Smoking Cessation

Tobacco use is the most common preventable cause of death. About half of the people who don't quit smoking will die of smoking-related problems. Quitting smoking is important for your health and provides many benefits. Soon after you quit, your circulation begins to improve, and your blood pressure starts to return to normal. Your sense of smell and taste return and breathing starts to become easier. In the long term, giving up tobacco can help you live longer. Your risk of getting cancer decreases with each year you stay smoke-free.

Quitting is not easy. You may have short-term effects such as weight gain, irritability and anxiety. Some people try several times before succeeding. There are many ways to quit smoking. Some people stop "cold turkey." Others benefit from step-by-step manuals, counseling or medicines or products that help reduce nicotine addiction. Your health care provider can help you find the best way for you to quit.

National Cancer Institute

Smoking Cessation on Wikipedia

'''Smoking cessation''' is the effort to stop tobacco smoking tobacco products. With nicotine an addictive substance, many people find it hard to stop smoking without help. Various approaches are available, both psychological and pharmacological, although success rates are relatively low.

Outline

The prevalent view is that smoking is not safe for anybody, and that every smoker should be encouraged to stop. The cited benefits are decreased expenses, generally feeling better and a decreased risk of smoking-related diseases. The main efficacy is to be expected from psychological support, group therapy or Cognitive therapy. Pharmacological means (i.e. medication) is adjunctive to these approaches, and medication without psychological support is generally discouraged. Furthermore, some of the medical therapies are themselves addictive and potentially dangerous. Predictive measures of success are a serious commitment to smoking cessation and regular follow-up. After succesfully stopping tobacco smoking, quitters are advised to consider ways they should change their lifestyle to improve their chances of not restarting, especially under stressful circumstances. Although a significant proportion is successful, many fail several times. A small proportion is unable to quit, even in the face of serious smoking-related disease in themselves or close family members or friends. Nevertheless, incorrigible smokers are encouraged to keep on trying.

Statistics

No smoking cessation methods have consistently achieved better than a 25% quit rate after six months. About 1.5%–3% of smokers manage to quit each year without support from health services. Enrollment into the placebo arm of medical trial and receiving a minimum level of counselling increases this rate to about 5%–10% after one year, partly reflecting participants' motivation.

Methods

Screening

Health professionals may follow the "five A's" ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

The Self-Worth Series - A five part series on self-worth enhancement and its important role in weight-loss, career success, smoking cessation, relaxation and general quality of life.

Individualized Hypnosis Tapes - Series of tapes for sexual dysfunctions, hypnobirthing, smoking cessation, and chronic pain. As well as tapes on how to hypnotize and past life regression.

SMART - Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques - Hypnotic and subliminal-message tapes by Dr. Jayne Helle on many facets of weight loss, smoking and addiction cessation, and stress management.

Theta Wave Products - Programs to supplement medical and psychiatric treatment for insomnia, smoking cessation, weight loss, and sports enhancement.

Stop Smoking Recovery Programs - Quit smoking program, including books, tapes, and videos, videos with closed-captioning for the hearing impaired, cessation treatment, sobriety. No effectiveness measurements presented.

Therapy Store Smoking Cessation Program - Stop smoking program uses Lifesign product to help users to quit smoking, chewing or dipping nicotine products.

Changeworks - NLP book reviews, articles, techniques, general training and personal consultation for weight control and smoking cessation.

Connecticut NLP Training and Life Coaching Center - NLP Practitioner and Master Practitioner Certification Courses, Smoking Cessation, Weight Loss, Sales and NLP in Business seminars; Life Coaching; Seminars to make lasting changes in your life, in your relationships and in your behavior.

QuitSmoking - Offers smoking cessation aids. Contains program overview, commission rates and application form.

Center for Internal Change - Offers a variety of therapies for pain management, smoking cessation, weight loss, stress management, panic attacks, anxiety, depression, phobias, ADD, anger.

Related Pages on HealthTales.com:

Smoking
Smoking and Youth

Smoking Cessation