I Think I'm Finally Ready to Quit Smoking

You start your day with me. After every meal, you crave me. During your commute to work, you want me. What am I?

If you guessed “a cigarette,” you're right — 30.8 million Americans are smokers. While you may enjoy the act of smoking, if you're like the majority, you probably wish you never started. You’ve been told how smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and many other health risks, but does it still seem impossible to quit?

Nexclin Medicine, with three locations in Georgia, offers a smoking cessation program so you can get your health on track and improve your lifespan. 

Why is it so hard to quit?

70% of smokers want to quit, and more than half try, but only 6% are successful. Why is it so hard to quit?

The secret lies in nicotine. When you smoke a cigarette, nicotine releases dopamine to certain areas of the brain and temporarily makes you feel good. The effects of nicotine are released to your brain within 20 seconds — faster than other drugs like opiates, alcohol, and cocaine. 

When you quit cigarettes, your body is deficient in its usual dopamine release, so you’re left feeling anxious and depressed. Although cigarettes are socially acceptable, nicotine is as addictive as heroin and cocaine.

Benefits of quitting

Quitting smoking by yourself is extremely hard. That’s because you need support and accountability to help make your efforts work and to kick the habit for good. One of the best reasons to quit cigarettes is for the many health benefits, including:

• Reduced risk of premature death
• Reduced risk of 12 types of cancer
• Reduced poor reproductive outcomes
• Improved wellbeing
• Reduced financial burden
• Improved taste buds

In as little as one month after quitting, your lungs’ function will begin to improve. If you’ve tried to quit before with little-to-no luck, you might need assistance from a health professional. 

The success of evidence-based cessation

Naima Cheema, MD has helped many patients improve the quality of their lives through smoking cessation. When you come in for your first consultation, she assesses your health and discusses the best plan of action for your lifestyle. 

Your smoking cessation program may include:

• Counseling
• Medication
• Quitlines 
• Support groups

Most people who try to quit don’t use medication in the form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). But these are useful tools to increase your chances of successfully quitting and are often best when used in combination. For example, many of our patients have successfully quit by using a long-term NRT, like a patch, in combination with a short-term NRT, like a lozenge. 

Dr. Cheema schedules regular check-ins to assess how you’re doing and to make any modifications to your program. This holds you accountable and is another extension to help make quitting successful.

Save your life and money

You only get one body and one life. That’s why it's incredibly important you treat yourself in the best way possible. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. It’s also a source of financial burden — smoking a pack a day for 10 years costs you a whopping $22,290.

It’s up to you to quit. If you’re reading this, here’s your sign to start. Call 770-558-2873 to save your life through smoking cessation, or book online.