Research has now shown us at least some of the dangers. Everyone knows about lung cancer and emphysema, the effects of smoking on their lungs. Less is known about heart disease and disease to every other organ system. If people knew about the damage to their skin alone many of them probably would not have started. It is easy to spot a forty-year-old smoker in a crowd by the extra lines on their faces. Now imagine that same damage being done to every organ in your body. Those effects are less obvious.   If the chemicals from one cigarette were in a glass of drinking water for people to see no one would drink the water.  Yet smokers ingest those chemicals 20 or more times a day. Every cell in your body suffers from tobacco use.

    Nursing homes are full of old smokers, and everybody knows someone that is alone in his or her old age because a spouse died prematurely from tobacco use.

    Fortunately we know now that stopping tobacco use will stop some of its damaging effects. Our body has an amazing ability to heal itself when treated well. With good nutrition some of the damage can even be reversed.

    There are several methods available to stop using tobacco. Nicotine patches and gum are available over the counter. We have prescription medication available that works great, as well as treatments from hypnotism to group therapy. Anyone with a true desire to quit using tobacco can find a combination of these things that work for them. I have seen it over and over in my own practice. Here are a few of the ideas I have had good success with in the past.  Use some or all of them as necessary.

1

    Limit places you smoke.  Start by not smoking in your house. Rent a carpet cleaning machine this weekend and make your house smell like a non-smoker lives there. Then don't smoke in your car.  Then limit smoking breaks at work.  Over a period of time you will cut your cigarette use dramatically.

2

    Truck driver’s can switch to a pipe while driving. That method works for anyone that can smoke all day at work. Pipes always go out but they have something to occupy their time while driving. They can drive, or work, for hours without lighting a cigarette. Then they taper off of the pipe as their nicotine craving diminishes.  Buy a good enough pipe to not burn your tongue.  I used to smoke Bourbon Blend tobacco.  Check with a pipe shop and try other smooth tobaccos.  

3

    You can place a small notebook the size of your cigarette pack on your pack with a rubber band.  Every time you pick up your pack to have a cigarette you have to look at your watch, write down the time, and then write next to the time how bad you really want this cigarette.  On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being not at all and 10 being really bad.  This makes you think before every cigarette, and you will not smoke the ones that are less than a 5 or so.

    Another trick is to put a picture of a child or grandchild that you love on the other side of your pack.  Ask yourself each time you take the pack out if you want to go to their high school graduation or wedding without an oxygen tank.

4 

    Place a cookie jar in a conspicuous place.  When you get paid place $3.00 in the jar for each day that you usually smoke one pack of cigarettes.  That is $21.00 a week.  When you buy cigarettes you have to take the money from that jar.  As you smoke less you will have money left in the jar each payday to use for anything you like.  It will eventually be $1095.00 a year, or $95.00 a month.  Make this a competition if more than one of you smoke.  You can decide what the money will be used for.  If it is a trip to Hawaii place a picture of Hawaii on the jar.  If it is for a ski boat place a picture of a ski boat on the jar.

5

    Many people quit by making a choice to change to a better diet and general wellness program. It’s not easy, but the rewards are immeasurable. Once you start thinking about good diet, vitamins, and wanting to be well it is easier to change bad habits. It just doesn’t make sense to devote the time and money to good food and vitamins and continue smoking.  Good Luck!!