Smoking Cessation
Welcome to your journey to quit smoking!
Information about smoking:
Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body. More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.
Secondhand smoke exposure contributes to approximately 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults and 400 deaths in infants each year. Secondhand smoke causes stroke, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease in adults. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, middle ear disease, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth.
Get detailed information here about how and why to quit smoking
Get detailed information here about quit methods (OTC, prescription and other)
OTC Options to help quit smoking:
1) Nicotine Patch (If smoke >10 cigarettes per day, start with Step 1 (21mg/day); if smoke <10 cigarettes per day start with Step 2 (14mg/day)
2) Nicotine Gum (Start with 1 piece of gum every 1 to 2 hours when urge to smoke as directed)
3) Nicotine Lozenge (Start with 1 lozenge every 1 to 2 hours when urge to smoke as directed)