New Year New You

New Year’s CDC Feature Aims to Help People Manage Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms as They Quit

 

A new CDC feature article celebrates New Year’s resolutions and helps people manage nicotine withdrawal symptoms as they quit. To increase the likelihood of success, a quit plan should include strategies to help manage these symptoms. Quit-smoking medicines can help a lot, as well as remembering quitting tips when making a quit plan. These quitting tips have all been shown to help, with or without medicines:   Make your environment work for you by getting rid of tobacco products, getting support from others, and avoiding temptations. Distract yourself with other activities. Find safe substitutes for cigarettes like toothpicks, straws, or cinnamon sticks. Listen to what the urge says, then talk back! Ride the waves! Let the urges come and go. Adjust your medicine.   While feeling withdrawal symptoms, people who quit smoking should remember they likely feel this way because their bodies are getting used to being without nicotine. Over time, withdrawal symptoms will fade as long as they stay smoke-free. While nicotine withdrawal may be hard to manage at times, the benefits of quitting smoking outweigh all those symptoms. Quitting smoking has health benefits at any age, no matter how long or how much someone has smoked. Even people who have smoked for many years, or who have smoked heavily, will benefit from quitting. Some benefits include improved heart health, lowered risk of cancer and other diseases, and longer life. By knowing what to expect and how to manage withdrawal symptoms, people can stick to their New Year’s resolution to quit smoking.