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Tips for quitting smoking

For those who plan to quit smoking Dr Saul Shiffman, director of The Smoking Research Group at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offers this advice:

Evaluate your past and present smoking habits. Consider why and when you smoke. Are you tempted to smoke, for example, after meals or whenever you have a drink? If you've tried to quit before, also ask yourself what kept you from quitting for good. These questions, and your answers, will help you clarify what you need to do to quit successfully.

Make a plan. Talk to a physician or pharmacist about different quitting strategies--cold turkey versus tapering off; using a nicotine patch, gum or inhaler versus going without -- and choose the ones most likely to work for you.

Tell all. Tell your friends, co-workers, and family that you plan to quit, and let them know how they can help. You might, for example, ask friends not to smoke in front of you.

Buddy up. If possible, join forces with someonewho has already quit, since he or she will be able to relate to what you are going through, and may be able to offer helpful pointers or advice. If that is not possible, buddy up with another smoker who is trying to quit. Or, if your local hospital or workplace offers quit-smoking programmes, consider joining one.

Remove triggers. Get rid of your cigarettes, ashtrays, and lighters. And clean your home, office, car, and clothes to get rid of that smoky smell, which may remind you of smoking.

Avoid risky situations or behaviours. Plan activities that do not involve smoking and that you do not associate with smoking. If you usually smoke when you go out to bar or restaurant, for instance, plan to go to the movies instead.

Remind yourself why you're quitting.

Reward yourself. Every day you forego cigarettes, reward yourself. You need not be extravagant. Buy yourself a paperback you want to read, or take a long soak in the tub while listening to your favorite CD.

``A person really hasto set his or her mind to quitting,'' said Shiffman in a press release. ``That determination, in combination with preparation, will eventually lead to success.''

Smoke-free homes help smokers quit

Smokers who live in smoke-free homes may be more likely to kick the habit than smokers who can smoke freely in their place of residence, results of a new study suggest.

In conjunction with family pressure to quit, a total ban on smoking in the house can greatly increase the odds that a smoker successfully kicks the habit, according to a study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

The study showed that total bans on smoking at home were strongly related to smoking fewer cigarettes (fewer than 15 cigarettes a day versus more than 15 a day) and the ability to wait at least 30 minutes after awakening to light up the first cigarette of the day.

In addition, a smoke-free home also appeared to lengthen the duration of smoking cessation attempts, researchers report.

In a survey of 8,904California households, 38 per cent of smokers reported living in a home with a total smoking ban and 26 per cent reported partial restriction on where and when they could smoke in the home. Smokers were six times as likely to report smoke-free homes if they lived with a non-smoking adult and child than when there was no child or adult nonsmokers in the household, the study found.

Smokers were also five times more likely to live in a smoke-free home if they believed in the harmful effect of secondhand smoke.

``The results of the present study suggest that tobacco control policies that promote smoke-free homes will not only result in the protection of non-smokers from second-hand smoke, but will also give family members a tool to reinforce their desire that the smoker not smoke,'' researchers from the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the University of California at San Diego conclude.

-- Reuters Health

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