Dr. Ali Ghahary | Family Physician

Smoking is a notoriously difficult habit to break, with both physical and psychological hurdles to overcome. However, with the right plan and resources, you can quit smoking and begin a healthier chapter in your life. This article provides an in-depth guide on how to quit smoking, including strategies, helpful tips, and resources.

Understand Why You Want to Quit

The first step in quitting smoking is understanding why you want to quit. For some, the motivation may come from health concerns like lung cancer, heart disease, or stroke. Others might be influenced by their desire to protect their family from secondhand smoke, or maybe they simply don’t want their clothes and breath to smell like smoke. Whatever your reason, it’s important to keep this motivation in mind throughout your journey.

Set a Quit Date

Set a realistic quit date that gives you time to prepare. This could be a significant date such as your birthday, anniversary, or World No Tobacco Day. The date should be soon enough to maintain your motivation but far enough to allow for adequate preparation.

Prepare for Nicotine Withdrawal

Nicotine is an addictive substance, and your body will likely react to its absence. Withdrawal symptoms may include irritability, frustration, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, and cravings for tobacco. Over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies, such as gum, patches, lozenges, nasal spray, and inhalers can help manage these symptoms. Prescription medications like bupropion and varenicline are also effective. It’s important to consult with a healthcare provider to understand what’s best for you.

Identify Your Triggers

Recognizing the situations that trigger your urge to smoke is crucial in your quit journey. Triggers can be emotional, pattern-based, or environmental. Emotional triggers may include feelings of stress, anxiety, or sadness. Pattern-based triggers are related to routine behaviors or times of day, such as after meals, during breaks, or with your morning coffee. Environmental triggers might be certain people, places, or situations, like social events with friends who smoke, bars, or when drinking alcohol.

Here are some strategies to help you deal with these triggers:

Emotional Triggers:

• Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness to better understand your emotions and cravings. Acknowledge these feelings without acting on them.
• Counseling or Therapy: Consider seeking help from a professional counselor or therapist to manage emotional triggers. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been proven effective in this regard.

Pattern-based Triggers:

• Change Your Routine: If you’re used to having a cigarette with your morning coffee, try switching to tea, or change the location where you typically have your coffee.
• Healthy Substitutes: If you smoke after meals, try replacing this habit with a healthier one, like going for a short walk or having a piece of fruit.

Environmental Triggers:

• Avoidance: If possible, avoid places or situations where you’re likely to smoke. If you cannot avoid these scenarios completely, prepare yourself mentally in advance to resist smoking.
• Create a Smoke-Free Zone: Make your home and car smoke-free. This not only reduces exposure to secondhand smoke for others but can also help you associate these spaces with your new, smoke-free lifestyle.

Enlist Support

Quitting smoking is a major endeavor, and it’s okay to seek help. Inform your family, friends, and coworkers about your decision and ask for their support. There are also quit-smoking groups and hotlines available that can provide encouragement and advice. Also don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Doctors, therapists, and other healthcare providers can provide personalized advice and resources to aid in your journey.

Stay Active

Physical activity can help reduce cravings and ease some withdrawal symptoms. When you have the urge to smoke, do something active instead. This could be as simple as going for a walk or doing a few stretches.

Practice Mindfulness and Stress Management

Stress and anxiety are common triggers for smoking. Mindfulness and stress management techniques, such as meditation, yoga, and deep-breathing exercises, can help you manage these triggers.

Stay Committed

Quitting smoking is a process. There will likely be challenges and setbacks, but it’s important to stay committed. If you do smoke, don’t view it as a failure, but rather as a learning opportunity. Identify what led to the situation and how you can avoid it in the future. And remember, it’s never too late to quit.

Quitting smoking is not easy, but the benefits are worth it. With determination, support, and the right plan, you can quit smoking and start living a healthier life. Remember, every smoker has the ability to quit. You just need to take the first step.

When the quiet hush of the night falls and most of us embrace the soothing respite of sleep, there are countless others who lay awake, restless, unable to succumb to slumber. These people struggle with insomnia, a sleep disorder that creates substantial difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. Insomnia has a profound impact on daily life and overall well-being, and understanding its causes is the first step towards managing it. At its core, insomnia often arises as a symptom of another issue.

Stress and anxiety frequently play a significant role, with worrisome thoughts about work, school, health, finances, or family life keeping the mind active when it should be at rest. Similarly, significant life stressors, such as the death or illness of a loved one, job loss, or relocating to a new home, can usher in a period of insomnia. Depression and insomnia also share a complex, and often cyclical relationship. The presence of insomnia can be an indicator of depression, and the sleep deprivation caused by insomnia can further contribute to depressive symptoms. The two conditions frequently feed off one another in a debilitating cycle that leaves many sufferers feeling drained and hopeless.

Several other medical conditions can be the underlying cause of insomnia. Diseases such as asthma, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, acid reflux, kidney disease, and chronic pain can make it challenging to achieve a good night’s sleep. Moreover, some medications prescribed for these and other conditions, including specific antidepressants, high blood pressure medications, stimulants, corticosteroids, and some contraceptives, can interfere with sleep.

Sleep-related disorders themselves, such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome, can lead to insomnia, creating a frustrating situation where the quest for sleep seems to be thwarted at every turn. Even the habits we cultivate around sleep can contribute to insomnia. An irregular sleep schedule, taking naps, engaging in stimulating activities before bed, or maintaining an uncomfortable sleep environment can all lead to poor sleep quality.

Our consumption of certain substances also plays a role. The caffeine in our favourite morning coffee, the nicotine in cigarettes, and even the alcohol in an evening glass of wine, especially when consumed close to bedtime, can all interfere with our ability to sleep.

Lastly, age can bring with it an increased risk of insomnia, due in part to changes in sleep patterns and health, as well as the effects of certain medications.

Despite the numerous and varied causes of insomnia, there are effective strategies for managing it. One such method is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. This structured program helps individuals identify and replace the thoughts and behaviours that cause or worsen sleep problems with habits that promote sound sleep. In some cases, doctors may prescribe sleeping pills for short-term insomnia, although long-term use is generally avoided due to potential side effects. As always, it is critical to consult a healthcare provider before starting any new medication. While insomnia can be a debilitating condition, understanding its causes and potential treatments can pave the way towards better sleep and improved well-being. By recognizing the factors that contribute to poor sleep and implementing strategies to combat them, it is entirely possible to reclaim a restful night’s sleep.

Every year, millions of Canadians make resolutions to quit smoking, one of the most dangerous habits affecting our health. Smoking is responsible for a significant proportion of preventable diseases and premature deaths in the country. Despite the well-established risks associated with smoking, many people find it extremely challenging to quit.

The Impact of Smoking on Health

Smoking is a leading cause of preventable disease and premature death in Canada and globally. Smoking-related illnesses account for nearly one-third of all deaths in the country, and that’s not considering the impact on quality of life for those living with smoking-related diseases.

Tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, many of which are harmful and about 70 of which are known to cause cancer. These chemicals damage your body in numerous ways, leading to a variety of serious health problems.

1. Lung Diseases and Cancer: Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, accounting for as many as 85% of all cases in Canada. In addition to lung cancer, smoking is a leading cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which includes conditions like emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
2. Cardiovascular Diseases: Smoking damages the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
3. Other Cancers: Besides lung cancer, smoking can cause cancer in nearly every part of the body, including the throat, mouth, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix.
4. Respiratory Problems: Smoking damages the lungs, leading to breathing problems, coughing, and a decline in physical fitness.
5. Harm to Others: Second-hand smoke harms people around the smoker, increasing their risk of developing the same health problems.

Why is Quitting Smoking So Difficult?

Despite the compelling reasons to quit smoking, it’s a challenge for many individuals, mainly because nicotine, a substance in tobacco, is incredibly addictive. Here are some reasons why people find it so hard to quit smoking:

1. Nicotine Dependence: Nicotine in cigarettes triggers chemical reactions in the brain that induce feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Over time, the brain becomes accustomed to these feelings, leading to dependence and withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit.
2. Habitual Behaviour: For many smokers, smoking is a daily ritual. It becomes associated with specific activities, feelings or times of the day. Breaking these associations can be difficult.
3. Psychological Factors: Many people use smoking as a way to cope with stress, anxiety, or other emotional issues. Quitting smoking means finding new, healthier coping mechanisms.
4. Fear of Weight Gain: Some individuals are reluctant to quit smoking out of fear of gaining weight. While some people may gain a bit of weight after quitting, the health benefits of stopping smoking far outweigh the risks of a modest weight gain.
5. Social Factors: In some circles, smoking is deeply ingrained in social activities. Peer pressure and social environments can make quitting more difficult.

While quitting smoking can be challenging, the health benefits are undeniable. For every person who quits smoking, the risk of developing serious health conditions decreases dramatically. Moreover, quitting smoking can add years to your life and improve your quality of life. If you’re a smoker and contemplating quitting, numerous resources and support networks exist to help you in your journey. Remember, it’s never too late to quit. Each attempt brings you one step closer to being smoke-free, contributing to a healthier, longer life for yourself and those around you.

For help with smoking cessation, visit QuitNow.ca