 Refresh Yourself! Stop Smoking
Contents
- Get started!
- Dodge the Urge.
- The best ways to quit.
- Be aware of temptations and
slips
- Be the person you would like to
be!
- What about gaining weight?
- Save a life--Your own!
Kicking the cigarette habit can be tough. Yet, many
people like yourself have managed to break free from cigarettes. They were
ready to quit and planned ahead to avoid cravings and temptations. And many
people who have quit tried several times before they succeeded. You can stop
smoking too! Join the growing number of African Americans who quit. This
brochure offers tips that really work. Make a plan that works for you and stick
to it. Congratulations on taking this important step to a healthy life.
When you stop smoking you:
- Lower your risk of:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Lung diseases like emphysema or bronchitis
- Having unhealthy babies
- Improve your chances for a longer and healthier
life.
- Have fresher smelling clothes, hair, and breath.
- Save the money you used to buy cigarettes.
- Stop hurting those around you. The secondhand smoke
from your cigarettes can make your family and friends have more colds and
asthma attacks. It can also put them at risk for heart and lung diseases.
[Back to
Contents]
Get started! Pick a quit
day within 2 to 4 weeks from today. This is the most important day of your
life. Set a quit date now.
Celebrate the Healthier You! I will quit on
____________________(date).
Before you quit:
- Tell your family, friends, coworkers, pastor, and
congregation. Ask them for support and understanding.
- Write down the reasons you want to quit. Put a copy
on the refrigerator where you will see it each day.
- Throw out all your cigarettes, lighters, and ash
trays.
- Do not buy any more cigarettes.
Make a plan to stay off cigarettes:
- Stay away from other tobacco products, such as
cigars, pipes, and chewing tobacco.
- At first, avoid places that make you want to smoke.
Instead, plan to spend time where smoking is not allowed, like the library,
movie theaters, church, department stores, or a museum.
- Review your past attempts to quit. Think about what
worked and what did not.
- Reward yourself. Quitting can be hard work.
Don¹t think of quitting as giving something up. Rather, think of it as
gaining good health. Treat yourself to something special with the money you
will be saving.
- Get other smokers in your household to join you in
quitting.
[Back to
Contents]
Dodge the urge.
Try these healthier substitutes for smoking:
- To keep your hands busy: Draw, write, read the
paper, knit, work crossword puzzles, polish your nails.
- Frustrated? Angry? Stressed out? Upset?: Relax,
take a deep breath, walk away. Talk with someone close to you, walk outside,
exercise, listen to music.
- When you first get up in the morning: Brush your
teeth, use mouthwash, change your routine.
- While on the phone: Chew sugarless gum or drink
water through a straw.
- After meals: Brush your teeth; call a friend; or
sip a cup of hot tea.
- Going to a party or restaurant?: Do not order
alcohol or fatty foods. Do chew gum; drink lots of water; after dinner try
flavored tea instead of coffee.
[Back to
Contents]
The best ways to quit.
Use a combination of these three:
- Use the nicotine patch or gum. The patch or the gum
helps slow down the urge to smoke. This reduces the craving for nicotine when
you stop smoking. Follow the package directions when you use the patch or gum.
Ask your doctor for advice.
- Get support and encouragement. You may want to join
a quit smoking program. Seek advice from a health care provider.
- Learn how to handle stress and urges to smoke. Be
aware of the things that may cause you to want to smoke.
[Back to
Contents]
Be aware of temptations and
slips The nicotine in cigarettes is addictive. The first few weeks after
you stop smoking are the most difficult ones. Your body goes through nicotine
withdrawal. Stay focused. Soon you will be SMOKE-FREE. If you start smoking
again, don¹t give up. Slips are a chance to learn, not to give up. It
takes practice to quit. Keep trying!
[Back to
Contents]
Be the person you would like to
be!
Celebrate your success: 1 week, 1 month, 1 year at a
time.
- Keep a calendar and chart your success.
- Occasionally write down new reasons why you¹re
glad you¹ve quit.
- Use the money you have saved to buy something
you¹ve always wanted.
[Back to
Contents]
What about gaining weight?
Most people gain weight after quitting. While it is hard to change a lot of
habits at one time, try going out for a walk after dinner. You¹ll avoid
the urge to reach for a cigarette after you eat, and you¹ll get some
exercise.
[Back to
Contents]
Save a life--Your own!
|
My three most important
reasons for wanting to quit: |
|
1.__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
2.__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
3.__________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________ |
Two people I can call to help
me:
|
|
| Name_________________________________ |
Phone__________________ |
| Name_________________________________ |
Phone__________________ |
[Back to
Contents]
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES
Public Health Service
National Institutes of
Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
NIH Publication No.
97-4065
September 1997
|
HOME
Department of Health
and Human Services
National
Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute