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How
to Quit Smoking
University
of Michigan Health System RNS, Quit Smoking, Nov. 2002
Full press release at the following URL:
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2002/quitsmoking.htm
Never quit quitting
(Download audio
version)
Suggested
Lead: Smoking is much more than just another bad habit. It's
an addiction, which is why it's so hard for many Americans to quit
without some extra help. Here's Andi McDonnell with more.
TRT 2:21
SOQ
No matter how
hard you try or how many people tell you it's bad for your health,
you just can't quit - and you're not alone.
Nearly 70 percent
of smokers tried to quit last year, but only 30 percent were successful.
Why? Most smokers don't realize that nicotine is much more than
just a bad habit - it's a powerful addiction that isn't always easy
to give up.
In fact, University
of Michigan addiction specialists recommend that smokers seek professional
medical help, in addition to following a few steps to really kick
the habit for good.
Dr. Maher Karam-Hage
(M.D.), an addiction specialist at the Chelsea Arbor Addiction Treatment
Center tells us....
"It's
really an addition. And now politically, we don't want to call
ourselves 'addicts' if we are just smoking cigarettes. That's
the problem when we say 'well I don't want to go to an addiction
center to be treated.' But the reality of it is that today in
the United States, 90 percent of the smokers are estimated to
be nicotine dependent, while 30 or 40 years ago it was only 50
percent of the people were nicotine dependent."
Today, smoking
is the number one preventable cause of death in the United States.
Yet 60 million Americans continue to smoke, despite the health risks.
Smoking can lead to serious diseases such as cancer, chronic bronchitis,
emphysema and heart disease.
To help smokers
finally quit, the specialists at the Chelsea Arbor Addiction Treatment
Center have developed tips for quitting. Karam-Hage explains the
first and most important steps......
"Think
of a quit date and fix a quit date close to an anniversary, your
birthday, or somebody that you love birthday, or a big holiday
so you can relax and do things that would really distract you
from the smoking. That's really the first thing to do, to just
fix a quit date. The next step we do after setting up a quite
date is to start preparing for it, and that is mentally and also
emotionally and with medications."
Other steps
include not buying cigarettes, cleaning everything in your house
that smells like smoke and finding a person to support you after
you quit. Those who have had difficulty quitting in the past or
those who suffer from depression, anxiety, substance abuse or insomnia
should talk with their health care provider before quitting.
Andi McDonnell,
U-M Health System News
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