BlueMountainEagle.com
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
A13
JANUARY 2019
It Is Time…. To Kick The Buts…
Lesly shared this after being tobacco free:
“I was desperate to quit smoking – I was desperate to smoke.
I was sick to death of smoking – HYPERLINK “https://www.verywell.com/the-truth-about-smoking-pleasure-2824757”I
loved to smoke. I hated how I smelled – I loved the smell of my smokes. I hated the burn holes, fears, sickness – I loved the
rituals. I hated being told I should quit - I knew I should quit. Most of all – I was sick and tired of being sick and tired”
“Quitting is hard – it takes effort, determination and commitment, but HYPERLINK “https://www.verywell.com/how-to-
quit-smoking-successfully-2824544”it can be done. You need to be brutally honest with yourself, though, and you cannot
quit by continuing to smoke. You have to stop! Not one – not one puff and no excuses”
Lesly’s experience and mixed emotions about wanting to be tobacco free is shared by most tobacco users. A recent study
showed that over 70 percent of tobacco users want to quit and over 50 percent made an attempt this past year.
Kick Buts is a program designed by Len’s Drug to help you explore all those “buts” that keep you from diving headlong
into stopping all tobacco; “I would quit, ‘but’ I might gain weight” “I would quit, ‘but’ I can’t handle the stress” I would
quit, ‘but’ I don’t have any support” and the list goes on and on.
This time of year is a “penalty free” time to make a change. Your family and friends would not be surprised by you
making a New Year’s Resolution to quit tobacco for good!
There is a Freedom from Smoking Support Group starting January 4th at 10am. The support group takes place at the Blue
Mountain Hospital in the conference room.
It is a 7-week program with 8 sessions; on Week 4, quit week, there is two sessions. Freedom from Smoking will help
develop a plan of action to lead to your quit day and then help you through the quit process. It explains the three chains of
addiction and helps you understand why it is so difficult to quit, thus setting you up for success during the quit process. It
will also cover weight management, eating, and physical activity in regards to helping the quit process. You will also be able
to measure their blood carbon monoxide levels throughout the process so they are able to see benefits of quitting right
away. The biggest benefit of Freedom from Smoking is the support that comes from the facilitator and from their peers
going through the same quit process.
Quitting tobacco has numerous health benefits and we will cover some of these as listed on the Smokefree.gov website.
Benefits of Quitting (From smokefree.gov). Quitting smoking can help most of the major parts of your body: from your
brain to your DNA.
BRAIN
Broken Addiction Cycle: Quitting smoking can re-wire your brain and help break the cycle of addiction. The large number of
nicotine receptors in your brain will return to normal levels after about a month of being quit.
HEAD AND FACE
Sharp Hearing: Quitting smoking will keep your hearing sharp. Remember, even mild hearing loss can cause problems (like
not hearing directions correctly and doing a task wrong).
Better Vision: Quitting smoking will improve your night vision and help preserve your overall vision by stopping the damage
that smoking does to your eyes.
Clean Mouth: Nobody likes a dirty mouth. After a few days without cigarettes, your smile will be brighter. Quitting smoking
now will keep your mouth healthy for years to come.
Clear Skin: Quitting smoking is better than anti-aging lotion. Quitting can help clear up blemishes and protect your skin
from premature aging and wrinkling.
HEART
Decreased Heart Risks: Smoking is the leading cause of heart attacks and heart disease. But many of these heart risks can be
reversed simply by quitting smoking. Quitting can lower your blood pressure and heart rate almost immediately. Your risk of
a heart attack declines within 24 hours.
Thin Blood: When you quit smoking, your blood will become thinner and less likely to form dangerous blood clots. Your
heart will also have less work to do, because it will be able to move the blood around your body more easily.
Lower Cholesterol: Quitting smoking will not get rid of the fatty deposits that are already there. But it will lower the levels
of cholesterol and fats circulating in your blood, which will help to slow the buildup of new fatty deposits in your arteries.
LUNGS
Stop Lung Damage: Scarring of the lungs is not reversible. That is why it is important to quit smoking before you do
permanent damage to your lungs. Within two weeks of quitting, you might notice it’s easier to walk up the stairs because
you may be less short of breath. Don’t wait until later; quit today!
Prevent Emphysema: There is no cure for emphysema. But quitting when you are young, before you have done years of
damage to the delicate air sacs in your lungs, will help protect you from developing emphysema later.
Return Of Cilia: Cilia start to regrow and re-gain normal function very quickly after you quit smoking. They are one of the first
things in your body to heal. People sometimes notice that they cough more than usual when they first quit smoking. This is a sign
that the cilia are coming back to life. But you’re more likely to fight off colds and infections when you’re cilia are working properly.
DNA
Lower Cancer Risk: Quitting smoking will prevent new DNA damage from happening and can even help repair the damage
that has already been done. Quitting smoking immediately is the best way to lower your risk of getting cancer.
STOMACH AND HORMONES
Smaller Belly: Quitting smoking will reduce your belly fat and lower your risk of diabetes. If you already have diabetes,
quitting can help you keep your blood sugar levels in check.
Normal Estrogen Levels: If you’re a woman, your estrogen levels will gradually return to normal after you quit smoking. And if
you hope to have children someday, quitting smoking right now will increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy in the future.
ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
Sexual Healing: If you quit smoking now, you can lower your chances of erectile dysfunction and
improve your chances of having a healthy sexual life.
BLOOD AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Normal White blood Cell Count: When you quit smoking, your body will begin to heal from the injuries that smoking
caused. Eventually, your white blood cell counts will return to normal and will no longer be on the defensive.
Proper Healing: Quitting smoking will improve blood flow to wounds, allowing important nutrients, minerals, and oxygen
to reach the wound and help it heal properly.
Stronger Immune System: When you quit smoking, your immune system is no longer exposed to tar and nicotine. It will
become stronger, and you will be less likely to get sick.
MUSCLES AND BONES
Strong Muscles: Quitting smoking will help increase the availability of oxygen in your blood, and your muscles will become
stronger and healthier.
Stronger Bones: Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of fractures, both now and later in life. Keep your bones strong and
healthy by quitting now.
As Lesly conveyed, quitting tobacco is HARD, but you CAN do it! Below we will list the many options that may be used
alone or in combination to help you quit. Studies have repeatedly shown, that combining options is beneficial to success. A
surprising fact is that “support”, talking, sharing, and being counseled is the most effective method when combined with
medications; a fact that Kick Buts supports with group and educational meetings.
METHODS OF QUITTING (in order of most effectiveness from smokefree.gov)
• Come Talk To Our Pharmacists At Len’s Drug For More Information On Each Method
• Counseling Plus Medications • Chantix • Nicotine Patch • Nicotine Gum • Nicotine Lozenge • Nicotine Inhaler • Nicotine
Nasal Spray • Bupropion Sr • In Person Counseling And Support • Combine Medications • Telephone Counseling And
Support • Self-help Guides And Other Medications • Online Programs • Laser Therapy • Hypnosis • Acupuncture
RESOURCES
• Kick Buts (Len’s Drug) • Weekly Support Group Meetings • Friday: 10am at Blue Mountain Hospital Conference Room
For 7 weeks • A Pharmacist is available at anytime to take to you about the quit process.
SMART PHONE APPS
• Smoke Free • SmartQuit • Quit for Life • Quit Pro • LIVESTRONG Quit • Way of Life • QuiteGuide • DipQuit
WEBSITES
• Ex: Re-learn to Live Without Cigarettes (becomeanex.org) • You Can Quit Smoking Now (smokefree.gov) • Complete Guide
to Quitting (American Cancer Society – cancer.org) • Freedom from Smoking (American Lung Associate – lung.org)
• Live change with a Quit Counselor (National Cancer Institute – LiveHelp.cancer.gov) • TeenQuit (teenquit.com) • My Last
Dip: quit smokeless tobacco (Oregon Research Institute – MyLastDip.com)
In conclusion, quitting tobacco is a very personal decision and can only be made by you. But, you can explore the option
of quitting even before you are ready to make the decision. We encourage you to visit a Kick Buts group support meeting or
monthly education meeting and begin down the road to living a new life, free from tobacco.
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