Immediate rewards
Within 12 hours after you have your last cigarette, your body will begin to heal itself. The levels of carbon monoxide and nicotine in your system will decline rapidly, and your heart and lungs will begin to repair the damage caused by cigarette smoke.
Within a few days, you'll probably begin to notice some remarkable changes in your body. Your sense of smell and taste may improve. You'll breathe easier, and your smoker's hack will begin to disappear, although you may notice that you still cough for a while. And you'll be free from the mess, smell, inconvenience, expense, and dependence of cigarette smoking.
Immediate effects
As your body begins to repair itself, instead of feeling better right away, you may feel worse for a while. It's important to understand that healing is a process - it begins immediately, but it continues over time. These "withdrawal pangs" are really symptoms of the RECOVERY process (see "Withdrawal Symptoms and Activities That Might Help).
Immediately after quitting, many ex-smokers experience "symptoms of recovery" such as temporary weight gain caused by fluid retention, irregularity, and dry, sore gums or tongue. You may feel edgy, hungry, more tired, and more short-tempered than usual and have trouble sleeping and notice that you're coughing a lot. These symptoms are the result of your body clearing itself of nicotine, a powerful addictive chemical. Most nicotine is gone from the body in 2-3 days.
It's important to understand that the unpleasant after-effects of quitting are only temporary and signal the beginning of a healthier life. Now that you've quit, you've added a number of healthy productive days to each year of your life. Most important, you've greatly improved your chances for a longer life. You've significantly reduced your risk of death from heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and several kinds of cancer - not just lung cancer. (Cigarette smoking is responsible every year for approximately 130,000 deaths from cancer, 170,000 deaths from heart disease, and 50,000 deaths from lung disease.)
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT MIGHT HELP*
SYMPTOM ACTIVITY
Dry mouth; sore throat, Sip ice-cold water or fruit juice, or gums, or tongue chew gum
Headaches Take a warm bath or shower. Try relaxation or meditation techniques.
Trouble sleeping Don't drink coffee, tea, or soda with caffeine after 6:00 p.m. Again, try relaxation or meditation techniques.
Irregularity Add roughage to your diet, such as raw fruit, vegetables, and whole- grain cereals. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day.
Fatigue Take a nap. Try not to push yourself during this time; don't expect too much of your body until it's had a couple of weeks.
Hunger Drink water or low-calorie liquids. Eat low-fat, low-calorie snacks (see Snack Calorie Chart).
Tenseness, irritability Take a walk, soak in a hot tub, try relaxation or meditation techniques.
Coughing Sip warm herbal tea. Suck on cough drops or sugarless hard candy.
*Adapted from "Quitting Times: A Magazine for Women Who Smoke," funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health; prepared by Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia.
QUITTING FOR KEEPS...
Congratulations
Now you're ready to develop a new habit - not smoking. Like any other habit, it takes time to become a part of you; unlike most other habits, though, not smoking will take some conscious effort and practice. This section of the booklet can be a big help. You'll find many techniques to use for developing the nonsmoking habit and holding on to it.
By reading this section of the booklet carefully and reviewing it often, you'll become more aware of the places and situations that prompt the desire for a cigarette. You'll also learn about many nonsmoking ways to deal with the urge to smoke. These are called coping skills. Finally, you'll learn what to do in case you do slip and give in to that urge.
Keep your guard up
The key to living as a nonsmoker is to avoid letting your urges or cravings for a cigarette lead you to smoke. Don't kid yourself - even though you've made a commitment not to smoke, you WILL sometimes be tempted. But instead of giving in to the urge, you can use it as a learning experience.
First, remind yourself that you've QUIT and you're a NONsmoker. Then, look closely at your urge to smoke and ask yourself:
Where was I when I got the urge?
What was I doing at the time?
Whom was I with?
What was I thinking?
The urge to smoke after you've quit often hits at predictable times. The trick is to anticipate those times and find ways to cope with them - without smoking. Naturally, it won't be easy at first. In fact, you may continue to want a cigarette at times. But remember, even if you slip, it doesn't mean an end to the nonsmoking you. It does mean that you should try to identify what triggered your slip, strengthen your commitment to quitting, and try again.
Look at the following list of typical triggers. Does any of them ring a bell with you? Check off those that might trigger an urge to smoke, and add any others you can think of:
Working under pressure
Feeling blue
Talking on the telephone
Having a drink
Watching television
Driving your car
Finishing a meal
Playing cards
Drinking coffee
Watching someone else smoke
If you're like many new nonsmokers, the most difficult place to resist the urge to smoke is the most familiar: home. The activities most closely associated with smoking urges are eating, partying, and drinking. And, not surprisingly, most urges occur when a smoker is present.
How to dampen that urge
There are seven major coping skills to help you fight the urge to smoke. These tips are designed for you, the new nonsmoker, to help you nurture the nonsmoking habit.
1. Think about why you quit - Go back to your list of reasons for quitting. Look at this list several times a day - especially when you're hit with an urge to smoke. The best reasons you could have for quitting are very personally yours, and these are also your best reasons for staying a nonsmoker.
2. Know when you're rationalizing - It's easy to rationalize yourself back into smoking (see "Common Rationalizations"). Don't talk yourself into smoking again. A new nonsmoker in a tense situation may think, "I'll just have one cigarette to calm myself down." If thoughts like this pop into your head, stop and think again! You know better ways to relax - nonsmokers' ways, such as taking a walk or doing breathing exercises.
Concern about gaining weight may also lead to rationalizations. Learn to counter thoughts such as "I'd rather be thin, even if it means smoking." Remember that a slight weight gain is not likely to endanger your health as much as smoking would (cigarette smokers have about a 70-percent higher rate of premature death than nonsmokers). And review the list of healthy, low-calorie snacks that you used when quitting.
3. Anticipate triggers and prepare to avoid them - By now you know which situations, people, and feelings are likely to tempt you to smoke. Be prepared to meet these triggers head on and counteract them. Keep using the skills that helped you cope in cutting down and quitting:
Keep your hands busy - doodle, knit, type a letter.
Avoid people who smoke; spend more time with nonsmoking friends.
Find activities that make smoking difficult (gardening, washing the car, taking a shower). Exercise to help knock out that urge; it will help you to feel and look good as well.
Put something other than a cigarette in your mouth. Chew sugarless gum or nibble on a carrot or celery stick.
Avoid places where smoking is permitted. Sit in the nonsmoking section in restaurants, trains, and planes.
Reduce your consumption of alcohol, which often stimulates the desire to smoke. Try to have no more than one or two drinks at a party. Better yet, have a glass of juice, soda, or mineral water with a celery stick to nibble on.
4. Reward yourself for not smoking - Congratulations are in order each time you get through the day without smoking. After a week, give yourself a pat on the back and a reward of some kind. Buy a new record or treat yourself to a movie or concert. No matter how you do it, make sure you reward yourself in some way. It helps to remind yourself that what you're doing is important.
5. Use positive thoughts - If self-defeating thoughts start to creep in, remind yourself again that you're a nonsmoker, that you don't want to smoke, and that you have good reasons for it. Putting yourself down and trying to hold out through willpower alone are not effective coping techniques. Mobilize the power of positive thinking!
6. Use relaxation techniques - Breathing exercises help to reduce tension. Instead of having a cigarette, take a long deep breath, count to 10, and release it. Repeat this five times. See how much more relaxed you feel?
7. Get social support - The commitment to remain a nonsmoker can be made easier by talking about it with friends and relatives. They can congratulate you as you check off another day, week, and month as a nonsmoker. Tell the people close to you that you might be tense for a while, so they know what to expect. They'll be sympathetic when you have an urge to smoke and can be counted on to help you resist it. Remember to call on your friends when you're lonely or you feel an urge to smoke. A buddy system is a great technique.
Not smoking is habit-forming
Good for you! You've made a commitment not to smoke, and by using this booklet, you know what to do if you're tempted to forget that commitment. It's difficult to stay a nonsmoker once you've had a cigarette, so do everything possible to avoid it.
If you follow the advice in this booklet and use at least one coping skill whenever you have an urge to smoke, you will have quit for keeps!
Relapse: If you do smoke again
If you do smoke again - and many successful ex-smokers relapse at least once before they quit for good - here's what to do:
Recognize that you've had a slip. A slip means you've had a SMALL setback and smoked a cigarette or two. But your first cigarette or two didn't make you a smoker to start with, and a small setback doesn't make you a smoker again.
Don't be too hard on yourself. One slip doesn't mean you're a failure or that you can't be a nonsmoker, but it's important to get yourself back on the nonsmoking track IMMEDIATELY.
Identify the trigger: Exactly what was it that prompted you to smoke? Be aware of the trigger and decide NOW about how you'll cope with it when it comes up again.
Know and use the coping skills described above. People who know at least one coping skill are more likely to remain nonsmokers than those who don't know any.
Sign a contract with yourself to remain a nonsmoker.
If you think you need professional help, see your doctor. He or she can provide extra motivation for you to stop smoking. Your doctor also may prescribe nicotine gum as an alternative source of nicotine while you break the habit of smoking.
MARKING PROGRESS...
Each month, on the anniversary of your quit date, plan a special celebration.
Periodically, write down new reasons you're glad you quit, and post these reasons where you'll be sure to see them.
Make a calendar for the first 90 days. Cross off each day and indicate the money you saved by not smoking.
Set other, intermediate target dates, and do something special with the money you've saved.
COMMON RATIONALIZATIONS
Rationalization Response
I'm under a lot of stress, Your body's used to nicotine, so you and smoking relaxes me. naturally feel more relaxed when you give your body a substance it's come to depend on. But nicotine really is a stimulant - it raises your heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline level. Most ex-smokers feel much less nervous just a few weeks after quitting.
Smoking makes me more Trouble concentrating can be a short- effective in my work. term symptom of quitting, but smoking actually deprives your brain of oxygen.
I've already cut down Cutting down is a good first step, to a safe level. but there's a big difference in the benefits to you between smoking a little and not smoking at all. Besides, smokers who cut back often inhale more often and more deeply - negating many of the benefits of cutting back. After you've cut back to about seven cigarettes a day, it's time to set a quit date.
I smoke only safe, low-tar These cigarettes still contain harm- low-nicotine cigarettes. ful substances, and many smokers who use them inhale more often and more deeply to maintain their nicotine intake. Also, carbon monoxide intake often increases with a switch to low-tar cigarettes.
It's too hard to quit. Quitting and staying away from I don't have the willpower. cigarettes is hard, but it's not impossible. More than 3 million Americans quit every year. It's important for you to remember that many people have had to try more than once, and try more than one method, before they became ex-smokers, but they HAVE done it, and so can you.
I'm worried about gaining Most smokers who gain more than weight. 5-10 pounds are eating more. Gaining weight isn't inevitable - there are certain things you can do to help keep your weight stable. (See "Tips To Help You Avoid Weight Gain".)
I don't know what to do That's a common complaint among with my hands. ex-smokers. You can keep your hands busy in other ways - it's just a matter of getting used to the change, of not holding a cigarette. Try holding something else, such as a pencil, paper clip, or marble. Practice simply keeping your hands clasped together. If you're at home, think of all the things you wish you had time to do, make a list, and consult the list for alternatives to smoking whenever your hands feel restless.
Sometimes I have an This is a common feeling, especially almost irresistible urge within the first 1-3 weeks. The to have a cigarette. longer you're off cigarettes, the more your urges probably will come at times when you smoked before, such as when you're drinking coffee or alcohol or are at a cocktail party where other people are smoking. These are high-risk situations, and you can help yourself by avoiding them whenever possible. If you can't avoid them, you can try to visualize in advance how you'll handle the desire for a cigarette if it arises in those situations.
I blew it, I smoked a Smoking one, or even a few, cigarette. cigarettes doesn't mean you've "blown it." It does mean that you have to strengthen your determination to quit, and try again - harder. Don't forget that you got through several days, perhaps even weeks or months, without a cigarette. This shows that you don't need cigarettes and that you CAN be a successful quitter.
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