What Is the Most Effective Way to Stop Smoking?

According to the 2004 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, within 20 minutes of smoking the last cigarette, health benefits start to occur in the body almost immediately. 

• 20 minutes after quitting
  • Heart rate drops
• 12 hours after quitting
  • Carbon monoxide levels in the blood drop to normal
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting
  • Heart attack risk begins to drop
  • Lung function begins to improve
• 1 to 9 months after quitting
  • Cough and shortness of breath decrease
• 1 year after quitting
  • The added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s
• 5 years after quitting
  • Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s 5-15 years after quitting
• 10 years after quitting
  • Lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s
  • Risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
• 15 years after quitting
  • Risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker’s

The American Lung Association has the following tips for quitting smoking: 

• It's never too late to quit
  • Quitting smoking at any age improves longevity and quality of life
  • Quitting saves money
  • Quitting may inspire others to quit 
• Focus on what motivates you
  • Motivation can come and go, so come up with ways to increase motivation when feeling overwhelmed or down
• Build confidence
  • Find ways to increase confidence levels 
    • Make and achieve a series of small goals
    • Have the tools ready for any situation
    • Visualize successes 
• Manage stress 
  • Come up with other ways aside from smoking to manage stress, distress, and negative emotions 
  • Learn what non-smoking friends do to manage stress
• You don't have to quit alone
  • Tell friends and family you're trying to quit and enlist support to help make the process easier 
  • The American Lung Association and other groups can also assist
• Medications are safe and effective and can help people quit and stay quit when used properly
  • Seven Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications include: 
    • Nicotine patches
    • Gum
    • Lozenges
    • Nasal spray 
    • Inhalers
    • Bupropion (Zyban)
    • Varenicline (Chantix)
  • These medications help with withdrawal symptoms, urges, and cravings, but do not help with the habit of smoking or with managing stress or negative emotions
  • Follow the package directions or your doctor’s instructions and use the medications along with other tools for quitting
  • Talk to your doctor for recommendations
• Learn from past experiences
  • Most have tried to quit before and these experiences can be a template for what works and what doesn’t for the next time
  • The past attempts can be seen as steps on the road to future success
  • What worked, what didn't work, and what might be done differently this time?
• Every smoker can quit
  • Each quit attempt is a little different
  • Find the right combination of tools, medications, and support, and keep trying

Nicotine withdrawal can be a difficult part of trying to quit smoking. The body becomes addicted to nicotine over time, so when you stop smoking your body goes through withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms usually last less than two weeks and may feel uncomfortable but are not dangerous.

Common symptoms of nicotine withdrawal include:

• Cigarette/nicotine cravings  
  • Cravings may last longest of all the withdrawal symptoms
  • Cravings can be triggered by reminders of smoking such as people or places
  • Understanding triggers for smoking can help quitters plan to deal with them
• Irritability
• Feeling on edge
• Depression
• Difficulty sleeping
• Problems thinking clearly and concentrating
• Restlessness
• Slower heart rate
• Increased hunger/appetite
• Weight gain

Some common triggers for wanting a cigarette include:

• Eating a meal, especially after the meal 
• Drinking alcohol or coffee 
• Stressful events 
• Being around others smoking

Learning to deal with smoking triggers is important in quitting smoking. Most triggers fall into one of four categories:

• Emotional: these are intense emotions that cause you to want to smoke
  • How to cope with emotional triggers: 
    • Talk about how you’re feeling with someone you trust
    • Exercise 
    • Deep breathing
    • Listen to relaxing music
• Pattern: this is an activity that is connected with smoking in your life
  • How to cope with pattern triggers:
    • Find a new activity such as chewing sugar-free gum
    • Change your routine, for example, drink coffee at different times of day or in different locations
    • Break the association with the trigger and transfer the feeling to another activity
    • Keep your hands busy with knitting, squeezing a ball, or holding onto a coin
    • Exercise
• Social: these are occasions in which you smoke, usually with others 
  • How to deal with social triggers: 
    • Ask friends not to smoke around you
    • Avoid places where people smoke 
• Withdrawal: this is the body withdrawing from nicotine
  • How to deal with withdrawal triggers: 
    • Find distractions to take your mind off cravings
    • Nicotine replacement therapy may also help