Quitting Chewing Tobacco
The bad news is … chewing tobacco like smoking cigarettes can be difficult to quit because it is physically addictive (your body craves it), and it becomes a habit (something you do without thinking about it).
The good news is … the physical addiction can be handled by using a stop smoking medication in combination with careful planning and the 4 D’s.
Planning
- Set a quit date a few weeks in advance.
- Prepare for your quit date by thinking of ways to deal with tempting situations.
- Get your stop smoking medication ready if it is part of your plan.
- Start cutting down on your number of dips or chews each day.
The 4 D’s
- Drink water – whenever you feel a craving coming on, drink a big glass of cool water and rethink whether or not you want to dip.
- Do something else – to satisfy the craving of having something in your mouth, use toothpicks, gum, sunflower seeds, or cinnamon sticks.
- Deep breathing – taking ten deep slow breaths can help to relax you and allow you to forget about the craving.
- Delay – take it one hour at a time.
For online help visit the National Institute of Health’s website.
http://www.nidr.nih.gov/health/newsandhealth/spitTobacco/
http://www.nidr.nih.gov/health/newsandhealth/spitTobacco/
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