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Currently, about 17% of people in Colorado smoke, and roughly 4,300 Coloradans die each year from tobacco-related illnesses.
If you smoke, you may not realize how hard it is to stop. Or, you may not even think it’s possible to stop because you feel that quitting is expensive.
For example, you may think that smoking is just a bad habit. However, the truth is that tobacco use is an addiction. Nicotine is a very addictive drug. For some people, it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine.
Or, you may think that quitting is just a matter of willpower, and the best way to quit is “cold turkey.” However, because smoking is an addiction, quitting can be hard. However, using a combination of behavior coaching (such as the Colorado QuitLine) and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can greatly improve your odds.
Or you may think that if you can’t quit the first time you try, you will never be able to quit. The truth is, though, that people often make two or three attempts to quit before they are successful.
Finally, you may write off the possibility of quitting because you think quitting is expensive. The fact is that treatments cost anywhere from $3 to $10 a day. The average smoker spends $2,000 to $3,000 a year on cigarettes. In addition, people who use the free Colorado QuitLine coaching services may also be eligible to receive a free supply of nicotine patches.
- Tip #1: Make a quitting plan - pick a quit date, and prepare yourself mentally. List the reasons why you want to quit, and keep that list with you at all times. Reward yourself for a job well done.
- Tip #2: Declare your home and car tobacco-free - you are more likely to be successful in your attempt to quit smoking if you have a tobacco-free rule in place.
- Tip #3: Call the Colorado QuitLine - a free, confidential telephone coaching service. Call 1 800 QUIT-NOW.
- Tip #4: Alter your patterns - keep yourself away from situations where you might feel the need to smoke. Also try to keep away from caffeine and alcohol for the first few weeks.
- Tip #5: Use the patch - nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) will help increase your chances of success. Take advantage of free Colorado QuitLine coaching to receive a free supply of nicotine patches.
- Tip #6: Save money - when you quit, you’ll save about $2,000-$3,000 a year on cigarettes if you’re like most average smokers. Make a list of all the other things you could buy with that money.
- Tip #7: Let your body heal - just 20 minutes after you quit, your blood pressure and pulse slow to normal rates. Just 8 hours after you quit, the oxygen level in your blood increases.
- Tip #8: Rid your body of nicotine - after 72 hours, nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, is already out of your body. You’ll notice a big difference.
- Tip #9: Improve your health - after 1-9 months, your lungs can hold more air; coughing, congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; and your overall body energy increases.
- Tip #10: Improve your quality of life - food will taste better, your sense of smell will return to normal, and you’ll have more energy to participate in day-to-day activities.
- Tip #11: Live longer - the lives of men who smoke are cut short by an average of 13.2 years, and the lives of women who smoke are cut short by an average of 14.5 years.
- Tip #12: Look and feel younger - when you quit, you halt the damaging effects of tobacco on your appearance, including premature wrinkling of skin, bad breath, stained teeth, and yellow fingernails.
