ever do, but the results will be well worth your effort.
Once you quit smoking, you will feel better and your body will thank you. According to the American Cancer Society, your circulation improves and your lung function increases in as little as two weeks to three months after you quit. Coughing and shortness of breath decrease in one to nine months. Best of all, just one year after you quit smoking, your risk of coronary heart disease will be half of someone's who smokes.
While the improvement in your health is strong motivation, the following strategies can help you stop smoking permanently:
- Talk to your doctor, family and friends to develop a network of support to help you quit.
- Set a firm date of when you will quit.
- Call a help line when in need.
- Try nicotine replacements such as nicotine gum, patches and lozenges.
- Ask your doctor if a prescription nicotine nasal spray or a nicotine inhaler is right for you.
- Find ways to cope with situations without using tobacco. A support group or smoking cessation program can help you break the habit of smoking.
- Stay away from cigarettes completely. Do not keep cigarettes within reach and do not socialize with people while they are smoking.
Quitting tobacco is a lifestyle change that can help improve your health. Millions of people have quit; you can be one of them.
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Comment by Lester Caudill
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Thanksgiving is my anniversary date. I am smoke free six years and counting.
Comment by katyzzz
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