City of Worcester, MA

Quitting Smoking: Five Ways to Get Ready

For Immediate Release: 11/21/2014 2:19 pm

Worcester, MA (November 21, 2014) - November 20th marked the annual Great American Smokeout, a smoking cessation campaign. Central MA Tobacco Free Community Partnership, together with the City of Worcester Division of Public Health, would like to provide some tips that help people work towards smoking cessation.

If you're a smoker, quitting is the single most important step you can take to protect your health and the health of your loved ones. Smoking causes immediate damage to your body, and it greatly increases your risk for disabling disease and early death. But smoking is an addiction, and you need planning and support to quit for good.

That's where the Great American Smokeout on November 20th can help. Smokers are encouraged to use this day to plan how they will quit smoking. When you quit smoking during the Great American Smokeout, you have the support of many other people across the nation. The Great American Smokeout was developed by the American Cancer Society over thirty years ago to give people motivation and support to quit smoking.

If you want to quit and you've already tried in the past, don't give up. It takes most smokers several tries before they are able to quit for good. Fortunately, all health insurance plans in the Commonwealth cover quit-smoking medicines for as many times as you need them in order to quit.

The Massachusetts Smokers' Helpline, 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669), is available to you for free coaching to help you make a plan to quit smoking and to support you through quitting. Using this coaching support and quit-smoking medicines together can make you three times as likely to quit for good.

Five Ways to Get Ready to Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking can be hard, but there are ways to make it easier.

1. Set a quit date. Choose the Great American Smokeout or another quit day within the next two weeks.
2. Tell your family and friends you plan to quit. Share your quit date with the important people in your life and ask for support. A daily email, text message or phone call can help you stay on course and provide moral support. Plan a smoke-free lunch date or game night to distract yourself. Or gather your family in the kitchen to cook a special meal together.
3. Anticipate and plan for challenges. The urge to smoke is short - usually only 3 to 5 minutes. Surprised? Those moments can feel intense. Before your quit date, write down healthy ways to cope. Even one puff can feed a craving and make it stronger. Healthy choices include:
• Drinking Water
• Taking a Walk or Climbing the Stairs
• Listening to a Favorite Song or Playing a Game
• Calling or Texting a Friend
4. Remove cigarettes and other tobacco from your home, car and workplace. Throw away your cigarettes, matches, lighters and ashtrays. Clean and freshen your car, home and workplace. Old cigarette odors can cause cravings.
5. Talk to your doctor about medicines to help you quit. Nicotine patches, nicotine gum or prescription medicines can help you quit for good. Your quit coach and pharmacist can also give you guidance.

For more information about local in-person support contact Tina Grosowsky, tina.grosowsky@umassmed.edu, (508) 856-5067. For resources on quitting visit www.makesmokinghistory.org.

The Great American Smokeout was developed by the American Cancer Society over thirty years ago to give people motivation and support to quit smoking.