Quitting time: Breaking the smoking habit can reduce health risks, help people heal

More than 16 million people live with at least one disease caused by smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, commercial tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States, causing roughly 480,000 deaths annually.

Still, 30.8 million adults smoke cigarettes and 2.55 million middle and high school students use tobacco products in the United States, while 58 million people who do not smoke are exposed to secondhand smoke, per CDC stats. The harmful effects they may face range from cancer to heart disease, stroke to lung disease, Type 2 diabetes to pregnancy complications.

And e-cigarettes or vaping come with their own complications. While they have the potential to benefit adults who are not pregnant if they act as a total substitute for other tobacco products, the CDC notes e-cigs are not safe for youths, young adults, pregnant women or adults who already do not use tobacco. Many still contain nicotine, the addictive drug in traditional tobacco products, and chemicals — though fewer toxic chemicals than typical cigarette smoke, according to the CDC. Some of the long-term effects of vaping are still unknown.

All of this adds up to a lot of people looking to quit using tobacco products. The CDC says that quitting smoking lowers one’s risk for smoking-related diseases and can add years to someone’s life.

“There are a lot of health benefits from quitting smoking,” adds David Tzall, a licensed addictions psychologist with a practice in Brooklyn. “It is not just about stopping further damage, but there is also a reparative effect from past harm. This repair is also something that can be seen pretty quickly. Within the first 20 minutes your blood pressure drops, and your body gets better the more you abstain.”

The CDC offers free support services for smoking cessation at CDC.gov/quit. People can also call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or text QUITNOW to 333888. The CDC also suggests talking to a smoking counselor individually or as part of a group, as well as utilizing the mobile application quitSTART.

Tzall adds there are great ways to stop smoking that range from behavioral health programs to over-the-counter products.

“Products like gums and patches are great ways to quit,” he says. “What a lot of people do not know is that nicotine is a stimulant, no different than caffeine, so you can chew gum indefinitely and never see the same kind of effects from tobacco because it does not have the same harmful chemicals that cigarettes have.”

Tzall says he has seen people who could only quit using nicotine replacement treatments. There are also prescription options such as Chantix and Wellbutrin, but Tzall cautions they have more side effects and use should be closely monitored by doctors.

The CDC suggests knowing one’s reasons for quitting, making a decision to quit, building a quit plan and taking steps to quit. They also recommend recognizing signs of depression — as smokers are more likely to experience it than non-smokers — reducing stress and avoiding secondhand smoke.

“Stopping smoking needs to be a personal decision in that you are quitting because you want to quit,” Tzall says. “If you are quitting because someone wants you to or ‘making you,’ you become less likely to have it stick, as it is not intrinsic to your values. Quitting smoking is a process and best viewed as that rather than a rigid smoking or quitting. This means that a person can stop smoking and may experience a number of slips or relapses along the way.”

Preventing slips and building a support system can help with quitting for good. People need to take pride in the time they go without smoking, avoid triggers and cravings, restart the process right away after slips, and use nicotine replacement therapy, the CDC says.

“When you think you have failed, you are likely to give up and continue smoking rather than seeing it as just one part,” Tzall says. “I like to think of it as how one tips over a vending machine. It doesn’t go in one push but does after continuous back-and-forth rocking.”

People may also face nicotine withdrawal symptoms along the way. That can include urges/cravings; irritability, grouchy or upset feelings; jumpy and restless feelings; a tough time concentrating; trouble sleeping; hunger and weight gain; and anxious, sad or depressed feelings, per the CDC. People can manage those issues by being active, structuring the day, connecting with others, rewarding oneself, and talking with a healthcare provider.

“There can be a number of barriers when trying to quit,” Tzall says. “One of the most important barriers is lack of motivation. It is difficult to change when you are ambivalent about the process.”