Quitting Smoking- Set Up for SUCCESS!

The Surgeon General's report on smoking in young adults has spurred me to blog sequentially about quitting smoking. Yesterday, I talked about "7 Ways to leave your Cigarettes" Talking with your doctor is a great first step, but don't underestimate how important setting yourself up for success can be! Include as many of your friends and family in on your plan- the more, the better! Including one teenage child counts double, by the way- they are usually the toughest on their parents! What can you do?

1. PUBLICIZE your QUIT DATE. Believe me, your friends & family will love to ask you how you are doing and lavish praise on you- but they have to KNOW about it!

2. Stock up on healthy, crunchy, orally-gratifying snacks. Carrots, apples, popcorn, pretzels- all are good choices.

3. Super-sour hard candy- sucking on these (instead of nicotine) seems to really help curb cigarette cravings.

4. CLEAN- your house, your CAR, and your clothes- splurge on someone else to come in and deep clean. Your sense of smell heightens along with your taste buds when you quit smoking, and the positive feedback from the clean, fresh smells are a wonderful reinforcement.

5. MONEY- a clear jar works great to show off money growing daily! Place the money you would have spent on packs of cigarettes into the jar each day, and decide what "splurge" you will reward yourself with each month!

BOTTOM LINE: Just as SMOKING is usually a social activity, QUITTING SMOKING will be far more successful if you involve your friends & family, so set yourself up for SUCCESS!

7 Ways to Leave Your Cigarettes

SEVEN seems to be the magic number for habits of successful people, right? SO...smokers, step on up to the SEVEN choices to help with QUITTING SMOKING! QUITTING SMOKING is the single most important thing you can do to improve your health. In alphabetical order, here they are:

1. Bupropion SR (Wellbutrin SR)- this is an antidepressant that works via unknown mechanisms to decrease your desire for smoking; you start it a week or two before your quit date, and it significantly shuts down that craving for a cigarette.
Common side effects- insomnia and dry mouth.
2. NIcotine gum- do NOT chomp it like regular gum! It's chew, chew, stash it.
3. Nicotine inhaler- used every hour or two during the day; may cause throat/mouth irritation and cough
4. Nicotine nasal spray- 2-4 sprays per waking hour as needed; may cause local irritation in nose and throat
5. Nicotine patch (now OTC, but ask your doctor which dose)- may cause skin irritation; remove at night so no sleep issues
6. Nicotine lozenge- may cause mouth soreness and nausea
7. Varenicline (Zyban)- blocks nicotinic receptors and sharply decreases cravings; Common side effects: very vivid dreams and nausea.

Are they expensive? Puh-lease! Are cigarettes expensive? YES! These aids are money well spent, and will pretty much equal what you are already spending on your habit.

BOTTOM LINE: If you think you've tried everything to quit, double check the list and head to your doctor for a new cessation aid!