Williamsburg, VA - November 18, 2003 - Pam Wright, a substance abuse counselor at Sentara Williamsburg Community Hospital, has collected and created smoking cessation tips for years. We offer some of them as the annual 'Great American Smokeout' approaches on November 20th.
Pam Wright's Smoking Cessation Tips
Switch brands to one you dislike.
Stop buying cartons. Buy one pack at a time only after you are out.
Progressively remove and discard cigarettes from each new pack.
Smoke half cigarettes to satisfy nicotine addiction. Second half is just habit.
Stand up when you smoke.
Smoke only outside, no matter how bad the weather or the hour of the day.
Don't smoke in your car. Thoroughly clean it inside and keep it clean by not smoking.
Ask a friend or relative to stop with you.
Tell everyone you know that you are quitting. Ask for their support.
Postpone your first cigarette of the day as long as possible. Try for an hour.
Don't empty your ashtrays. Let them remind you of how much you smoke.
Leave home with no cigarettes. Try to avoid buying more.
Ask for non-smoking tables in restaurants.
Avoid smoking after a meal. Take a walk instead.
In social settings, hang out with non-smokers.
Stay away from bars and reduce your alcohol consumption. People smoke more when they drink.
Calculate the cost of smoking. A pack a day is about $3.40. That's almost $24.00 a week, $95.00 a month, and $1,200 per year. What else could you do with that money?
Dramatic changes happen to your body within minutes of quitting cigarettes. Here are a few. 20 minutes - Blood pressure and heart rate drop. Body temperature of hands and feet rises to normal.
8 hours - Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops. Oxygen level increases.
24 hours - Risk of heart attack reduced.
48 hours - Senses of smell and taste enhanced.
1 month - Breathing is easier.
3 months - Lung function increased by 30%.
1-9 months - Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease.
1 year - Risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.
5 years - Lung cancer rates for 1 pack/day smokers down by half. Stroke rate reduced to that of a non-smoker after 5-15 years.
10 years - Lung cancer death rate similar to non-smokers.
15 years - Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker.
Sentara marks Great American Smokeout November 20th
Come by the Sentara Cancer Institute at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital during business hours on November 20th and receive free educational materials on smoking and how to quit.
Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton will display smoking cessation materials at the Sentara Cancer Institute.
The Cancer Resource Center at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital will post a table with smoking cessation materials during the month of November.