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Smokers have much more success kicking the habit when they get help

By jeremyc | August 31, 2009

Sean Bruna had smoked for about 10 years when he decided to face his nicotine addiction head-on last September.

But Bruna, who started smoking in college, soon found it was much tougher than he had thought to kick his habit, which sometimes was up to a pack of cigarettes a day.

He dropped the cigarettes and started chewing nicotine gum. He drank gallons of water and chewed licorice when he felt the urge to light up.

By the third day with no smokes, Bruna’s cravings were so bad that he reached out for help and called the American Cancer Society’s quit line.

“They stayed on the phone with me a whole hour until my cravings toned down,” he said.

He also received a wealth of information about quitting and connected with a counselor to help him.

“I wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for the quit line,” Bruna said. “They were a lifesaver.”

People who assist smokers in kicking the habit said it’s much more difficult than simply never having another cigarette.

“It’s very common for them (smokers) to have many quit attempts,” said Xochitl Gamboa, smoke-free program manager for the American Cancer Society in El Paso. “If they try to quit and fall off the wagon, keeping going with the process and using a combination of services really helps.”

Though many smokers try to go cold turkey on their own, several options exist to help, including group therapy, nicotine replacement and prescription medicine.

“As you add assistance to a smoker, you get higher quit rates,” said Michelle Bernth, a spokeswoman for the American Lung Association.

People who quit cold turkey have a 5 to 10 percent success rate a year after their quit date, Bernth said. This increases to about 25 percent when group therapy is added. To help clients quit, the association offers a seven-week group class called Freedom From Smoking.

When nicotine replacement therapy is added, success rates climb to about 60 percent. Options for nicotine replacement include patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers and nasal spray. The therapy typically weans smokers off nicotine, providing smaller doses of the drug over several weeks.

Gamboa said it’s important to talk with a physician or pharmacist before beginning nicotine replacement, so patients understand how the product works. Simply choosing the lowest-cost product could be ineffective, because that product often has the lowest dose of nicotine, she said.

She said people also should consult with a doctor to make sure there are no interactions with other medicines.

“This does increase their chances of being successful,” she said.

Finally, smokers can also talk to their doctors about prescription help.

Dr. Manuel Padilla, a family medicine doctor at Sun City Medical Clinic, said he often broaches the subject of quitting smoking with his patients.

“A good 80 percent of patients I speak to want to stop, but it’s such a difficult and powerful addiction that sometimes they would rather not talk about it or they want to ignore it,” he said.

He said that in addition to stronger forms of nicotine replacement, two prescription medicines are available to help.

Bupropion, which is found in Wellbutrin SR and Zyban, can be added to nicotine replacement. Padilla said the medicine is an antidepressant that targets the addictive centers of the brain.

Varenicline, which is also marketed as Chantix, combines both nicotine replacement and antidepressants, he said.

“You’re looking at a success rate of more than triple (that of cold turkey) when you use these medications,” Padilla said.

Bernth said patients should be sure to discuss prescription medicine with their doctors to understand all possible side effects, which can include vivid dreams and insomnia.

Bruna said he’s noticed big differences in himself in his year of being smoke-free.

“I’m sleeping better; I have much more energy. My clothes don’t smell. I work better,” he said. “I calculated the amount of money I spent on cigarettes over those 10 years, and I was appalled.”

Topics: | Chantix |

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