It can be very hard to quit smoking. Knowing that it will help improve the health of your children may help give you more motivation to quit and stay a nonsmoker. There are many options out there to assist you in your quit efforts.
Reasons to quit
Take your pick! Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. Your body will immediately notice the difference. Your blood pressure will return to more normal levels, and your sense of taste and smell will begin to improve. Your risk of diseases will decrease. Your clothes and home will smell better. You will save money. You will be setting a good example for your children. You will have accomplished a major goal that takes a lot of strength and effort to meet.
Whatever your reasons are to quit, write them down. Several times. Put those reasons around in places where you usually keep your tobacco products (next to the door where your cigarettes used to be, on the patio table where your can of dip was, in the pocket of your purse where you kept your lighter). When you reach for your tobacco products without thinking, you’ll instead find your reasons to quit, and this will help you resist the urge.
Cessation aids
There are pills, lozenges, patches, inhalers, and gum that may help you gradually decrease your tobacco use. Some people prefer to use these items to aid them in gradually becoming independent from tobacco. As several of these aids require a prescription, you will need to speak to your doctor.
Tips, Tricks, and Tools
No matter how tough quitting seems, remember that you are not the first to try it. Many other people have quit, and can offer insight and helpful advice to aid your efforts, including:
- National Cancer Institute
- American Legacy Foundation
- Center for Disease Control
- American Cancer Society
Do-it-yourself Quit plans
If you do not want to go to an in-person group, or that is not an option, you can use these online tools to help keep you on the path to quitting.
Special populations
Some groups of people have a more difficult time quitting than others. There are quit resources created especially for those groups.
- Military populations
- African American populations
- Latino populations
- Indian and South Asian populations
- Pregnant women
Group forums
These communities will enable you to exchange thoughts, ideas, and encouragement with others who are trying to quit.
Additional resources
1-800-QUIT NOW
- This is a toll-free number that can be called anytime, from anywhere, to get help with staying quit.
The AAP Richmond Center
- The Richmond Center has links to information about each state’s fight against tobacco. This site also has information about contacts within the state, including the state’s tobacco program, and a listing of county health departments which may be able to assist with in-person cessation and support groups.
- For more information on what the AAP is doing to protect children from the dangers of tobacco, visit the AAP Richmond Center web site.
Source: HealthyChildren.org