Quitting The Smoking Habit

If you've made a resolution to quit smoking or if you are  a smoker you can quit the habit in 2013.

Quitting smoking, at any time has tremendous health benefits, but the younger you are when you quit the greater they are.

Quitting has immediate and long-term effects, the longer you stay quit the greater the effects.

Why Quit
Tobacco is a major health risk factor for non-communicable diseases and a big public health concern.

Almost 6 million people die each year due to smoking and 600,000 who are not smokers die from second-hand smoke.

Smoking delays or prevents recovery from unavoidable illnesses.

Quitting will prevent premature deaths from cancer, heart.attacks and strokes.

Quitting before starting a family will protect the unborn child will insure a healthy one.

Quitting is not easy, those who quit may face challenges that will prevent them from remaining tobacco free.

Quitting.
Many people quit cold-turkey, but many return to the habit. There is more help for smokers who want to quit than any other habit.
When you decide to quit ask for support, tell your spouse or other family members.

If you decide to go cold-turkey, start by cutting down on the number of cigarettes and by delaying the first cigarette until later in the day.

Many people suffer from withdrawal symptoms, they only last a few weeks. There are medications that relieve symptoms and block cravings.

Weight gain is one side effect of quitting, but this can be remedied by a simple weight control strategy.

Counseling combined with medication doubles the chances of success: although each on its own can be used.

Online and local self-help programs offer help, many are free. Checking your local community or health department could give you access to free help.

Text messaging is an alternative to traditional counseling, it is a new form of  mobile health(mHealth) that delivers messages at a time when behavour change is necessary.

If you don't succeed at the first attempt, don't give up. There is a lot of help, try another until you succeed.

Tips for Success

• Identify the situations, events or activities that make you want to smoke and write them down
• Avoid those situations that cause you to smoke
• Hang out with non-smokers
• Tell  your friends who smoke the reason why you can't hang out with them.
• Don't sit for long periods when you can smoke, be physically active instead.

When you succeed you can help others and advocate for smoking cessation initiatives.

There is a Consumer Health Education program that prepares people to quit, it combines healthy eating and weight loss with a strategy to quit.  For those concerned about weight gain it could be the answer.

Click here to read about it.