Smoking Cessation

Help! I Need to Quit Smoking!

Smoking: What’s the Big Deal?

Smoking is bad. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a hundred times, and I’m sure you’re frustrated with it being said so often. It’s important though, and the essential factor in successfully quitting is deciding to quit in the first place – nobody can do that for you.

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Once you’ve decided to quit, here are some helpful steps that the National Cancer Institute recommends for you as you START:

• Set a quit date.

  • Put it in your calendar! Think about what life events will be around that time.

• Tell family, friends, and coworkers you plan to quit.

  • Support and accountability are important!

• Anticipate and plan for the challenges you will face while quitting.

  • Your doctor can help you with this step as well.

• Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car and workplace.

• Talk to your doctor about getting help to quit.

Once that’s done, though, there are many resources available to you in quitting smoking. We are on your side with emotional support, helpful suggestions, and prescriptions necessary. It doesn’t have to be you versus the tobacco. We can help in your fight by prescribing nicotine replacement with patches or gum.

There are medicines such as Chantix or Wellbutrin we can prescribe you. There are even ways to get these things more easily and cheaply, too!

Free one-on-one counseling is available over the phone by calling the National Cancer Institute’s Smoking Quitline (1.877.44U.QUIT)

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Talk to people in your life who smoke!

Nobody wants to go through challenges alone, and it can help to have the support of those you love while quitting smoking. Even more important, if they smoke too then your chances of successfully quitting tobacco will be made that much more difficult. Remember: if you’re spending time with people while they smoke, you’re spending time with their smoke too. Make it a challenge to quit together, and maintain accountability as a team.

Good luck, and remember that you’re not alone - everyone at your doctor’s office is on your side!

Some people have had great success with Alan Carr’s book, The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.

Others prefer an app. QuitGuide is one useful example for those with a smartphone to have reminders, keep track of your cravings, and to keep yourself accountable.