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Steps on how to quit smoking in the new year

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HEALTH, MIND & BODY

Quitting a bad habit takes a lot of willpower and consistency. A popular New Year's resolution that might be on several people's list this year is to quit smoking.

Mary West Piowaty, respiratory care practitioner for Banner Lassen Medical Center, said there are five keys for quitting smoking: get ready, get support, learn new skills and behaviors, get medication (if desired) and use it correctly, and be prepared for relapse or difficult situations.

"Public health experts issued new guidelines on smoking cessation, and one of their main conclusions is that smoking really needs to be treated as a chronic condition, like diabetes or asthma," said Piowaty. Here are some of those guidelines.

Get ready

Set a quit date.

Change your environment.

Get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car and place of work.

Don't let people smoke in your home.

Review your past attempts to quit. Think about what worked and what did not.

Once you quit, don't smoke--not even a puff!

Get support

Studies have shown you have a better chance of being successful if you have help. You can get support in many ways:

Tell your family, friends and coworkers you are going to quit and want their support.

Talk to your healthcare providers.

Get individual, group or telephone counseling. The more counseling you have, the better your chances of quitting. Programs are given at local hospitals and health centers.

Learn new skills

Try to distract yourself from urges to smoke. Talk to someone, go for a walk or get busy with a task.

When you first try to quit, change your routine.

Do something to reduce your stress. Take a hot bath, exercise, read a book or deep breathe through the urges.

Plan something to do every day and reward yourself

Drink plenty of water and other fluids.

Have alternatives or substitutes for smoking when available (sugarless gum, hard can dy, raw vegetables, fruit, etc.)

Be prepared

Here are some difficult situations to watch for:

Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol. Drinking lowers your chances of success.

Other smokers. Being around smoking can make you want to smoke.

Bad mood or depression. Remember there are a lot of ways to improve your mood other than smoking.

It often takes repeated efforts to get results, but help is out there and you can break the habit.

For more information taking the steps to quit smoking, call BLMC at 252-2000 or a local healthcare provider.



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© 2010 The Chester Progressive Chester, California. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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