2008 Woodie Awards
Breaking the habit
Maya Parshina
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Pulse
The first installment of the Smoking Cessation workshops, held on Tuesday at the UIC Wellness Center, provided information on nicotine replacement therapy and advice on how to get ready to quit. The workshop was organized by the American Pharmacy Association, a pharmacy students' group.
Reasons for smoking were shared by each newcomer - among them were stress or feeling "blue." These reasons turn into a habit of fidgeting, creating a need for a hand-to-mouth motion. To start breaking the habit, participants were advised to not carry cigarettes with them, call a friend in order to share a problem, and keep hands busy by carrying an extra bag. If you are a social smoker, and have a need for a beer in one hand and cigarette in the other, fill the void in your tobacco hand with a bottle of water.
The other part to stopping smoking is to block withdrawal symptoms. There are several pharmaceutical products, a couple of which are available without prescription. Some are as follows:
Nicotine gum is a more convenient and faster way of delivering nicotine than the patch, but it only lasts about an hour and should be taken when getting a strong urge to light up.
The patch is available in a 16-hour or 24-hour version, but the dose may not be high enough to work well all day. In both cases of gum and patch, smoking while using those products may cause nausea.
Nicotine nasal spray and nicotine inhaler, both deliver nicotine quickly and while the former reduces sudden cravings, the latter also provides "comfort" of hand-to-mouth. Both of them are not available without a prescription, have a few side effects, and are not for people with asthma.
Bupropion hydrochloride is a prescription anti-depressant. It is easy to use but, like other anti-depressants, it has side effects.
Varenicline (Chantix) is a nicotine blocker, which, just like Bupropion, should be taken one to two weeks before your quit date to start working. Varenicline lessens pleasure from smoking and reduces symptoms of withdrawal.
Whichever way you choose to quit, keep in mind that every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Over 438,000 Americans (18.1 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year. Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 of them.
For more information, attend the Smoking Cessation workshops on Oct. 28 and Nov. 25, held at the UIC Wellness Center from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Reasons for smoking were shared by each newcomer - among them were stress or feeling "blue." These reasons turn into a habit of fidgeting, creating a need for a hand-to-mouth motion. To start breaking the habit, participants were advised to not carry cigarettes with them, call a friend in order to share a problem, and keep hands busy by carrying an extra bag. If you are a social smoker, and have a need for a beer in one hand and cigarette in the other, fill the void in your tobacco hand with a bottle of water.
The other part to stopping smoking is to block withdrawal symptoms. There are several pharmaceutical products, a couple of which are available without prescription. Some are as follows:
Nicotine gum is a more convenient and faster way of delivering nicotine than the patch, but it only lasts about an hour and should be taken when getting a strong urge to light up.
The patch is available in a 16-hour or 24-hour version, but the dose may not be high enough to work well all day. In both cases of gum and patch, smoking while using those products may cause nausea.
Nicotine nasal spray and nicotine inhaler, both deliver nicotine quickly and while the former reduces sudden cravings, the latter also provides "comfort" of hand-to-mouth. Both of them are not available without a prescription, have a few side effects, and are not for people with asthma.
Bupropion hydrochloride is a prescription anti-depressant. It is easy to use but, like other anti-depressants, it has side effects.
Varenicline (Chantix) is a nicotine blocker, which, just like Bupropion, should be taken one to two weeks before your quit date to start working. Varenicline lessens pleasure from smoking and reduces symptoms of withdrawal.
Whichever way you choose to quit, keep in mind that every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Over 438,000 Americans (18.1 percent of all deaths) die because of smoking each year. Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 of them.
For more information, attend the Smoking Cessation workshops on Oct. 28 and Nov. 25, held at the UIC Wellness Center from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
James R
posted 10/07/08 @ 8:04 AM CST
I am not against these workshops and their attempts to help smokers stop smoking. However, I do not think that recommending Chantix is the way to go. This medicine is dangerous to many patients, needs more testing, and should not be recommended in these programs. (Continued…)
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