Green Living

How to Quit Smoking

"Quit smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times."

You are convinced that smoking is bad for you. You've called the anti-smoking hotline. You've drafted a quit plan and set a quit date. You even threw away your lighter and ashtray. Yet now you are back to square one.

Everybody got to die of something. You start telling yourself and your friends that life is not worth living without cigarettes.

The truth is that nicotine has taken over your mind. The cigarette habit has also taken over your life. Quitting is difficult because smoking has become linked with nearly everything you do - waking up in the morning, eating, reading, watching TV, under stress, feeling upset and having fun.

"withdrawal symptoms" make quitting much more difficult

The mental part of quitting would not be so difficult if the individual is not experiencing "withdrawal symptoms". Like morphine, nicotine is a powerful addictive drug. After years of exposure to the chemical, your brain cells are studded with nicotine receptors. These receptors are craving for nicotine. (Receptors are a kind of protein that is shaped to receive a specific molecule, like a lock and key mechanism.)

Smokers would suffer from withdrawal symptoms when nicotine receptors on their brain cells are deprived of nicotine. Symptoms such as nervousness, headaches, irritability, difficulty in concentration and sleepiness are often not recognized by smokers as caused by nicotine withdrawal. They start within a few hours of the last cigarette, peaking in 2 to 3 days, and can last for weeks or months, during which the individual would develop craving behavior to seek relief for the symptoms, and find excuses for an "occasional" mischief. Most relapses occur within the first 3 months of quitting, which coincide the time when the patient is haunted by symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Chance of success by medications

Scientists have shown that medications can double the chance of success in smoke cessation attempts. In nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), doctors prescribe nicotine in the form of a chewing gum or a skin patch. Newer preparations are also available in the form of an inhaler spray. The patch provides a relatively stable level of nicotine over a period of 16 or 24 hours. Gums and inhalers have a more rapid onset and a shorter duration of action, allowing the user to adjust the dose of nicotine.

Some doctors may prefer non-nicotine preparations. Bupropion (Zyban) is a prescription antidepressant in an extended-release form that can reduce symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. There are preliminary results that combination pharmacotherapy may further improve the odds.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in America is of the opinion that smoking is more than a nasty habit. Physicians should treat tobacco dependence as a chronic disease. Many experts think that tobacco dependence, like hypertension or hyperlipidemia, is a medical condition that requires long-term management. A recent article in the American Family Physician recommends drug treatment for smokers who are willing to attempt cessation, unless medical contraindications exist.

Be patient

If you have failed a few times, you are not alone. Studies show that most smokers need four or five attempts before smoking cessation is successful. You should look upon the recent relapse as an opportunity to learn what went wrong, and as a step towards final abstinence. Ask yourself who, what, when, why and how you have failed. Write down the answers and think of ways to deal with them in the next quitting plan. Call your doctor for an appointment and discuss how he can help. Studies have shown that as brief as a five-minute advice on smoking cessation by the physician can increase cessation rates.

Source: Quality HealthCare