The Great American SmokeOut - Thursday November 19th, 2015
“Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it a thousand times.” - Mark Twain
Hopefully you’ve read the three part article sent out over the past week. If you are a nicotine user, you may be thinking about quitting. The following is a summary of the articles. If you missed them and would like to read them in their entirety, please find copies of the articles on the Employee Assistance Program website under the Library link. This is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, sponsored by the American Lung Association.
Why is it so hard to quit smoking?
§ Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco, which is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Over time, a person becomes physically dependent on and emotionally addicted to nicotine. The physical dependence causes unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit. The emotional and mental dependence (addiction) make it hard to stay away from nicotine after you quit. Studies have shown that to quit and stay quit, smokers must deal with both the physical and mental dependence.
§ When you inhale smoke, nicotine is carried deep into your lungs. Nicotine inhaled in cigarette smoke reaches the brain faster than drugs that enter the body through a vein (intravenously or IV).
Nicotine affects many parts of your body, including your heart and blood vessels, your hormones, the way your body uses food (your metabolism), and your brain.
§ Nicotine causes pleasant feelings and distracts the smoker from unpleasant feelings. This makes the smoker want to smoke again. It also acts as a kind of depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. Smokers tend to smoke more cigarettes as the nervous system adapts to nicotine. This, in turn, increases the amount of nicotine in the smoker’s blood. It can take 3 to 4 days after quitting to exit your body.
Symptoms of withdrawal can include:
*Dizziness (for 1-2 days after quitting) * Slower heart rate
*Feelings of depression, frustration, impatience, anger, anxiety, irritability
* Sleep disturbances, including trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and bad dreams or nightmares
*Trouble concentrating *Restlessness or boredom *Headaches *Tiredness *Increased appetite
*Weight gain *Constipation and gas *Cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip *Chest tightness
These symptoms can make the smoker start smoking again to boost blood levels of nicotine until the symptoms go away.
Help for Quitters: All fifty states and Washington DC offer some type of free, telephone-based program that link callers with trained counselors. These specialists help plan a quit method that fits each person’s unique smoking pattern. People who use telephone counseling have twice the success rate in quitting smoking as those who don’t get this type of help. Help from a counselor can keep quitters from making many common mistakes. Most health plans offer a similar program. Check with your health insurance.
+Call your American Cancer Society at 1 800 227 2345.
What to look for in a stop-smoking program: Stop-smoking programs are designed to help smokers recognize and cope with problems that come up while quitting. This helps the ex-smoker avoid many of the common pitfalls of quitting.
The programs should also provide support and encouragement in staying quit. Studies have shown that the best programs include either one-on-one or group counseling.
Try to find one that has the following:
· Each session lasts at least 15 to 30 minutes
· There are at least 4 sessions
· The program lasts at least 2 weeks (longer is usually better)
· Make sure the leader of the group is trained in smoking cessation.
Some communities have a Nicotine Anonymous (NicA) group that holds regular meetings. This group applies the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to the addiction of smoking. This includes attending meetings and following the program. People new to NicA may choose a sponsor to help them through the steps and help when they are tempted to smoke.
Setting a quit smoking date and making a plan
Remember that if you’re planning to use a prescription drug, you will need to talk with your doctor about getting it in time for your Quit Day
Prepare for your Quit Day
Here are some steps to help you get ready for your Quit Day:
ü Pick the date. Put it on your calendar
ü Tell friends / family about your Quit Day
ü Get rid of all the cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and at work
ü Stock up on oral substitutes – sugarless gum, carrot sticks, hard candy, cinnamon sticks, coffee stirrers, straws, and/or toothpicks
ü Decide on a plan. Will you use medicines? Will you attend a stop-smoking class? If so, sign up now
ü Practice saying, “No thank you, I don’t smoke.”
ü Set up a support system
ü Ask family and friends who still smoke not to smoke around you, and not to leave cigarettes out where you can see them
ü If you are using bupropion or varenicline, take your dose each day leading up to your Quit Day
ü Think about your past attempts to quit. Try to figure out what worked and what didn’t
Your Quit Day
§ Do not smoke – not at all
§ Keep active
§ Drink lots of water and juices
§ Start using nicotine replacement if that’s your choice
§ Attend a stop-smoking class or follow your self-help plan
§ Avoid situations where the urge to smoke is strong
§ Avoid people who are smoking
§ Drink less alcohol or avoid it completely
§ Think about how you can change your routine
General hints for friends and family of those wanting to quit:
· Do respect that the quitter is in charge
· Do ask the person if they would like for you to ask regularly how they’re doing. Ask how they’re feeling – not just whether they’ve stayed quit
· Do let the person know that it’s okay to talk to you whenever they need to hear encouraging words.
· Do help the quitter get what they need, such as hard candy to suck on, straws to chew on etc.
· Do spend time doing things with the quitter to keep their mind off smoking
· Do try to see it from the smoker’s point of view. It’s hard to give that up
· Do make your home smoke free - no one smokes
· Do remove all lighters and ash trays from your home
· Do wash clothes that smell like smoke. Cleans carpets and drapes. Use air fresheners to help get rid of the tobacco smells – and don’t forget the car, too
· Do help the quitter with a few chores, some child care, cooking – whatever will help lighten the stress
· Do celebrate along the way. Quitting smoking is a BIG DEAL!
· Don’t doubt the smoker’s ability to quit. Your faith in them reminds them they can do it
· Don’t judge, nag, preach, tease, or scold
· Don’t take the quitter’s grumpiness personally during their nicotine withdrawal. Tell them that you understand. The symptoms usually get better in about 2 weeks.
· Don’t offer advice
If you are a smoker:
o Do smoke outside and always away from the quitter
o Do keep your cigarettes, lighters, and matches out of sight.
o Don’t ever offer the quitter a smoke or any other form of tobacco, even as a joke!
o Do join your loved one in their effort to quit. It’s better for your health and might be easier to do with someone else who is trying to quit too.
For further information or resource assistance, contact the American Cancer Society at 800 227 2345 - Check out their website for other brochures about: Increasing your chances of quitting smoking, Help for cravings and tough situations, Guide to Quitting Smokeless Tobacco, Child and Teen Tobacco Use, Women and Smoking, Tobacco-Related Cancers Fact Sheet
If you are a nicotine user and you are determined to quit, we wish you the best and hope you find these resources to be helpful.
If you are dealing with issues regarding work-related concerns or problems in your personal life that impact your ability to perform your job at your best, you are welcome to reach out to DEA Employee Assistance Program. The Employee Assistance Program assists people dealing with grief, anxiety, relationship challenges, and many other difficulties. If you are at Headquarters, please contact Helen Jones, EAP Specialist at 202-307-5277 to schedule an appointment or if outside the Headquarters area, please call 1- 800-275-7460.
This message has been approved by Elyse Sharpe, Employee Assistance Program Administrator