SMOKING

 

Diabetes and smoking are a bad combination! Smoking can cause health problems, especially for people with diabetes. Smoking puts you at greater risk for developing diabetic eye disease, kidney disease, heart attack and stroke.

 

Why Should I Quit Smoking?

• Smoking cigarettes tops the list of major risk factors for the number one killer – heart and blood vessel disease.
• One-fifth of deaths from heart disease are related to smoking.
• Smoking harms thousands of non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke Ð including your family members.
• Smoking puts you at higher risk for developing diabetes complications.
• You could become one of the more than 400,000 people who die from smoking related conditions in the U.S. every year.
• When you quit, you reduce the risk of developing smoking related diseases such as emphysema and lung cancer.

 

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO QUIT!

 

No matter how much or for how long you've smoked, when you quit, your risk of heart disease goes down. Three years after quitting, your risk of heart disease is almost the same as if you've never smoked. That's like gaining back the health you almost lost! Ex-smokers have better health than current smokers do.

 

How Do I Quit?

STEP ONE:

Write a list of the reasons why you should quit, and read the list every day. Wrap your cigarette pack with paper and rubber bands. When you smoke, write down the time of day, how you feel, and how important that cigarette is to you on a scale of 1-5 (1 is least important, and 5 is most important). Rewrap the pack. Try to think of something to do instead of smoking; you might chew gum or drink a glass of water instead.

 

STEP TWO:

Keep reading your list of reasons and add to it if you can. Don't carry matches or a lighter. Keep cigarettes out of reach. Each day, try to smoke fewer cigarettes. Try not to smoke the ones that aren't most important, on your scale of 1-5.

 

STEP THREE:

Continue with Step Two. Don't buy a new pack until you finish the one you already have. Change brands twice during the week, each time for a brand of cigarettes that you don't like and that is lower in tar and nicotine. Try to stop for 48 hours at one time.

 

STEP FOUR:

Quit smoking completely. Set a quit date within 2 to 4 weeks from today. If possible, have a friend quit smoking with you. Get rid of all of your cigarettes. Throw away your ashtrays and lighters. Do not

buy any more cigarettes. Avoid situations you relate to smoking. Increase your physical activity and stay busy. Find a healthy substitute for smoking. Do deep breathing exercises when you get the urge to smoke.

 

 

Copy and insert the following charts on the front and back of your next pack of cigarettes:

 

TIME OF DAY: __________________________________________________

HOW DO YOU FEEL:_____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS CIGARETTE TO YOU ON A SCALE OF 1-5:

1____ 2____ 3____ 4____ 5____

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

MY THREE MOST IMPORTANT REASONS FOR WANTING TO QUIT:

1._____________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________

OTHER OPTIONS:

•chew gum •have a soda or a glass of water

•have a hard candy     •go for a walk

 

TWO PEOPLE I CAN CALL TO HELP ME:

Name ________________________________ Phone___________________

­­­____

What If I Smoke After Quitting?

It's hard to stay a nonsmoker once you've had a cigarette, so try everything you can do to avoid that Òone." When you get the urge to smoke, do something else instead. Carry other things to put in your mouth, such as gum, hard candy, or a toothpick. The urge to smoke will pass. The first 2 to 5 minutes will be the toughest.

 

If you do smoke after quitting: this doesn't mean you're a smoker again – do something now to get back on track and:

•Don't punish yourself – you're still a nonsmoker.

•Think about why you smoked and decide what to do the next time it comes up.

•Sign a contract with rewards to stay a nonsmoker.

•Reward yourself at the end of the day for not smoking.

•Watch a movie or go out and enjoy your favorite meal.

•Don't think of quitting as giving something up. Rather, think of it as

gaining good health.

ING

 

What Happens After I Quit?

•Sense of smell and taste come back

•Smokers cough goes away

•Will digest foods more normally

•Breathe much better

•Easier to climb stairs

•Feel free from the mess, smell and burns in clothing

•Feel free of Òneeding" cigarettes

•Live longer and have less chance of heart disease, lung disease and cancer

 

The first few weeks after you stop smoking are the most difficult ones. Stay focused. Soon you will be SMOKE-FREE. Celebrate your success: 1 week, 1 month, 1 year at a time.

 

How Can I Learn More?

Talk to your doctor, nurse or other health care professional. Or contact your local American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, or state and local health departments.

 

Health New England is behind you in your efforts to become and remain smoke free. In fact, we believe so strongly that quitting smoking will improve your quality of life and overall health that we will pay up to $50.00 for you to attend a smoking cessation class. Health New England is interested in your continued success and progress.

 

Call the Health Programs Department at Health New England 413-787-4000 or 800-842-4464 to find a class that's right for you!