Nip It in the Bud

Your Quit Smoking Guide

Ready to kick the habit? Or thinking about it?
Here’s why giving up cigarettes is one of the healthiest things
you can do, plus smart, effective ways to make it happen.

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 01

Contents
03
Expert Tip
There's No Time Like the Present
7 important reasons to quit You’re committed to
kicking the habit and
eager to get going.
Congratulations! But
05 unless you’re among
Choose Your Method a minority of people
Take your pick from proven ways to who can snuff out
that last cigarette and
stop smoking
never look back, you’ll
want to find a time to
begin the process of
06 quitting smoking by
Your First Week as a picking a smart start
Non-Smoker date. Obviously, the
sooner the better. But
Survival strategies for the
to set up for success:
first seven days
1. Don’t try to break
any habit when
08 you’re under
stress—you have
Dealing With Withdrawal big event such as
Outsmart symptoms with these mental a wedding or final
maneuvers exams coming up
or have recently
experienced a
traumatic event.
09
Stress-Busters 2. Pick a meaningful

for Ex-Smokers date to quit

smoking such as
Here are some tried-and-true your birthday or a
alternatives to smoking for child’s birthday,
coping with stress New Year’s Day,
etc.

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 02

There's No Time
Like the Present
So you're ready to finally quit smoking? Opening
this guide is a great first step. Let's get you ready
to kick the habit.

Did you know you will see health Improved Lung Function
improvements just 24 hours after you Although scarring of the lungs caused by
quit? Here are some of the amazing smoking can’t be reversed, quitting can
benefits quitting can offer. stop further damage in its tracks. Lung
function improves only after a few months
Healthier Heart of smoking cessation.
By the time you reach the one-year
anniversary of going smoke-free, your Lower Risk of Cancer
risk of heart disease drops to half that of Not just lung cancer, but breast cancer,
people who still smoke. oral cancer (of the mouth or tongue, for
instance), cancer of the neck and throat.

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 03

Better Looking Skin
There’s research to show that when
Countdown to Better
people stop smoking, their skin
Health
becomes smoother, brighter, and more Within minutes your body will begin
elastic. Smoking can amp up aging to respond to the absence of smoke
of skin too: Quitting can help keep and nicotine. Here’s a snapshot of
wrinkles at bay. what happens during the first four
weeks of being smoke-free:
Flatter Belly
According to the National Institutes of 20 minutes after quitting:
Health website smokefree.gov, when • Blood pressure decreses
you stop smoking you reduce fat in your • pulse rate drops
abdominal area. This lowers your risk of
diabetes or, if you already have diabetes, 8 hours after quitting:
will make it easier to keep your blood • Carbon monoxide level in
sugar levels normal. blood drops to normal
• oxygen level in blood
Improved Sex Life increases to normal

Smoking has been linked to erectile

dysfunction. Quitting can help you 24 hours after quitting:
regain your libido. If you’re a woman • Chance of a heart attach
decreses
who’d like to have children some day,
note that smoking can lower your
estrogen levels; kick the habit and 48 hours after quitting:
you’ll increase your chances of getting • Nerve endings start to
pregnant when you’re ready. regrow
• Ability to smell and taste
Less Physical Discomfort Overall improves

The chemicals in cigarette smoke may

be affecting you in ways you aren’t
aware of. When you quit, you may
notice bonus health benefits—fewer
headaches, an end to chronic sinus
irritation and quicker wound healing,
thanks to a stronger immune system,
and more energy.
80 out of 100 people
who stay smoke-free for
two years never smoke
again.

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 04

Choose Your Can E-Cigarettes
Help You Stop
Method Smoking?
The short answer
You don’t have to just up and quit. There are lots of is, no. According to
ways to make the process as comfortable as possible. the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration,
electronic cigarettes
Nicotine Replacement smoking aid, consider
and other electronic
Therapies trying one of these
nicotine delivery
These provide measured methods. They can be
systems (ENDS) are
and increasingly smaller used in conjunction with
considered tobacco
doses of nicotine to allow medication as well. products, just as
a gradual withdrawal from traditional paper
it. This way you won’t feel Hypnosis smokes are. They
the symptoms of nicotine This is a method of aren’t approved as quit
withdrawal as strongly treatment in which a smoking aids and may
as you might otherwise. trained clinician puts even be a gateway to
These could be in the you into an altered state other types of addictive
form of patches, lozenges, of mind that makes you substances, particularly
and gum. susceptible to suggestion. for teens and other
It can be used to help you young people.
Nicotine-Free Quit deal with symptoms of
Smoking Aids nicotine withdrawal as
Zyban can be prescribed you stop smoking.
for seven weeks,
beginning while a person Acupuncture
is still smoking. Chantix Acupuncture uses
can be prescribed for extremely-thin needles
12 weeks, helping ease placed at specific spots
nicotine withdrawal. in the skin to treat pain
or disease. According
Alternative Remedies to the Cleveland Clinic,
If you can’t tolerate acupuncture needles
any of the drugs used typically are placed at
for smoking cessation pressure points near the
or you’d simply like to ears to aid in smoking
try giving up cigarettes cessation.
without the help of a quit

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 05

Get Off to a Smart
Start: Your First Week
as a Non-Smoker
The first week after you quit smoking can feel
like a roller coaster—and not in a fun way. Both
your body and mind are being denied something
they're used to, which can create a variety of
uncomfortable symptoms.

Why Are You Feeling So Lousy? Take a Multivitamin

In a word (or two): withdrawal. Smoking depletes the body of nutrients,
Physically, your body is reacting to the so talk to your doctor about finding a
absence of nicotine and other chemicals multivitamin that makes sense for you
in cigarettes that you’ve inhaling on a if you don’t already take one. Combined
regular basis. When the supply gets cut with a healthy diet, this may help you
off, you can expect to feel the effects of combat fatigue that occurs during
that. nicotine withdrawal.

Flu-like symptoms are common during Walk It Off

the first couple of weeks of smoking Exercise releases endorphins and other
cessation. Here are some ways to feel-good hormones that can help to beat
minimize the effects of physical and back the urge to light up and boost your
mental withdrawal from nicotine. mood. Even a 15-minute walk around the
block once or twice a day can help you
Eat a Well-Balanced Diet feel refreshed and relaxed.
Your body is working to get rid of toxins
during the withdrawal process. That
takes energy so it’s important to fill up
on high-quality fuel—fresh fruits and
vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins—
rather than junk food. Don’t skip meals
either: Doing so can lead to low blood
sugar levels, which may trigger the urge
to smoke and/or snack. Aim to have three
larger or five smaller meals per day.

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 06

Stay Hydrated
Water and other healthy beverages will flush residual Coping With
toxins from smoking out of your body and help you deal
a Cough
with withdrawal symptoms more easily. Besides H2O,
try herbal teas or low- or no-sugar fruit juices, but Some people
keep soft drinks, caffeine, and alcohol to a minimum. develop a cough
Caffeine and alcohol can negatively affect your mood when they first
and they are often associated with times when you give up cigarettes.
would light up a cigarette, so they can increase the urge This is because
to smoke. smoke damages the
thousands of hair-
Celebrate Your Successes like projections in
Come up with a list of small gifts that you can give the lungs called
yourself every day you don't smoke, like taking a hot cilia. When the cilia
bath, buying a new candle, reading a fun magazine, or are no longer being
having someone else in the family cook dinner. Small bombarded by smoke,
daily rewards will boost your spirits and fortify your they start to function
resolve to keep the quit. again. A cough caused
by smoking cessation
Change Up Your Routine may last a few
Often smoking is directly related to certain daily months.
activities. As much as you can, alter your regular routine
You can ease you
to eliminate those situations that you associate with
cough by:
smoking. This might mean spending your lunch break
• Staying hydrated
somewhere besides outside your office with co-workers
who still smoke. • Using a humidifier
• Eating honey
Get More Sleep
In the early stages of smoking cessation, your body and
your mind are stressed and that can be exhausting. If
you need to go to bed a bit earlier in the beginning, until
your energy levels get back to normal—and they will—
factor that into your daily schedule and enjoy the extra
pillow time.
Note: See your doctor if
Z your cough doesn’t go
Z away after two months or
so and you have trouble
catching your breath, you
start to wheeze, or you
cough up blood.

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 07

Dealing With
Withdrawal
It won’t last long, but nicotine withdrawal can
be intense. Here are some tips for making it
manageable.

Remember Why You're Quitting a very long time, smoking has become a
Whatever prompted you to kick the part of who you are and so under certain
cigarette habit—from lowering your risk conditions you may experience powerful
of heart disease to getting your significant urges to smoke that can make you feel
other to kiss you again—write it all down. like you're once again having physical
Make a list on paper and as a note on your withdrawal. The same strategies that got
smartphone. Carry it with you, adding to you through that first week—physical
it as more reasons pop into your mind. activity, eating well, getting plenty of
Read it often. Your list is a valuable tool to sleep, and so on—can help you now as
help you overcome the urge to smoke. well.

Recognize When You Rationalize Don’t Go It Alone

Chances are, you’ll have thoughts of You’re most likely to quit smoking
smoking just one cigarette more than permanently if you people to lean on.
once as you go through the early days of Friends and family can be helpful, but
nicotine withdrawal. Your mind will turn they may not understand what you’re
itself inside out trying to convince you going through if they’ve never smoked.
that you must smoke again. Be prepared To find folks who will, look for an online
for this mental chatter, know that it’s smoking cessation support forum or go to
part of the process, and don’t let it throw smokefree.gov to find a helpline you can
you. If you’re like most people, the worst call.
of it will be over by the end of your first
smoke-free month.
Only 5 percent of those
Turn Away From Triggers who quit smoking without
Even after you no longer have nicotine support of some kind are still
in your system and physical cravings are
smoke-free at the end of their
gone, you may have to deal with mental
triggers. Especially if you’ve smoked for
first year.

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 08

Stress-Busters for
Ex-Smokers
There’s a very good chance that even if it wasn’t the
reason you lit up in the first place, stress relief is one of
the reasons you kept smoking—and could be a reason
you may be tempted to start again.

Turn Your Bathroom Into a Spa be a real place, such as your favorite
Run a warm bath, toss in some scented vacation spot, or somewhere you’ve seen
bath salts, light some candles, and soak, photos of, but make it yours.
or take a nice long shower. Follow up by
giving yourself a manicure, pedicure, or Take a Deep Breath
some other self-care activity. Breathe in through your nose for a count
of three and exhale through your mouth
Enjoy a Massage for a count of three. Repeat this for a few
We tend to hold tension in our muscles, minutes until you notice that the tension
so anything you can do to counter that in your body has melted away.
should help you feel less stressed. If
you can get a full body massage by a Smile!
professional, great, but enlisting your Look in a mirror and treat yourself to the
partner to spend 10 or 15 minutes rubbing biggest, happiest grin you can muster.
and squeezing your neck, shoulders, face, Even if you aren’t feeling so happy, this
and scalp can work wonders as well. will release endorphins that will help
you feel good. And besides, since you’ve
Take a Mental Break managed to quit smoking, you really do
Close your eyes and picture a location have something to smile about.
where you feel calm and relaxed. It could

YOUR QUIT SMOKING GUIDE 09