SMOKING

1. How to Quit Smoking

Here's a simple step-by-step plan to help you stop smoking.You decided to stop
smoking? Great its one of the best things you can do for your health.
But quitting isnt easy. Nicotine the addictive ingredient in tobacco is as
addictive as heroin or cocaine, according to the American Cancer Society, and the
average person attempts to quit six times before succeeding.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to set yourself up for success and kick the
habit for good.
Set a date: Pick a day and time in the near future that you expect to be relatively
stress-free so you can prepare to quit smoking.
Quitting when you have a big project due at work, or even when you have
something happy on your calendar like a birthday party (if you tend to light up
when you are drinking or socializing), can be more challenging.
Write down your reasons: Consider why you want to stop smoking and jot the
reasons down. You can refer to them once you quit when you get a craving. A few
universal good ones:
My risk of cancer, heart attacks, chronic lung disease, stroke, cataracts, and other
diseases will drop.
My blood pressure will go down.
Ill look better. My skin will be more hydrated and less wrinkled, my teeth will
look less yellow and my fingers wont be stained with nicotine.
Ill save money.
My hair, clothes, car, and home wont reek of smoke.
Ill have more energy.
Ill set a better example for my kids, friends, and family.
Ill live longer.

Get your friends and family on board: The more support you have, the more likely
you are to quit smoking.
Ask your loved ones to help keep you distracted by taking walks or playing games,
and bear with you if you become cranky or irritable as you experience nicotine
withdrawal.
Tell any smokers not to smoke around you, or better yet, ask your smoking buddies
to quit with you.
Identify your triggers: Youll be most tempted to smoke during the same times you
do now. Knowing your habits and what situations may set off a craving will help
you plan ahead for distractions.
For example, you may typically smoke while driving, drinking, or after dinner, or
it may be that you reach for a cigarette when youre feeling stressed, lonely, or
depressed.
Create healthy distractions to head off potential smoking triggers. If you smoke
while you drive, keep a pack of gum on hand, or if you smoke after dinner, plan to
take a walk or chat on the phone with a friend.
Anticipate cravings: Its expected that youll experience nicotine cravings as your
body begins to go through withdrawal.
The good news is that cravings arent endless. They generally last for five minutes
and no longer than 10.
When cravings strike, focus on something else: Drink a glass of water, review your
list of reasons for quitting, take deep breaths, play with your cat or dog do
whatever it takes until the craving subsides.
Distract yourself: Keep celery stalks, carrot sticks, nuts, or gum handy to give your
mouth something to do when cravings occur.
And finding some way to occupy your hands knitting, woodworking, cooking,
yoga, or yard work will help keep your mind off smoking.
Expect to feel a little off: Nicotine withdrawal can make you feel anxious, cranky,
sad, and even make it hard for you to fall asleep.
It helps to know that all these feelings are a normal and temporary part of the
process.

Throw out all your cigarettes: Yes, even that emergency one you stashed away.
If you dont have cigarettes on hand, it will make it that much easier to stay the
course when a craving hits.
Reward yourself: With all the money youll save by not buying tobacco, you can
buy new clothes, splurge on dinner, or start a new hobby. Some people keep their
cigarette money in a jar, then reward themselves with a treat each week.
Talk to your doctor about cessation medications: If youre not sure you can go cold
turkey, dont.
Speak with your doctor about over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription
medications that can make quitting easier.

2. Are We Pooping Wrong?

Old Hollywood is replete with images of men who smoked cigarettes from
rough-and-tumble cowboys like John Wayne to debonaire leading men like
Humphrey Bogart. And famous women were known for smoking, too: Many
images of stars like Marlene Dietrich feature a glamorous woman elegantly posing
with a cigarette in hand.
Smoking used to be considered more of a male pursuit, with much higher numbers
of men smoking than women. Back in 1965, about 52 percent of men smoked,
compared with 34 percent of women. Forty years later, 24 percent of men smoked
compared with 18 percent of women. Though the overall percentage of people who
smoke has come down, the smoking "gender gap" has narrowed over time, putting
both sexes at more equal risk of the dangers of smoking.
Gender Differences in Smoking
Smoking is a very different experience for men and women, research has found.
Men and women differ on:
Why they smoke
How they feel about the dangers of smoking
What addicts them to smoking
Why they may or may not quit

Some of the specific differences found between male and female smokers include:
Reasons for smoking. Studies have found that men smoke to feel more alert and
vigorous, enjoying the positive feelings associated with the habit. Women smoke
because they find it relaxes them and relieves stress. Nicotine appears to promote
aggression in men, but has a calming effect on women. Women also appear to be
more likely to take up smoking to help control their weight.
Enjoyment of smoking. Women appear to smoke less for the nicotine and more for
other factors, such as enjoying the sight and smell of tobacco smoke or the pleasure
involved in interacting with other people while smoking. For example, men on
cigarette breaks tend to smoke alone, while women taking smoke breaks gather in
groups.
Intensity of smoking. Men tend to consume more cigarettes than women. About 15
percent of male smokers have more than 24 cigarettes a day, compared to just 8
percent of female smokers. Women overall smoke fewer cigarettes per day than
men and are less likely to inhale deeply when they smoke.
Health concerns. While many of the dangers of smoking cross gender lines, men
and women smokers do face some unique risks. Male smokers may experience a
decline in sexual potency and fertility. Female smokers have an increased risk of
cardiovascular disease, particularly if they are taking oral contraceptives, and they
also risk early menopause, cervical cancer, bone fractures, and reproductive
difficulties.

3. Gender Differences in the Ability to Quit Smoking

Overall, women may find it much harder to stop smoking than men do. Both
genders cite health concerns regarding the dangers of smoking as the top reason for
quitting smoking, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found
that while 29 percent of male smokers have been able to quit, only 19 percent of
female smokers have permanently broken the habit. Women are three times more
likely than men to relapse while trying to quit smoking without any help.
Researchers have found a number of reasons why its harder for women to stop
smoking. Women tend to suffer withdrawal more intensely than men, especially
during the last two weeks of their menstrual cycles. They may find nicotine
replacement therapies like nicotine patches and nicotine gum to be less helpful

than men do, and tend to worry more about weight gain if they stop smoking.
Women are also more likely to relapse under stress.

4. The Dangers of Smoking During Pregnancy

Low birth weight, SIDS, cancer, attention deficit disorder an infant, in the womb
or in the cradle, is at serious risk of all these problems and more, if exposed to
smoke.
You know that smoking isnt good for you, but if youre pregnant, smoking can
have damaging effects on your unborn child, too both now and long after your
baby is born. In one study, published in the European Heart Journal, researchers
found that children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy have lower
levels of good HDL cholesterol, which in turn may increase their risk of having a
stroke or heart attack later in life.
But thats far from the only risk associated with smoking and pregnancy. Women
who smoke during pregnancy pass along the health dangers of smoking to their
babies in literally thousands of ways. Cigarette smoke contains more than 2,500
individual chemicals, all of which can have a potential impact on the life of an
unborn child. Research has shown that smoking while pregnant can have a
devastating and even life-threatening impact on fetal development.
The two byproducts of smoking that have been proven to affect developing fetuses
are carbon monoxide and nicotine.
Carbon monoxide. A lethal gas contained in cigarette smoke that interferes with the
blood's ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. This can decrease fetal oxygen
levels and retard the growth of the unborn child.
Nicotine. This is the substance in cigarettes that provides pleasure to smokers and
causes them to become addicted. Nicotine interferes with oxygen delivery to the
developing fetus and has other negative effects on fetal development. Nicotine
easily crosses the placenta, and researchers have found nicotine concentrations in
fetuses about 15 percent higher than nicotine levels found in smoking mothers.
Highly concentrated levels of nicotine have been found in fetal blood, amniotic
fluid, and breast milk in expectant mothers who smoke. One study found that
nicotine in breast milk can disrupt a baby's ability to sleep and reduce nap times by
as much as one-third.

Specific Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy

Health experts figure if all pregnant women refrained from smoking, it would lead
to an 11 percent reduction in the number of stillbirths and a 5 percent decrease in
newborn deaths.
The risks of smoking during pregnancy include:
Low birth weight. A woman who smokes during pregnancy has twice the risk of
having a baby with a low birth weight. Babies with low birth weight have an
increased risk of health problems, chronic disabilities, and death.
Complications of pregnancy. Pregnant women who smoke are twice as likely to
suffer from placental abruption and placenta previa, two serious pregnancy
complications that can result in heavy bleeding during birth and greatly increase
the risk of death for both mother and child
Birth defects. Research has found that smoking during early pregnancy increases
the risk of birth defects. In particular, babies of smokers seem to have congenital
heart defects more often that those of nonsmokers, and the risk of heart defects
seems to rise with the number of cigarettes the expectant mother smokes.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Smoking during pregnancy is one of the
top risk factors for SIDS. The babies of smokers are up to three times more likely
to die from SIDS as the babies of nonsmokers.
Childhood cancer. Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy have an
increased risk of all forms of cancer, including leukemia and lymphoma, studies
have found.
Developmental disorders. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also called
ADHD, occurs more frequently in children of mothers who smoked. Studies have
identified a range of other behavioral and cognitive problems associated with
maternal smoking, including a 50 percent increase in rates of mental retardation.
Secondhand smoke also affects unborn children even if the pregnant woman
herself does not smoke: Studies show that for a pregnant woman, being around
people who smoke increases the risk that her child will be born at less than normal
weight and have growth issues.