Category: Healthylife® QuitWell™

Smokeless tobacco includes chewing tobacco, which may also be called oral tobacco or spit tobacco. Smokeless tobacco also includes both moist and dry snuff, snus, and dissolvable tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco is not a safe form of tobacco, even if that is often how it is marketed by tobacco companies. Smokeless tobacco carries many serious risks.

Smokeless tobacco can cause cancers of the:

*  Mouth, tongue, cheek & gums

*  Esophagus

*  Pancreas

Smokeless tobacco can also cause:

*  Sores in the mouth called leukoplakia that can become cancer

*  Stained teeth

*  Bad breath

*  Gum disease, cavities, tooth decay, and tooth loss

*  Bone loss around the teeth

*  Heart disease

*  High blood pressure

*  Increased risk of heart attack and stroke

*  Pregnancy complications and low birth weight

Maybe you don’t feel like you have time to read the QuitWell™ program or answer the questions in each section. The tips on time management in this section can help. Other barriers may seem to be unchangeable until a powerful motivator enters the picture. More information or skills to get through a challenge can also help you overcome what felt impossible in the past.

Be Open to Powerful Motivators

Have you ever started a new relationship or made a new friend and suddenly you want to spend all your time with that person? You may even get into a new hobby in order to spend more time with them. Or, maybe you got concerning test results and want to improve before your next visit to the doctor. Or, maybe you just found out you are going to be a parent or grandparent.

These are examples of powerful motivators. They usually seem to come out of nowhere or when you are least expecting them. Some seem to knock you off your feet and you can’t ignore how powerful they are. Others you may not notice unless you are paying attention. These may be negative and scary or joyous and exciting. As you think about quitting and look at your barriers, try to be open to power motivators.

Do you feel any powerful motivators in your life right now?

What could be a powerful motivator in the future? Imagine what it would take to suddenly make nearly all the barriers on your list seem less important.

S.M.A.R.T. in Action

Before: “I want to cut back.”

S.M.A.R.T. Goal: “Today I will put 12 cigarettes in an empty pack instead of the 15 I usually have. I will keep my emergency pack of substitutes (gum, toothpicks) with me and will leave my cigarettes behind. I will cut back by 1 cigarette each day this week.”

Practice Goal-Setting

Strengthen your goal using the S.M.A.R.T. tool. Start with a simple statement about what you want to do. Next, write how your goal will be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

Smoking is the number one cause of premature, preventable deaths in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 480,000 Americans die each year due to smoking. Many of those are from cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung disease. Very few, if any, smokers go through their lives without having harmful effects. Smoking affects more than just your lungs-every part of the body is damaged.

Smoking can also cause:

*  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

*  Aortic aneurysm

*  Diabetes

*  Osteoporosis (brittle bones)

*  Rheumatoid arthritis

*  Macular degeneration (age-related)

*  Cataracts

And contributes to:

*  Airway infections

*  Impaired immune responses

*  Miscarriage

*  Pregnancy complications

*  Low birth weight, cleft lip/palate, and risk of SIDS

*  Erectile disfunction

*  Frequent colds and a weakened immune system

After You Quit

As soon as you stop smoking, your body responds. Changes in your body start happening right away.

Who could support you in your effort to quit? Having someone to hold you accountable-and who you want to share success with-can be a powerful part of your quit plan. Support from others can help:

*  Motivate you and lift you up when you stumble.

*  Hold you accountable.

*  Give you new ideas and inspiration-especially if they have gone through quitting themselves.

*  Make activities more fun, like taking a walk together instead of a smoke break.

Start With One Person

1. Choose a buddy-someone you will talk to daily. This person should be someone you trust and who you can be completely honest with.

2. Let them know what you are trying to do.

3. Ask them if they would be willing to support you. If they are, thank them!

4. Let them know how to help you. This may change over time.

5. Share your feelings and actions truthfully with your buddy. If you don’t, you are losing out on the benefits of an accountability buddy.

6. Thank this person often. Let them know the impact they are having on your lifestyle change.

Involving Others

Even when someone wants to help you, they may not know how. You have probably experienced this already, like when someone gives you cliché advice or says “just one won’t hurt.”

Be specific when you tell others how to help you. These are suggestions for those people who want to help you. Read over the list and choose the ones you think will be most helpful. Write these down and show your list to the people who want to help.