commonly asked questions

Will I gain weight if I quit smoking?
It is true that many people gain weight after they stop smoking. This is not the case for everyone, and weight gain is generally moderated (8 to 10 pounds on average). If this happens, solved one problem at a time. Deal with smoking first, then with losing weight. Tell yourself that if you can stop smoking you are just as capable of losing weight. Many techniques allow you to lose the weight: ask for the advice of a dietician, doctor, or consult a good book store. In anticipation of the eventual gain of weight, eat less fat and exercise. In addition, using nicotine-containing products (chewing gum, patch) from you first day as an ex-smoker can limit or at least delay the weight gain.

Are there withdrawal effects of quitting smoking?
Withdrawal effects of smoking generally disappear within 2 to 3 weeks. The nicotine containing “patch,” chewing gums and nasal spray reduce or eliminate these symptoms. By using these products from the first day after you stop smoking, you increase by 2 to 3 times your chances of successfully quitting.To learn how to cope with nicotine withdrawal, you can hold off from smoking for a few hours. Then, try it for a half-day. Then, try it for an entire day. Just like other domains, practice makes perfect. These brief periods without cigarettes can prepare you to definitively stop smoking and increase your confidence in your capacity to resist cigarettes.

Will I become irritable or depressed if I stop smoking?
It is true that some people become irritable or depressed after they quit smoking. These are typical nicotine withdrawal symptoms, ones that are reduced by using nicotine-containing products. With or without these products, most of the withdrawal symptoms disappear in 2 to 3 weeks. If the depression persists for longer than this, take it seriously and see a doctor. If you already had a serious episode of depression, you doctor may give you anti-depressant drugs before you before you attempt to quit smoking, to prevent a new episode of depression.

I only smoke a few cigarettes a day– doesn’t that limit my risk?
The term “light cigarettes” was invented by the tobacco industry to lead smokers into believing that they are less toxic. This is false. First, there no agreed-upon criteria to define “light” cigarettes. Second, machines establish the level of nicotine and tar written on the cigarette packets, but people do not smoke like machines! Smokers of light cigarettes do not smoke the same way that smokers of “regular” cigarettes do. They inhale the smoke more deeply, take longer and more frequent drags, and make shorter butts and block ventilation holes around the filter to avoid diluting the smoke with air. Consequently, the level of nicotine and other toxic substances in the blood is not different for smokers of light cigarettes and for smokers of regular cigarettes.

I don’t have the willpower to quit!
There are over 36 million ex-smokers in the USA. If millions of people are able to stop smoking, then you are certainly capable of doing it as well! Look around you, you certainly know several ex-smokers. Remind yourself that you do not have less willpower than anyone else. You can succeed at stopping smoking as well.

It’s too late-the damage is done.
This is bad logic. No matter how old you are or how many years you have smoked, quitting smoking is beneficial for your health.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO STOP SMOKING