Therapy Options For Nicotine Addiction

Written by Dr. Linda Jager.

Quitting tobacco is the number one way to improve your health.  If you would like help quitting smoking, ICS offers clinical consultations for smoking cessation.

Stopping tobacco use is often described as a journey because it sometimes takes more than one attempt to quit.  It has been reported that over 70% of smokers want to quit, and as many as 50% attempt to quit every year.  Unfortunately, only 5-10% of smokers who try to quit “cold turkey” are successful in the long term because smoking is not just a habit, but an addiction. The addiction is real and difficult to overcome, and even more so without support.

To be successful, it is best to think of it as a stepwise process. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that, unless contraindicated, people who smoke ten or more cigarettes a day will consider the use of a drug therapy in every attempt to quit.

Making it easier to kick the habit:

There are a number of  medications to make quitting easier.  A variety of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products are available without a prescription (patches, gums, lozenges).  Other nicotine replacement therapy products (inhalers and nasal spray) require a prescription.  Other helpful prescription medications include Zyban and Chantix, both of which curb your desire for tobacco.  Research shows that patients who use a combination of therapies are the most successful.

Many different support systems are also available–including online, telephone consultation, phone apps, personal counseling, group therapy, acupuncture and hypnosis.

Why is it even more important to stop smoking with a cancer diagnosis?

Continuing to use tobacco during treatment can make treatments difficult to tolerate, increase side effects, and even undermine treatment effectiveness. Cancer patients already have an increased risk of a secondary cancer and smoking further increases this risk.

 Let ICS help you develop a personalized stepwise approach to assist you on your journey to be tobacco free.  Call ICS today to schedule your smoking cessation consultation.

When Smokers Quit:

 
20-30 minutes Blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal; body temperature of hands and feet increase to normal. Blood flow returns to skin.
8 hours In the blood carbon monoxide drops to normal and oxygen increases to normal
24 Hours Chance of heart attack decreases
48 hours Nerve ending start to regrowing and ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
2 weeks- 3 months Circulation improves, walking is easier and lung function efficiency increases.
1-9 Months Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease
1 year Excess risk of coronary artery disease is half that of a smoker
5 years Lung cancer death rate ( 1 pack per day smoker) decreases almost half. Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker after 5-15 years. Risk of cancer of mouth, throat and esophagus is half that of smoker’s.
10 Years Lung cancer death rate similar to nonsmokers, precancerous cells replaced, risk of cancer of bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases.
15 years Risk of Coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker.