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It is
not easy to quit smoking but millions of people do it every year. You can
not only save money by not buying tobacco but you can also save on your
health insurance costs. Your health will improve and your life will be
longer if you quit using tobacco of any kind. Smoking is expensive because
tobacco is expensive and, worse, it ruins your health.
A
40-year-old pack-a-day smoker who quits and puts the savings into a 401(k)
earning 9% a year will have an extra $250,000 by age 70.
The
challenge is that nicotine is highly addictive. Breaking a nicotine
addiction is difficult. The good news is that there are at least a dozen
recognized methods for ending the smoking habit. If one doesn’t work for
you the first time then a different one might work. Keep trying until you
succeed.
Here are
some methods and resources to help you stop smoking:
· Talk to
your doctor. They can help you select methods that might work for you and
can help you manage the symptoms of withdrawal.
Stop Smoking in 7 Days
·
American
Lung Association
Freedom From Smoking Online program
·
Nicotine
Replacement Therapy. Patches, gum, nasal spray, lozenges and more are
available to help ease off nicotine
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Zyban (buproprion)
is a new prescription drug that tends to reduce the withdrawal symptoms of
anxiety, sweating and irritability.
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Hypnotherapy has worked for some.
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Acupuncture has helped some people quit
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Cold
turkey is always an option if you can get through that first few weeks of
withdrawal.
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The
CDC has some good free resources and information
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Also see
SmokeFree.gov for assistance in quitting smoking
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Support
groups can help alone or in combination with other treatments. Your first
support group should be your family, friends and coworkers who can cheer you
on while you are experiencing withdrawal.
In my
teens I watched my father quit after a 30+ year 2 pack a day smoking habit.
It was not pretty. But Dad lived for another 30+ years after that into his
early 90’s. He was convinced that he would not have lived as long if he had
not quit. Unfortunately, Mom died before him in her late 80’s from lung
disease that may have been brought on by second hand smoke. It is only a
little bit ironic that Dad quit to set an example for his children and to
help Mom with her health. Maybe it did help but I wonder what would have
happened if he had quit smoking 20 years earlier.
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