DETROIT (WXYZ) — Cravings, triggers, nicotine withdrawal. There’s so much to deal with when you’re trying to quit smoking. What works for you may not work for others. But there are 4 key steps former smokers went through to be successful.
Most smokers have tried to kick the habit.
Brian George of Detroit has wanted to for more than a decade. And when he heard the statistic that it takes 5-to-7 tries to quit smoking, he wasn’t surprised.
“How many times have you tried to quit?” I asked him.
“Oh, numerous times. I can’t even count,” George replied.
Aimee Richardson understands. She’s a Tobacco Treatment Counselor at Henry Ford Health System.
“For most of the patients that I work with, they’ve been smoking maybe 20 [years], even up to 40 years,” said Richardson.
She said there are four key steps to quitting smoking.
1. Start a Journal
List why you want to quit smoking.
Do you want to live a longer, healthier life? Be there for your loved ones? Save money? Smell better?
After making your list of reasons why you’re quitting, then track your smoking habits.
That will help you target what triggers you to smoke – whether it’s habitual, social, or emotional.
“So, if you’ve noticed in your journal something stressful happened at work -- and you went outside and had a cigarette – [think about] how can you handle that situation differently,” said Richardson.
The resource smokefree.gov recommends smartphone apps like “QuitGuide” and “quitSTART” as a tool to help with the process, provide inspiration, and build skills you need to become smoke-free.
2. Prepare your environment
“Get rid of the ashtrays. Get rid of the lighters. Some people will even put little signs up for their reasons for quitting smoking,” said Richardson.
The more smoking reminders in your home, car, or workplace that you can get rid of…the better!
Smokefree.gov recommends you wash your clothes, clean your car, get rid of butts inside and outside your home and add “craving fighting” items around – like straws, nicotine gum, or a list of places where you used to smoke or where you kept your cigarettes.
3. Explore helpful medications
Richardson says Nicotine Replacement Therapy can help manage cravings and deal with withdrawal. The medications include a small amount of nicotine often released slowly
Consult your doctor first to see if this therapy could be right for you.
4. Set a quit date…and go for it!
“Some people like to start on a Monday because it’s a fresh week. Some people like to quit when they’re going on vacation because then they’re going to be in a different environment,” explained Richardson.
Ideally, you should select a day within the next couple of weeks. That will give you a window of time to properly prepare to quit.
And when you snuff out the cigs… remember to start new healthy habits to fill the void.
One idea Richardson shared is to carry around a straw. When you get the urge to smoke, just suck clean air through it. For some people, that can get them through that momentary urge to smoke.
You can always join group classes that the American Lung Association has developed.
Henry Ford Health System offers them.
The seven-week program is *free* for qualifying patients.
For Detroit, sessions will be held on Mondays from February 4 through March 18, 2019 at Henry Ford Health System Corporate Offices, 1 Ford Place, Detroit, MI 48202.
To register, please call (888)427-7587 or visit www.henryford.com/tobaccofree .
