How to Quit Smoking

(Music playing) Female: 46 million Americans have quit smoking for good. Ready to join them? Keep watching. Dr. Joshua Fink: Smoking is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in America. Killing 400,000 people every year, but here is the good news. Your body starts to feel the positive effects of quitting just 20 minutes after you do it. Because smoking is both physically and psychologically addicting, it is a hard habit to break, but having a plan can help. Once you have made the decision to quit, it helps to prepare yourself by understanding your personal addiction. Try keeping a smoking journal for a few days, recording every cigarette you smoke, how you felt and why you did it. Most smokers notice a pattern of their habit by becoming aware of when you are likely to smoke. You can plan to change your environment to avoid or weaken the temptation. After you have identified your triggers, you are probably ready to take the plunge. Start by setting a quitting date and stick to it. Be sure that your environment is welcoming to a nonsmoker by that date. Discard all cigarettes, ashtrays, and lighters in your home, car, and office. As you prepare to give up smoking, remember that you did not start on your own, and you do not have to quit on your own either. Enlist the aid of family and friends. Request that fellow smokers not offer you cigarettes, and that they not smoke around you. Do not let anyone smoke in your home, and remember that smoking journal? Get it out, read it over, and prepare to come up with new behaviors to adjust your routine and avoid your triggers. For example, if you used to smoke after a meal, come up with a new ritual such as taking a walk or brushing your teeth. Avoid places where you use to smoke. This could be a great opportunity to find a new favorite place to spend time. Be prepared for urges, and have cigarette substitutes on hand. Sugar free candy, gum, breath mints, and even toothpicks in keeping your mouth busy, and help you fight the urge to smoke. While you are quitting, it can help to enlist the aid of medication, such as nicotine gum, a nicotine inhaler, or nicotine patch. Many cessation aid are available over the counter, but you should still talk to your doctor about what is right for you. These medications can more than double your chances of quitting for good, but you must use them correctly. It is vitally important not to smoke while you are using nicotine substitutes. As you quite it is important to be prepared for the possibility that you may relapse, and that is okay. Most people try to quit smoking several times before they succeed. Just take note of why you gave in. Was it a cocktail, other smokers, a bad day, and try to remember that this trigger was too much for you. Quitting a long time smoking habit can be incredibly difficult, but the lifelong benefits of doing so are worth the effort. Talk to your doctor about devising a smoking cessation plan that will work for you. Female: Want to learn more? Check out other videos and sources on this site for more information. (Music playing)