Whether you smoke or not, you have probably heard that almost 90% of all lung cancer deaths are caused by cigarette smoking.

But, if you are a smoker, did you know:

• Smoking one pack per day will shorten your lifespan by seven years?

• More Americans die from smoking-related diseases than from car accidents, suicide, AIDS, alcohol, homicide, and illegal drug abuse combined?

• Smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in the US?

This list could go on, but for those of you who have attempted to quit smoking, you may wonder why it is so difficult.

The Power of Nicotine

Nicotine is a powerful and addictive drug. If you are a smoker, have you ever thought of yourself as a 'drug addict'? Most smokers don't, but an addict is an addict regardless of the drug.

Within seven short seconds of inhaling, nicotine reaches the smoker's brain. This is twice as fast as it takes injected heroin to reach the brain. Once nicotine enters the brain, there is a temporary change in brain chemistry that results in decreased anxiety, improved alertness, relaxation and enhanced feelings of pleasure.

We commonly hear smokers say that they concentrate better, have more energy, keep their weight down, control their mood, cope with stress and handle social situations better as a result of smoking. While these may be benefits of smoking, these same benefits can be realized by developing coping skills other than smoking.

The downsides of smoking are unending. Nicotine causes our heart to beat faster, our blood vessels to shrink, and our arteries to clog. The combination of over 400 chemicals added to cigarettes directly contributes to the premature deaths of millions of smokers. Most smokers will tell you they wish they never started. So, why don't they just quit?

Within one hour of finishing a cigarette, nicotine levels in the blood drop 75%. It is this onset of withdrawal from nicotine and the desire to avoid the discomfort of withdrawal that keeps smokers reaching for the next cigarette.

In addition, like other addictive drugs, a tolerance is developed to nicotine. This means that over time, a smoker will need to smoke more in order to get the same effect. So, the smoker has to keep smoking more in order to avoid the symptoms of withdrawal -- anxiety, nervousness, anger, irritability, headaches, lack of pleasure, bad mood.

Interestingly, research shows that nicotine levels in the blood actually drop when a smoker drinks alcohol and/or is stressed out. This suggests that a smoker's need to smoke more when drinking or during stress is not just because they are in a smokey bar or don't have other ways to cope with stress. Alcohol and stress cause physiological reactions that reduce the effect of nicotine and thus require a smoker to smoke more to get the same response from nicotine.

When Is It Time To Quit?

There's never going to be a 'good time' to quit. Addictions affect lifestyle and lifestyles are often built around addictions. No one is ever going to look forward to the inevitable effects of withdrawal. Quitting will require making a deliberate choice.

A common reason smokers are reluctant to quit is that they will have to change everything about how they live in order to quit smoking. This is only partly true. If you smoke and want to quit, this is what needs to change:

• How you think about smoking

• Giving yourself permission to live a life free of smoking

• Rejecting the belief that you are giving up something 'important'

• Accepting the belief that you are gaining something important -- freedom from addiction, health, control

It takes about three weeks for nicotine to clear from your body. It is the first three days that will likely be the most uncomfortable. Bodily systems show positive changes within 20 minutes after a cigarette -- this means within 20 minutes after your last cigarette your body will start to reverse many of the health problems cigarettes cause.

Once your body is cleared of nicotine, the psychological reasons for smoking emerge and are often the triggers to relapse. Did you smoke to:

• Be social?
• Have confidence?
• Fit in with friends/family/coworkers?
• Get back at others who wanted you to quit?
• Feel accepted?
• Manage your weight?
• Cope with stress?
• Avoid feelings?
• Reward yourself?
  

There are as many psychological reasons people smoke as there are smokers, in other words, a lot! Think about what those reasons may be for you, because not only can you quit smoking, you have to learn other ways to replace what smoking did for you psychologically.

Recovery from any addiction won't be successful if other ways of coping are not developed to meet the psychological needs (acceptance, confidence, rewards, weight, coping with stress, feelings, etc.) that the addiction met.

Everyone is capable of quitting smoking!!! Plus, quitting smoking is the one most important thing you can do for your health.  You can become a non-smoker right now!

For help with quitting smoking or for more information, contact Laura Gray, RN, MSN at The Heart and Mind Program, 414-774-6878 ext. 123.