Siletz news /, August 01, 2001, Page 17, Image 17

“Cha-may weeya "
Medicine Talk
Siletz
Community
*» í
Stop! Successful Stopping
A regular walking program provides many health benefits
and is an exercise just about everyone can do.
Key Points to Remember
® You weren’t bom needing to smoke and the only reason cigarettes seem so
Join us for fun and companionship as we each work toward
walking 100 miles in 12 weeks, starting at the Nesika Illahee
Pow-Wow and ending the first week of November.
We have special weekend walks and rewards to inspire you!
a few times before they succeed. So if you’ve failed before, don’t worry. Use
previous relapse experiences to help you learn how to stay smoke-free.
® The psychological side of tobacco addiction can be sneaky! It’ll twist your thinking
Come to an information session and
100 Mile Club packet pick-up:
to persuade you that you can’t or shouldn’t try to stop. Be on the lookout for
negative thoughts and take positive action to get your thinking back on track.
Typical negative ideas are as follows: “One puff won’t hurt,’’ “You might get hit
by a truck anyway,’’ or “Life will never be fun again without cigarettes.’’
® Stopping completely is the best route to success. Cutting down or switching to
low-tar cigarettes won’t help you quit, so bite the bullet and say goodbye to tobacco.
Only when you’ve stopped completely will you pass through the withdrawal phase
and start to enjoy life as a non-smoker. So set a date to stop and stick to it!
How Dependent Are You?
Before deciding on a smoking cessation treatment, you should find out how nicotine
dependent you really are. This simple guide will give you a good indication, but you
should also get your carbon monoxide levels tested at your local clinic if possible.
Low Dependence: You smoke your first cigarette more than 1 hour after
getting up and you smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes per day.
Medium Dependence: You smoke your first cigarette 30 to 60 minutes after
getting up and you smoke 10 to 20 cigarettes per day.
High Dependence: You smoke your first cigarette less than 30 minutes after
getting up and you smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)
**
Join the 100 Mile Club
reprinted with permission from Stop! Magazine
Giving up smoking is the most important thing you can do to improve your
health, so we’ve put together some essential information to help you.
important to you now is because you’re addicted to them. Life really will be
happier, healthier, and wealthier once you’ve stopped for good.
® Giving up successfully is more a process than a single event. Most people try
Health
Clinic
Siletz Community Health Clinic
Conference Room
Aug. 7,2001,4 p.m.
(After Aug. 7, packets can be picked up from Maxine Rilatos)
W
4
Sponsored by the Community Health Department and the
Indian Health Service Diabetes Grant
enough to reduce cravings. Chew the gum slowly and intermittently so that the
nicotine is released and absorbed gradually through the lining of your mouth. A
variety of flavors are now available to suit different tastes.
NRT - Nasal Spray
The strongest form of NRT. Recommended for those with a high dependence
on nicotine who have tried everything else and yet still need help to reduce their
cravings. The nicotine solution comes in a bottle: you spray one puff up into each
nostril and the nicotine is delivered very rapidly through the lining of your nose.
It will probably make your eyes water at first (!) but it does deal with those cravings,
and initial side effects (runny nose, etc.) will ease off within a day or two.
There is indisputable evidence that NRT doubles the chances of stopping
smoking successfully, but fewer than 25 percent of quitters use it! We want to
emphasize the potential benefit of using NRT if you really want to stop. The cost
of treatment deters some smokers from using it, but the possible long-term savings
to your health and pocketbook are enormous, and NRT is clinically proven to be
safe (when used as directed).
The inhaler looks like a cross between a pen and a cigarette holder. It consists
of a mouthpiece and a cartridge into which you put a lOmg nicotine “plug.’’ You
use it by sucking on the mouthpiece: nicotine vapor and menthol pass into your
mouth and the nicotine is absorbed into your body. It’s good for those who miss
the hand and mouth sensations of smoking and is about as strong as 2mg gum.
The Stop! Guide to Quit Aids
Bupropion Tablets
NRT - Patches
Will help you get through the first weeks in a calmer frame of mind, making
cravings manageable and allowing you to get on with your life pretty well. Patches
work by delivering a steady dose of nicotine into the blood through the skin; it
takes 4 to 8 hours to reach peak level, depending on which patch you use. The
24-hour patch ensures sustained nicotine levels but may cause vivid dreams; the
16-hour variety is for daytime use and its strength tails off toward bedtime.
NRT-Gum
The key with gum is to make sure that you use enough (10 to 15 pieces per
day at regular intervals) to ensure that the nicotine level in your blood is high
NRT - Inhaler
Bupropion is thought to work by moderating the levels of certain brain
chemicals (e.g. dopamine and noradrenaline). We still don’t understand exactly
how it works, but short-term clinical trials have yielded results as good as, or
maybe even better than, NRT. Unlike NRT, Bupropion is taken for 10 to 14 days
before your quit day so that the drug can build up in your system and start reducing
your urges to smoke. You then carry on, taking it for a few weeks after your quit
day (7 to 12 weeks in total). Side effects include dry mouth, difficulty sleeping,
and headaches, but these effects aren’t normally serious. It’s not recommended
for anyone with a history of seizures (e.g. epileptic fits) or those with a current or
prior diagnosis of an eating disorder.
(See Treatment Options on page 18)
August 2001
□
Siletz News
□
17