Quit Tobacco Program for Members
Did you know that a smoker usually starts the habit during the teens or twenties? If you start smoking during this period, you are at risk of developing an addiction that is tough to stop.
You Can Stop Smoking
If you do start to smoke, it’s never too late to get the benefits of stopping. The day after you quit, your heart already starts to recover. Your risk of heart disease will drop dramatically within the first two years after kicking the habit. According to the American Lung Association, a two-pack-a-day smoker is at double the risk of heart disease compared with nonsmokers. However, for people who quit smoking, the amount of heart risk that is added by smoking can be lowered by one-half within a year.
So how do you do it? It is not recommended for you to reduce your habit only by smoking fewer cigarettes, because studies have suggested that smokers who are permitted
less frequent cigarettes end up smoking each cigarette more deeply (and to a shorter butt),
so total nicotine intake does not decrease. Switching to low-tar, low-nicotine cigarettes
has also not been shown to be a helpful strategy: By inhaling more deeply, smokers can
get as much nicotine (and tar) out of a low nicotine cigarette as from a regular one.
The only safe choice is to quit completely. And here’s how:
Try the write stuff
Write down your most important personal reason to quit. Is it to regain control of your
life and health? Personal motivation is a key predictor of success in quitting smoking, and keeping a personal “record” of that motivation helps many smokers quit. Avoid the triggers. To be successful at quitting, you have to avoid or even leave situations that trigger the urge to light up. That includes social gatherings where smoking is permitted, restaurants, and maybe even your morning coffee.
Don’t worry about your waistline. Weight gain is a realistic concern, but you should keep this concern in perspective. About one in three smokers gain weight when they quit, but 90 percent of them actually lose that weight within a year or two. Meanwhile, two in three either lose weight (usually by starting an exercise program) or stay at the same weight. Join a program. Following a regimen from a smoking cessation program offers you a better chance at success. You can get information from these national
agencies:
Quitting tobacco use is one of the most important changes you will make in your life. This habit affects your time, your pocketbook, your family and friends and most importantly, your health. As an Aetna Student Health member, you can take advantage of The Healthyroads Quit&Fit program with tools and support needed to create your quit plan, stay motivated and achieve new levels of health and well-being. www.QuitandFit.com/aetna.
Reprinted with permission from Aetna InteliHealth® and Harvard Medical School (www.intelihealth.com). Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of Harvard Medical School. Copyright 1996 – 2005. Additional information is available on Aetna’s consumer health information website, Aetna InteliHealth, at
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9273/20886/229189.html?d=dmtContent&b=.
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