Rewards For Quitting Smoking

Immediate Rewards of Quitting

Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you'll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards can improve your day-to-day life a great deal.

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your breath smells better
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stained teeth get whiter
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bad smelling clothes and hair go away
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your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
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food tastes better
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your sense of smell returns to normal
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everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (for example, climbing stairs or light housework).

Cost

The prospect of better health is a major reason for quitting, but there are other reasons, too.

Smoking is expensive. It isn't hard to figure out how much you spend on smoking: multiply how much money you spend on tobacco every day by 365 (days per year). The amount may surprise you. Now multiply that by the number of years you have been using tobacco and that amount will probably shock you.

Multiply the cost per year by 10 (for the upcoming 10 years) and ask yourself what you would rather do with that much money.

And this doesn't include other possible costs, such as higher costs for health and life insurance, and likely health care costs due to tobacco-related problems.

Social Acceptance

Smoking is less socially acceptable now than it was in the past.

Almost all workplaces have some type of smoking rules. Some employers even prefer to hire non-smokers. Studies show smoking employees cost businesses more to employ because they are out sick more. Employees who are ill more often than others can raise an employer’s need for expensive short-term replacement workers. They can increase insurance costs both for other employees and for the employer, who often pays part of the workers’ insurance premiums. Smokers in a building also can increase the maintenance costs of keeping odors down, since residue from cigarette smoke clings to carpets, drapes, and other fabrics.

Landlords may choose not to rent to smokers since maintenance costs and insurance rates may rise when smokers occupy buildings.

Friends may ask you not to smoke in their homes or cars. Public buildings, concerts, and even sporting events are largely smoke-free. And more and more communities are restricting smoking in all public places, including restaurants and bars. Like it or not, finding a place to smoke can be a hassle.

Smokers may also find their prospects for dating or romantic involvement, including marriage, are largely limited to other smokers, who make up only about 21% of the adult population.

Health of Others

Smoking not only harms your health but it hurts the health of those around you. Exposure to secondhand smoke (also called environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoking) includes exhaled smoke as well as smoke from burning cigarettes.

Studies have shown that secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year from lung cancer and heart disease in healthy non-smokers.

If a mother smokes, there is a higher risk of her baby developing asthma in childhood, especially if she smoked while she was pregnant. Smoking is also linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and low-birth weight infants. Babies and children raised in a household where there is smoking have more ear infections, colds, bronchitis, and other lung and breathing problems than children from non-smoking families. Secondhand smoke can also cause eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and dizziness.

Setting an Example

If you have children, you probably want to set a good example for them. When asked, nearly all smokers say they don't want their children to smoke, but children whose parents smoke are more likely to start smoking themselves. You can become a good role model for them by quitting now.

Help Is Available

With the wide range of counseling services, self-help materials, and medicines available today, smokers have more tools than ever to help them quit smoking for good.

Remember, tobacco addiction has both a psychological and a physical component. For most people, the best way to quit will be some combination of medicine, a method to change personal habits, and emotional support. The following sections describe these tools and how they may be helpful to you.

Help With Psychological Addiction

Some people are able to quit on their own, without the help of others or the use of medicines. But for many smokers, it can be hard to break the social and emotional ties to smoking while getting over nicotine withdrawal symptoms at the same time. Fortunately, there are many sources of support out there -- both formal and informal.

Telephone-based Help to Stop Smoking

Most states run some type of free telephone-based program, such as the American Cancer Society’s Quitline® tobacco cessation program that links callers with trained counselors. These specialists help plan a quit method that fits each person's unique smoking pattern. People who use telephone counseling stop smoking at twice the rate of those who don't get this type of help. With guidance from a counselor, quitters can avoid common mistakes that may self-destruct a quit attempt.

Telephone counseling is also more convenient for many people than some other support programs. It doesn't require transportation or childcare, and it's available nights and weekends. Counselors may suggest a combination of methods including medicines, local classes, self-help brochures, and/or a network of family and friends.

Smokers can get help finding a Quitline® phone counseling program in their area by calling the ACS at 1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345).

Support of Family, Friends, and Quit Programs

Many former smokers say a support network of family and friends was very important during their quit attempt. Other people who may offer support and encouragement are co-workers, your family doctor, and members of support groups for quitters. You can check with your employer, health insurance company, or local hospital to find support groups or call the ACS at 1-800-ACS-2345.

What to Look for in a Stop Smoking Program

Stop smoking programs are designed to help smokers recognize and cope with problems that come up during quitting and to provide support and encouragement in staying quit. Studies have shown that the best programs will include either one-on-one or group counseling. There is a strong link between the intensity of counseling and the success rate. In general, the more intense the program, the greater the chance of success.

For example, intensity may be increased by having more or longer sessions or by increasing the number of weeks over which the sessions are given. So, when considering a program, look for one that has the following:

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session length -- at least 20 to 30 minutes per session
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number of sessions -- at least 4 to 7 sessions
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number of weeks -- at least 2 weeks

Make sure the leader of the group has training in smoking cessation.

Some communities have a Nicotine Anonymous group that holds regular meetings. This group applies the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to the addiction of smoking. This may include admitting you are powerless over your addiction to nicotine and having a sponsor to talk with when you are tempted to smoke. There is no fee to attend.

Often your local American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, or your local health department will sponsor quit smoking classes. Call 1-800-ACS-2345 for more information.

There are some programs to watch out for as well. Not all programs are ethical. Be wary of programs that do the following :

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promise instant, easy success with no effort on your part
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use injections or pills, especially "secret" ingredients (nicotine replacement is covered elsewhere)
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charge a very high fee--check with the Better Business Bureau if you have doubts
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are not willing to give you references from people who have used the program