Tag: quit smoking

Helping a Smoker Quit: Do’s and Don’ts

smoking-1-280x350I quit smoking 30 years ago after my father had his first heart attack at age 50. To quit was not easy but since then I’ve enjoyed good health and saved thousand of dollars not buying cigarettes.

Here are some general hints for friends and family to help a smoker quit:

  • Do respect that the quitter is in charge. This is their lifestyle change and their challenge, not yours.
  • Do ask the person whether they want you to ask regularly how they’re doing. Ask how they’re feeling – not just whether they’ve stayed quit.
  • Do let the person know that it’s OK to talk to you whenever they need to hear encouraging words.
  • Do help the quitter get what they need, such as hard candy to suck on, straws to chew on, and fresh veggies cut up and kept in the refrigerator.
  • Do spend time doing things with the quitter to keep their mind off smoking – go to the movies, take a walk to get past a craving (what many call a “nicotine fit”), or take a bike ride together.
  • Do try to see it from the smoker’s point of view – a smoker’s habit may feel like an old friend that’s always been there when times were tough. It’s hard to give that up.
  • Do make your home smoke free, meaning that no one can smoke in any part of the house.
  • Do remove all lighters and ash trays from your home. Remove anything that reminds them of smoking
  • Do wash clothes that smell like smoke. Clean carpets and drapes. Use air fresheners to help get rid of the tobacco smells – and don’t forget the car, too.
  • Do help the quitter with a few chores, some child care, cooking – whatever will help lighten the stress of quitting.
  • Do celebrate along the way. Quitting smoking is a BIG DEAL!
  • Don’t doubt the smoker’s ability to quit. Your faith in them reminds them they can do it.
  • Don’t judge, nag, preach, tease, or scold. This may make the smoker feel worse about him or herself. You don’t want your loved one to turn to a cigarette to soothe hurt feelings.
  • Don’t take the quitter’s grumpiness personally during their nicotine withdrawal. Tell them that you understand the symptoms are real and remind them that they won’t last forever. The symptoms usually get better in about 2 weeks.
  • Don’t offer advice. Just ask how you can help with the plan or program they are using.

via Helping a Smoker Quit: Do’s and Don’ts.

New Cancer Dangers From Smoking Revealed

??????????????????????The list of cancers that you can get from smoking continues to get longer—and the risk for lung cancer today is much greater than it was 50 years ago. Back then, the first word that many smokers heard about cancer came from the first Surgeon General’s Report on smoking and health (Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service), which was released on January 11, 1964.

This year’s 50th anniversary report (The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General) reveals that:

  • Smoking causes colon, rectal, and liver cancer. These add to more than a dozen cancers already known to be caused by smoking, including a type of blood cancer (leukemia).
  • Smokers are more likely to get lung cancer today than in 1964, even though they don’t smoke as many cigarettes. One possible reason is that filters and vent holes in today’s cigarettes may lead smokers to inhale more deeply. This may pull dangerous chemical farther into your lungs.
  • Smoking keeps cancer treatments from working as well as they should for those who continue smoking.

via Real Stories About Smoking’s Harm Hit Home | CDC Features.