Aynsley Anderson, community education coordinator for Lawrence Memorial Hospital, is ready to help smokers kick the habit. She teaches smoking cessation classes at LMH and in the community. She also can offer tips on how nonsmokers can help loved ones and friends accomplish their goals.

Moderator

My name is Karrey Britt and I am the health reporter. I will be moderating this chat. First, I want to welcome Aynsley Anderson, community education coordinator at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, to the News Center. Thank you for taking time to answer some questions about smoking cessation.

Aynsley Anderson

Thank you for inviting me. I am happy to be here to help.

Moderator

Here’s our first question.

charliejohnson

Four years ago I quit smoking. One year ago I quit Commet Lounges. I find myself craving nicotine really bad. Oh, did I say that I gained 25lbs. since I quit the nicotine. Lately I have been having citerettes while having cocktails and right before I go to bed. What would be the best way to stop this. Do you think that new pill is any good. I DON’T want to start again. I realize the benifits of a non-smoker. I am really struggling right now. Help!

Aynsley Anderson

Congratulations on your desire to quit, Charlie. Half the battle is very much wanting to do this. You have done it once and can do it again! You may want to consider Chantix, the drug that has been out for three years now. It works very well for a lot of people, especially to curb the mental craving that goes along with smoking. It is available on prescription from your doctor and you will need a couple of weeks to get it working. You also may want to consider trying again some nicotine replacement products (ie gum or lozenges) but just for a short time. The most important thing of all is that you never have another puff of a cigarette again. That is a direct road for most people to starting up again. Weight gain is always a concern for those that quit but once you have conquered the nicotine addiction, you can address that. A little extra weight is of much less concern healthwise than continuing to smoke. Walk daily and have low-calorie snacks. Best of luck; you can do it!

greenlid79

I’ve been hearing alot about the Chantix pill. Can you give us the low-down on how it works and any possible side effects? Also, do you have information on its success rate?

Aynsley Anderson

The success rate is about 44% for staying quit for at least 3 months. It works by increasing production of several chemicals in the brain (ie dopamine, seretonin) that are “feel good” chemicals. Smoking does a similar thing so when folks are taking the medication, they don’t require the additional kick from cigarettes to get this. It also works by decreasing craving for a cigarette. It is available on prescription from a physician and one requires a couple of weeks for it to get working. About 1/3 of people have side-effects; most minor including GI upset and strange dreams. Usually these resolve with time, if people can hang in there and push through any discomfort they might be having. www.chantix.com has more information. The drug works well for many people (especially those who have smoked for a long time), but it is not the whole story. One must address the psychological dependence and the habit as well as the physical addiction so just taking the pills alone without working on these things will likely lead to failure.

jswardkc

I’m a 56 year old woman who has been smoking for some 30 + years. I have tried to quit for years.
I do fine at work, arrive at the office at 8:00 and leave around 5:00, without smoking. But, the minute I get into the car I lite it up. I’m awful on the weekends at home, to the point where I think I should find a second job to keep me away for the house and desire to smoke. Any suggestions

Aynsley Anderson

For most people who smoke, their smoking is very tied to habit. Driving the car, drinking coffee, talking on the phone are all triggers for light up. On occasion, some folks do not even know they are lighting a cigarette, it becomes so automatic. Keep a smoking diary for a few days to see if you can link some of your cigarettes to certain activities. Driving is one you have already connected. You may want to consider stocking your car with low-calorie snacks such as pretzels, sugarless gum, carrot sticks etc to munch on when driving. Set a quit date and taper down to less than half a pack before then. Get rid of any and all smoking materials out of our house (ash trays, extra packs of cigarettes, matches etc). Then keep every moment scheduled on your quit date and for a couple of days thereafter. Every time you have a desire to light up (and it may be frequent the first few days), put on your sneakers and head out of the house for a walk around the block. Drink lots of beverages and do some deep breathing. Another key thing for being home is to have lots of little tasks to keep you busy – always something on the go. Good luck; you obviously can make it several hours without smoking so that is a very good thing.

angelsunwall

What advice would you give to a wife that is ready to quit smoking but her husband is not? How do I do what I need to do knowing that although my husband will be as supportive as he can, he will only do so much since he does not understand me wanting to quit and has no plans to do so himself at this time or in the near future if at all?

Aynsley Anderson

That is a very difficult thing. You definitely want to get his support for you quitting, even if he is not ready to do so himself Have a talk with him and tell him how important it is to you that you quit and that you need his support to be successful. Encourage him to take his smoking outside and away from you. That step is vital.
Talk about all of the benefits of you quitting – more $$ available for other things, better health and less visits to the doctor etc, a longer life together.
If he sees that you can do it, he may jump on board too. I think sometimes a lot of partners are afraid that they will fail themselves and maybe are a little envious of your quit attempt. Best of luck!

shaunepec

My biggest concern with taking the plunge is the social aspect of smoking. I like to go to some of the area bars with friends. Some of those friends smoke. Do I really need to stop going to the bars to avoid the temptation? I sort of feel like that’s a punishment of sorts….

Shaun Hittle
LJW Reporter

Aynsley Anderson

Hi Shaun: some people quitting have no trouble going to bars after they are quit. For others (probably the majority), drinking alcohol is a direct connection to picking up a cigarette. In my experience the two most common things that cause people to relapse after they are quit are alcohol and encountering a stressful situation and having no alternate method available to manage stress.
Maybe your friends would be willing to do other social things for a while other than bars, until you are sure you are quit and can handle the temptation of being around others who may be smoking. In addition alcohol inhibits good decision making for a lot of people who have quit smoking and some think that just having one won’t hurt. Again that rarely works. Maybe you could ask a non-smoking friend to be a watch-dog for a while and police you so you don;t pick up a cigarette. I have to say however, the best thing for sure is to stay out of the bars. Sorry!

chewyfally

I’d love to know how to politely encourage my smoking friends to quit, without “infringing on their smoking rights,” as they call it.

Aynsley Anderson

That is a tough one as sometimes people are very sensitive about their smoking. Most know they should quit but until they are ready and make the decision themselves, it is rarely successful. Just keep giving them encouragement if and when they do bring up the issue of needing to quit. Be aware of the resources out there to assist them and refer them to these if they ask. One of the things that brings reality close to a lot of smokers is the financial cost. Sometimes just putting a dollars and cents value on the cost of their smoking and how it prevents them from doing a lot of things that you could all do together (ie take a trip) helps some put perspective on the need to quit. Nagging unfortunately rarely works. Neither does pointing out health hazards. Most smokers are aware of those but does not lead most to quit. For many a precipitating personal event like a personal or family health issue, new baby etc will finally get them moving forward. If and when that happens, just be there and as supportive and encouraging as you can. Thanks for caring about your friends so much!

Moderator

What are the first steps a smoker should take if they want to quit and be successful?

Aynsley Anderson

Take the time to put a plan in place. If they think they might want to use rx meds and/or nicotine replacement products, get those and get them working – may be 2-3 weeks for the rx meds. Set a quit date and then if they are smoking more than a half a pack a day, start to taper down to 10 cigs or less in the days prior to their quit day. This prevents a lot of the physical side-effects due to nicotine withdrawal. Quit smoking in the evening rather than the morning. Keep busy (and away from other smokers) for the first few days. Drink lots of fluids (not alcohol or coffee), do some deep breathing and walking, and distract yourself when a craving hits. Start working on an alternate way to manage stress and practice it daily. Seek support from the Quitline or a website.

Moderator

My last question is what are some local resources that can help in defeating the addiction to cigarettes?

Aynsley Anderson

The Kansas Quitline is available to assist smokers. It is free and you can either get information or actually be connected with a smoking cessation educator who can put you on an individualized program and then continue to provide support. Their number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW. The Community Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) of Douglas County has free quit kits with information. Call 843-3060. LMH offers free stop smoking classes about once a quarter at the hospital and on-site for groups of 5 or more. Call 749-5800 for more information. In addition, the following reputable health organizations have either telephone or on-line support and information which can be valuable for many. American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control, National Health Institutes. Everyone wants to help and support people to successfully quit.

Moderator

Thanks for coming in today.

Aynsley Anderson

Thank you for inviting me and best of luck to all those trying to quit or thinking about it. You can do it and even if you don’t this time, you will hopefully learn something with this quit attempt that you will not repeat with the next. Eventually you WILL be successful. Most people who keep after this are.