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It is Never Too Late to Quit Tobacco! No matter how long you have been using tobacco, if you can quit now, it will help you live longer and healthier

1. You will feel better - within just a few weeks, you will begin to feel better. Your body is able to start healing when you put down your last cigarette.

2. Your risk of serious illness decreases - people who quit smoking have less bronchitis and pneumonia than those who continue to smoke. Just one year after you stop smoking, your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

3. You will look better - your teeth will be whiter and your fingers will look cleaner without stains from tobacco.

4. Your energy will improve - you will have more oxygen in your blood and less poisonous carbon monoxide. Therefore, you will feel stronger and have more energy. You can even walk or run farther without losing your breath.

5. Food will taste better - when you quit using tobacco, your sense of taste and smell will return which can result in food tasting better.

6. You will help those that you love - you will reduce the risk of cancer and serious illness that is caused by secondhand smoke. You will also set a good example for children and grandchildren.

What about nicotine replacement or medicine to help me stop smoking?Nicotine replacement products are ways to take in nicotine without smoking. These products come in several forms: gum, patch, nasal spray, inhaler and lozenge. You can buy the nicotine gum, patch and lozenge without a prescription from your doctor. Nicotine replacement works by lessening your body’s craving for nicotine and reducing withdrawal symptoms. This lets you focus on the changes you need to make in your habits and environment.

Once you feel more confident as a nonsmoker, dealing with your nicotine addiction is easier.

A prescription medicine called bupropion SR (brand names: Zyban, Wellbutrin SR) helps some people stop smoking. It is taken as a pill. Bupropion SR does not contain nicotine, but it helps you resist your urges to smoke.

Talk to your doctor about which of these products is likely to give you the best chance of success. For any of these products to work, you must carefully follow the directions on the package. It’s very important that you don’t smoke while using nicotine replacement products.

The 4 D’s of Quitting Try These Tips to Fight the Urge to Smoke

Drink watergo get a drink before anything else

Do You Want to Quit? Here are some questions to think about...

Think about the following questions before you try to stop smoking. You may want to talk about your answers with your health care provider.

1. Why do you want to quit?

2. When you tried to quit in the past, what helped and what didn’t?

3. What will be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How will you plan to handle them?

4. Who can help you through the tough times? Your family? Friends? Health care provider?

5. What pleasures do you get from smoking? What ways can you still get pleasure if you quit?

Here are some questions to ask your Health Care Provider 1. How can you help me to be successful at quitting?

2. What medication do you think would be best for me and how should I take it?

3. What should I do if I need more help?

4. What is smoking withdrawal like? How can I get information on withdrawal?

Stressed Out? Try Deep BreathingHere’s how:1. Breathe in through your nose on a slow count of three.

2. Push your stomach out as you breathe in.

3. Breathe out through your mouth on a slow count of six.

4. Repeat two more times.

Tips:1. If you feel light-headed, slow your breathing more.

2. Practice three times a day so you can remember the steps when you are stressed out.

Do something elsehave a goodie bag handy of other things to do

Delayset a time limit before you decide to smoke

Deep breathingtake at least 10 deep breaths

Fast Fixes for Cravings

How does Secondhand Smoke Harm Children?

• Take 10 deep breaths

• Work in the yard

• Take a shower or bath

• Take a walk

• Light a candle instead

• Drink a glass of water

• Chew gum

• Get a change of scenery

• Make a phone call

• Write in a journal

• Brush your teeth

• Squeeze a stress ball

• Read a short magazine or book

• Work a crossword puzzle

If you work in an office:• Unfold a paperclip

• Get out of your chair and take a two minute walk

• Create a screensaver that says “I am a Nonsmoker”

• Look at a picture of someone who is supporting you

• Take 10 deep breaths

• Make a to-do list

• Eat a piece of hard candy

• Get a drink of water

If you’re at home:• Tidy up one room

• Do a crossword puzzle

• Visit a nonsmoking website

• Brush your teeth

• Get a drink of water

• Call a friend

• Read a book

• Take a walk outside

• Take a shower

• Rest - take a short nap

• Eat some carrot sticks or popcorn

• Sing a song out loud

Babies and children exposed to a smoky atmosphere are:• Twice as likely to have asthma attacks

and chest infections

• More likely to need hospital care in their first year of life

• Off sick from school more often

• More likely to get more coughs, colds and wheezes

Medical research also shows children have:• Much higher risk of S.I.D.S. death than

the children of non-smokers

• Increased risk of meningitis

• Higher chances of getting ear infections and ‘glue ear’, which can lead to partial deafness

What can you do to protect babies and children?You can help protect them by keeping their play, sleep and eating areas completely smoke free.

• Always smoke outside - well away from children

• When out and about with the family, find non-smoking areas

Inland Northwest Health ServicesCommunity Wellness501 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Suite 245Spokane, WA 99202509-232-8138

Visit wellness.inhs.org for more information and free tobacco cessation class information.

Community Wellness is a service of Inland Northwest Health Services (INHS). INHS is a non-profit corporation in Spokane, Washington providing collaboration in health care services on behalf of the community and its member organization Providence Health Care.

Additional Resources to Help You Quit:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Tobacco Information and Prevention Sourcewww.cdc.gov/tobacco

Smokefree.gov – A free resource including quit coaches and quit planswww.smokefree.gov

The American Lung Association – Tools, tips and support to quithttp://www.quitterinyou.org/

Surgeon General – Prevention Strategyshttp://www.surgeongeneral.gov/initiatives/prevention/index.html

Cigarette smoking was first identified as a risk factor for osteoporosis more than 25 years ago. Recent studies have shown a direct relationship between tobacco use and decreased bone density. Analyzing the impact of cigarette smoking on bone health is complicated. It is hard to determine whether a decrease in bone density is due to smoking itself or to other risk factors common among smokers. For example, in many cases smokers are thinner than non-smokers, tend

Smoking and Osteoporosisto drink more alcohol, may be less physically active, and have poor diets. Women who smoke tend to enter menopause earlier. These factors place many smokers at an increased risk for osteoporosis apart from their tobacco use.

In addition, most studies on the effects of smoking suggest that smoking increases the risk of having a fracture. Not all studies have supported these findings, but the evidence is mounting.

For example:

• The longer you smoke and the more cigarettes you consume, the greater your risk of fracture in old age.

• Smokers who fracture may take longer to heal than non-smokers and may experience more complications during the healing process.

• Significant bone loss has been found in older women and men who smoke.

• At least one study suggests that exposure to

secondhand smoke during youth and early adulthood may increase the risk of developing low bone mass.

• Women who smoke, often produce less estrogen (a sex hormone) and tend to experience menopause earlier than non-smokers, which may lead to increased bone loss.

• Quitting smoking appears to reduce the risk of low bone mass and fractures. However, it may take several years to lower a former smoker’s risk.