Start Spring Fresh: 6 Tips to Quit Tobacco
As the days begin to get longer, flowers start to bloom and many begin spring cleaning, the American Lung Association in Iowa encourages people who use tobacco to quit to start spring fresh.
The Lung Association offers six tips to quit smoking:
- It's never too late to quit: While it's best to quit smoking as early as possible, quitting smoking at any age will enhance the length and quality of your life. You'll also save money and avoid the hassle of going outside in the cold to smoke. You can even inspire those around you to quit smoking!
- Learn from past experiences: Most people who smoke have tried to quit before and sometimes they get discouraged thinking about previous attempts. But these experiences tell us a lot about what to do and what not to do next time! In fact, it takes the average tobacco user 11 attempts to quit for good. Think about what worked for you last time, what didn't work and what you might do differently this time.
- You don't have to quit alone: Telling friends and family that you're trying to quit and enlisting their support will help ease the process. Expert help is available from the Lung Association and other groups. Friends who also smoke may even join you in trying to quit!
- Stress management is key: Many smokers smoke to manage stress, distress, and negative emotions. Being prepared with other ways to manage these feelings can be difficult and takes a lot of practice.
- Medications are safe and effective and will help you quit and stay quit when used properly: The seven FDA-approved medications include nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhaler, and nasal spray as well as varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban). Ask your healthcare provider for recommendations. The medications help with withdrawal symptoms, urges and cravings, but do not help with the habit or with managing stress or negative emotions. Many people don't use the medications correctly or don't use them long enough or expect the medication to replace all that smoking used to do for us. Be sure to follow the directions and combine medications with other tools for quitting.
- Use Free Resources Available in Iowa: When you are ready, Quitine Iowa is available to help you on your tobacco-free journey.
Quitline Iowa is a free service with a team of coaches trained to safely guide people down the path to success. Quitline Iowa pairs tobacco users with a Quit Coach® to help them develop an individualized quitting plan and determine how to best help them stay tobacco-free. A Quit Coach® also helps by:
- Preparing participants for their quit date
- Providing tips and support to live in a smoke-free environment
- Offering advice and information on medications that may help with withdrawal symptoms