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Time to Read: About 20 minutes
The information in this guide will help you understand the benefits of quitting or cutting back on the amount of tobacco products you use, identify the reasons you may want to quit, and help you learn how to cope with smoking urges as you get ready to quit smoking now or sometime in the future.
This guide will also:
You may be able to quit just by using this guide, but most people benefit from getting support from a counselor who specializes in helping people quit smoking and by taking medication. The Tobacco Treatment Program at Restora onco care (ROC) in helping people with cancer, cancer survivors, and their family members. We understand the challenge of wanting to quit smoking while at the same time dealing with the stress of a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and the fear of recurrence (cancer coming back).
ROC Tobacco Treatment Program offers recommendations for safe and effective use of medications to help you quit smoking, (such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion (Zyban®), and varenicline (Chantix®)), coaching, and ongoing support to anyone who wants to quit or who is thinking about quitting smoking. We can also recommend other support services here at ROC and in your community.
There are known risks if you continue to smoke and benefits if you quit no matter what kind of cancer you have or what stage it is. The sooner you quit, the better but it is but it’s never too late to quit!
If you or someone you love is being treated for cancer, the changes in your priorities and outlook on life may help motivate you to quit. If you’re a cancer survivor, knowing you beat cancer may encourage you to live a healthier life. There are lots of good reasons to quit—we’re here to help you find yours.
Here are some ways quitting smoking can help with your cancer care. Check off the points that matter most to you and add any extra personal reasons to quit to your list. Remember to talk with your doctor and find out more about how quitting smoking may improve your cancer care and outcomes.
Knowing the health benefits of quitting is enough to motivate many people to quit, but many people have other personal reasons for wanting to quit. Quitting smoking is a big decision, so it’s important to do it for reasons that mean something to you.
Here are some reasons people in our program have quit smoking. Do you have any of the same reasons to quit? If so, check them off, and use the blank spaces to write in your own reasons.
I want to quit smoking because:
Everyone can benefit from quitting smoking regardless of how long you’ve been smoking for. Here are some of the health benefits you’ll experience starting from 20 minutes after quitting.
| 20 minutes after quitting smoking | • Your blood pressure lowers to a normal level. • The temperature of your hands and feet increases to a normal level. |
| 8 hours after quitting smoking | • The carbon monoxide (an odorless, colorless toxic gas released into your bloodstream when you smoke cigarettes) level in your blood drops to normal. |
| 24 hours after quitting smoking | • Your risk of having a heart attack begins to drop. |
| 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting smoking | • Your blood circulation improves. • Your lungs start working up to 30% better. |
| 1 to 9 months after quitting smoking | • Your coughing, sinus congestion, and shortness of breath decrease. • You have more energy. • Your risk of getting an infection is reduced. |
| 1 year after quitting smoking | • Your risk of heart disease is lower. |
| 5 to 15 years after quitting smoking | • Your risk of having a stroke is the same as a nonsmoker, which is 4 times lower than it was when you were smoking. |
| 10 years after quitting smoking | • Your risk of dying from lung cancer is 50% lower than that of a person who continues to smoke. • Your risk of getting cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas is lower. |
| 15 years after quitting smoking | • Your risk of heart disease is the same as a nonsmoker’s risk. |
Now that you’ve listed your reasons for quitting, it’s time to think about what concerns you have about quitting. This is important so that you can find ways to handle them.
The table below lists some common concerns about quitting, and tips for dealing with them. Check off those that are true for you and add your own.
| • I will be angry or annoyed and may take it out on others. | • Medication for quitting will help manage nicotine withdrawal. • Ask people to be patient with me. |
| • Quitting will make me feel lousy. | • Remind myself that within a few days, I’ll feel like myself again. • Medication for quitting will help. |
| • I’m afraid I will fail. | • Tell myself that if I slip, I’ll get back on track. Quitting takes practice and I’ll learn from my mistakes. • Get support from family, friends, or my healthcare provider. |
| • Smoking relaxes me. | Try relaxing in other ways, such as: • Take 10 deep breaths. • Listen to soft music. • Exercise or do light stretching. • Drink herbal decaffeinated tea. • Take a warm bath or shower. |
| • Smoking is a hard habit to break. | • Tell myself that it may be tough at first, but my urges will end and I’ll learn to live without cigarettes. • Get ready to quit by making small changes in my daily routine. |
| • I enjoy smoking. | • Do more of the things that make me feel happy. • Stay busy with other activities, such as going for a walk, calling a friend, or seeing a movie. |
| • Smoking is comforting. | • Get a massage. • Call a friend. • Soak in a bath. |
| • Remind myself that using medication for quitting will make me less likely to gain weight. • Drink water. • Enjoy healthy snacks, such as low-fat yogurt, raw nuts, fresh fruits, and vegetables. • Exercise a little every day. |
The National Cancer Institute recommends the START approach to stop smoking. When you’re ready, use the steps below to quit smoking.
S = Set a quit date (the actual day you will stop smoking)
T = Tell family, friends, and coworkers you plan to quit and when
A = Anticipate and plan for the challenges you may face while quitting
R = Anticipate and plan for the challenges you may face while quitting
T = Talk with your doctor, counselor, or Tobacco Treatment Specialist about quitting
Choosing a quit date will help you reach your goal. If you’re ready to set a quit date right now, follow the steps below.
If you’re not ready to set a quit date right now, that’s okay. Some people quit by slowly cutting down on how much they smoke daily. Review your reasons for quitting and use the steps in this guide to help you cut down and feel more confident in setting a quit date later.
Quitting smoking can be hard but having the support of your friends and family can make it easier. Here are some ways you can ask them for help.
Before you try to quit, make a list of telephone numbers of people you can call or text for support, such as your family, friends, Keep your telephone list handy for when you may need it.
Expecting challenges is an important part of getting ready to quit. If you’ve tried to quit smoking before, you’re one step closer to becoming tobacco free.
Knowing what makes you want to smoke is an important part of quitting. If you’re like most people, you have triggers and habits that set you off or “tell” you to smoke. What are your triggers? Check them off below and add your own to the list.
When you stop smoking, your body has to get used to not having nicotine in your system. Nicotine is the substance in cigarettes that makes them addictive, making you want them more. As your body gets used to this, you’ll have signs of withdrawal. These usually last a week or 2, but some may last longer. Using medications, such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can help reduce symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
The first few days after quitting smoking are hard. Keep in mind that feeling annoyed, upset, or down can be a normal part of early nicotine withdrawal. These feelings will go away. In fact, after a few weeks of quitting, you’re likely to have significantly fewer feelings of stress. Remind yourself why you want to quit. Keep using your strategies for coping with smoking urges that you came up with. Withdrawal is different for everyone, but below are the most common signs of withdrawal and helpful tips on managing them.
| Cravings | • Cravings last only a minute or 2, so using the “4 Ds” can help you stay smoke-free. Delay—wait a few moments Drink a glass of water Distraction—do something else Deep breathing • You can also use medications to help manage cravings and other signs of nicotine withdrawal. Common medications are listed later in this guide. |
| Headache | • Take a warm bath. • Do deep breathing exercises. • Take an over-the-counter pain medication (pain medication you buy without a prescription), such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®). |
| Feeling sad | • Do things that make you happy and keep you busy, such as a hobby or spending time with friends. • Don’t drink alcohol or reduce the amount of alcohol use. Alcohol can cause more stress and make you feel worse. |
| Dry mouth or sore throat | • Drink lots of water, suck on sugar-free candy, or chew sugar-free gum. • You may cough more as your lungs begin to recover, but you will cough less after a short period of time. |
| Constipation | • Drink at least 8 (8-ounce) glasses of water a day. • Eat high-fiber foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, bran, and whole grains. • Increase activity or exercise. Daily walking can help your bowel movements become more regular. |
| Feeling Tired | • Exercise is a great way to boost your energy. If possible, take a short walk and get some fresh air. • Exercise is a great way to boost your energy. If possible, take a short walk and get some fresh air. • Schedule activities at times when you have the most energy. • Take breaks or naps. Don’t push yourself. • Ask for help rather than trying to do too much yourself. |
| Hunger | • Drink plenty of water. • Make healthy snack choices, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat yogurt, and raw nuts. |
| Feeling annoyed, stressed, irritable, or anxious | • Use short-acting NRT. NRT and other safe and effective medications are explained later in this guide. • Do things that you enjoy to keep busy, such as a hobby or spending time with friends and family. • Talk with friends or family members. • Do light stretching and deep breathing. This can reduce tension in your muscles and make you feel more relaxed. • Remind yourself that you will get through this. • Exercise and physical activity, such as going for a walk, can reduce stress and improve your mood. Remember to talk with your doctor before starting any new exercise program. |
| Trouble sleeping | • Avoid caffeine in the evening and eating late at night. • Try a bedtime routing that can help you relax, such as deep breathing, taking a warm bath or shower, reading, or listening to soft music. • Try drinking a glass of warm milk or a calming herbal tea before going to bed. • Don’t watch TV, use a computer, or use your cell phone for 1 to 2 hours before bedtime. • If you still have trouble sleeping, ask your healthcare provider about medication to help you sleep. |
| Trouble concentrating, dizziness, or feeling “spacey” | • Break down large projects into smaller tasks. • Allow time to get ready for a task and work up to it. • Allow time to get ready for a task and work up to it. • Take breaks often. • Allow time to get ready for a task and work up to it. |
Quitting smoking while going through other stressful situations, such as cancer treatment, can be overwhelming. If these feelings are keeping you from doing your usual activities, you may be experiencing depression or anxiety. Talking with a healthcare provider who specializes in treating people who are quitting smoking can help.
You can change your level of stress, mood, and even your behavior by learning to control your thoughts. Having negative thoughts can make you feel more sad, worried, or depressed. Try to lower your stress level by thinking positive thoughts. You can talk yourself into or out of smoking a cigarette.
Use the tips below to help change your thinking about smoking and quitting.
| “This is just too hard. I can’t quit smoking.” | “I may have been hooked, but now I’m learning how to live life without smoking. This is hard, and I’m making progress one step at a time.” |
| “Why bother? I don’t really see the point of quitting anyway.” | “I promised to quit for some good reasons. I know the benefits of quitting, and I want to do everything I can to fight this disease. I have come a long way, and I will make it.” |
| “Things will get better after I have a cigarette.” | “Cigarettes don’t make things better, they just provide a brief escape. Smoking won’t solve this or any problem. I can find other ways to improve my situation.” |
Get rid of all the things that remind you of smoking such as:
Remember to go through all the places where you might have cigarettes or tobacco stored. Places like your pockets, kitchen drawers, and the glove compartment in your car are good places to start. Making your home and car smoke-free is an important first step toward quitting. Getting rid of cigarettes at work is also important so you don’t think about having one when you’re stressed.
Talk with your healthcare provider about what challenges you expect and your concerns about quitting. They can give you advice and tell you about resources that can help you quit, including meeting with a tobacco treatment specialist (a special healthcare provider trained in helping people quit smoking) to help you with your quitting efforts.
Your doctor may also give you one or more cessation medication to help with nicotine withdrawal. These medications help by making you have less cravings for cigarettes and less nicotine withdrawal side effects (such as depression, anxiety, and increased appetite). Using both medication and working with a tobacco treatment specialist will increase your chances of successfully quitting and staying smoke-free.
Yes, even if you’re not yet ready to quit, you can use NRT to help you cut back on how much you smoke every day. You can also set weekly goals for yourself to smoke less. You may also find it helpful to delay smoking and increase the time between cigarettes. Talk with one of ROC’s Tobacco Treatment Specialists about using these medications safely to cut down your use of cigarettes before you set a quit date.
The table below shows smoking cessation medications that are FDA approved. The medications with the star before their name is cover NRT with a prescription. Call your insurance company for more information.
| Medication and dose | How to get it | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Nicotine Patch • 21 mg • 14 mg • 7 mg | Over the counter (OTC) | • Place the patch on your skin to give you a small and steady dose of the medication over a 24-hour period. • You can use it with other NRT products and with bupropion. |
| Nicotine Gum • 2 mg • 4 mg | OTC | • Chew the gum until you taste a peppery flavor or have a tingling feeling, then put the gum between your cheek and gums so you can absorb the medication. • You can use it with other NRT products and with bupropion. |
| Nicotine Lozenge • 2 mg • 4 mg | OTC | • Suck on the lozenge and move it side to side in your mouth to absorb the medication. • You can use it with other NRT medications and with bupropion. • It comes in different sizes including regular or mini-lozenge. |
| Nicotine Inhaler • 10 mg/cartridge | By prescription only | • Inhale (breathe in, suck in, or puff) the medication through the mouthpiece. • You can use it with other NRT products and with bupropion. |
| Nicotine Nasal Spray • 1 mg/dose | By prescription only | • Place the pump in your nostril and sprat the medication into your nose. • You can use it with other NRT products and with bupropion. |
| Bupropion (Zyban®) | By prescription only | • You take this medication by mouth. • You can take it with NRT. |
| Varenicline (Chantix®) | By prescription only | • You take this medication by mouth. • Makes you like smoking less because it blocks the effects of nicotine. |
