Those who use all of the resources available have the best chances of breaking the nicotine habit

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

You're a committed, dedicated smoker or chewer of tobacco, but deep down, you really wish you could quit. You can. It might be the toughest thing you've ever done in your life, but whether you've been using tobacco for one year or 50, you can go tobacco-free.

Enlarge Photo

Cigarettes may be more addictive than heroin, say experts, but there is help for those who want to stop.

"People with the highest success rates in tobacco cessation are the ones who use all the resources available to them," says Patricia MacNevin. "That includes some kind of counselling, support from family and friends, and some type of pharmaceutical aide."

Patricia is the Manager of the NB Smokers' Help Line and the Anti-Tobacco Coalition's Cessation Network. She is fervently committed to the cause of reducing tobacco dependancy, and understands the processes of both addiction and cessation.

"It takes four to six seconds," she explains, "for nicotine to hit the receptors in your brain that are demanding their next fix, compared to sixteen to twenty seconds for heroin. Nicotine is more difficult to quit than heroin is, I've been told by addicts of both."

The decision to quit is made for many reasons. Fear of the many life-threatening diseases associated with tobacco use is one of the biggest. Or it may be a family decision, such as the birth of a child, or simply the desire to feel more healthy. Whatever the reason, the key is to seek help. Almost no one does this on their own.

"And you start feeling better almost right away," Patricia says. "Two weeks to three months after quitting, your lung function starts to be normal. Your heart rate lowers almost right away. Food tastes better.

"And even in older people who have smoked all their lives, five years after quitting the risk of stroke is reduced to that of a non-smoker, and after ten years the odds of dying from lung disease is half that of non-smokers."

There are a few basic tips to help the cessation process. First, get in touch with a counsellor. That could be a doctor or other health practitioner, or the Smokers' Help Line. Explain to friends and family that you'll need positive support, not hectoring or lectures. Choose, with help, the quitting aid that is right for you. And, at least at the beginning, avoid caffeine.

"Another helpful thing to do is to figure what trigger your tobacco use," Patricia goes on. "Maybe you smoke when you drive, or while you're watching TV, or when you're worried, or happy. Try to change the pattern. Do something else in place of using tobacco."

The old saw about unwelcome weight gain being caused by tobacco cessation may be true, as your metabolism changes during the process. However, many people replace tobacco products with high-calorie snacks like chocolate or chips. Try low-calorie substitutes, and if you still gain weight, deal with that problem when the nicotine problem is under control.

"Whatever you do, quit," Patricia emphasizes. "It's worth it."

For information and help on tobacco cessation, you can go to any Regional Health Authority or Community Health Centre. The Government of Canada has a lot of good advice at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/quite-cesser/index-eng.php.

The NB Smokers' Help Line is manned Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 1-877-513-5333.