There are Ways You Can Win

Anita Jackson

Note: The following item was provided by Atrium Health Floyd for publication, a sponsor of Polk Today content. This item was written by Anita Jackson, Nursing Services Director for Polk Medical Center. – KtE

Like quitting any habit, it can be difficult to give up smoking. Not all journeys are the same, but nicotine withdrawal often comes with symptoms that many people experience.

Nicotine is a drug, and your brain and body can both be affected when you try to quit. But smoking is far more hazardous than the withdrawal effects.

Deal with the craving

The most common urge is simply that desire or craving to light up. There’s a good chance those cravings are going to hit you when you try to stop smoking. The key is finding the best way to deal with that desire.

Many people link smoking to certain activities or places. Maybe you normally had a smoke every morning when you made coffee. Maybe a trip to your favorite sports bar made you want to light up.

On the short term you might have to give up going to your favorite bar to watch a baseball game. Perhaps avoiding that morning cup of coffee is the right thing to do. But you don’t want to totally stop doing things that bring you joy.

That could make stopping even more difficult. And remember those cravings should decrease as time goes on.

Stay active

Feeling skittish or irritable is another side effect of withdrawal. As is true with many things, exercise always helps. Find something you like to do. Take a walk, play some ping-pong. Go fishing. Staying at home and feeling miserable will likely mean you will find it harder to quit.

People often find themselves gaining weight and feeling hungry when they first try to quit.

Sometimes eating more is simply a stress reaction. Also, if you are cutting down on the nicotine, your body might not be burning calories as quickly as it did while you were smoking.

To combat that, try to find some healthy snacks like fruit or crunchy vegetables. Also, many of us simply eat too fast.

Once you make yourself slow down you might feel full earlier than you normally would. Completely chew your food before taking another bite. Again, exercise can help.

Concentration and sleeping

Some people say they have a hard time concentrating when they are trying to quit. This is common. Nicotine is a stimulant and losing that pick-me-up might make your brain a little foggy at first. It might be smart not to tackle something new that required lots of concentration when you first give up the smokes.

While few symptoms are universal, many of those trying to quit say they also have trouble sleeping. You should probably do the same things non-smokers should do when they have trouble sleeping.

Don’t drink caffeine late in the day and avoid heavy meals and alcohol right before you go to bed. Don’t play with your smart phone or computer in bed. The light from those can disrupt your sleeping pattern.

Try as best you can to go to seep and wake up on a similar schedule each day.

The benefits once you have quit

If you can quit, you can lower your risk of getting certain cancers, including lung cancer. Also, your risk of heart disease, stroke and emphysema also decrease if you can stop smoking. But keep in mind if you have smoked for a long time, you are still at risk for lung cancer, even if it has been years since you smoked.
Getting screened

At Cherokee Medical Center, you can now get a low-radiation dose CT scan, which can help detect lung cancers at very early stages.

The low-dose cancer screening can decrease mortality for those at high risk. If you’re a current or former smoker over the age of 50, you could meet the high-risk eligibility criteria. See your primary care physician to find out if you qualify for the screening.

If you don’t have a doctor you see regularly, call the Atrium Health Floyd’s Primary Care Call Center at 706-509-3750. They can help you see a doctor.

About Atrium Health Floyd

Since 1942, Floyd, now Atrium Health Floyd, has worked to provide affordable, accessible care in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Today, Atrium Health Floyd is a leading medical provider and economic force. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care.

At the hub of these services is Floyd Medical Center, a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,400 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia; Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia, as well as Floyd Behavioral Health Center, a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility, also in Rome; and a primary care and urgent care network with locations throughout the service area of northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.

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