Clarke & Company Benefits LLC

Session 4

What To Expect

6Before You Quit

Outline

3What Happens When You

Quit?

1Last Week’s Assignment

4What Should You Expect

When Quitting?

5Cigarette Triggers

2What Happens When You

Smoke?

7Next Week’s

Assignment

Last Week’s Assignment1

List of High Risk Trigger Spots. Did you recognize any trends? What did your family and friends say about the spots?

What type of support group or resource did you find? Share this with the group.

Last Week’s Assignment

2 What Happens When You Smoke

Physically

A mix of gases is released around your eyes, nose, and throat. This happens within the first few seconds. Your eyes may water, your nose might run and your throat will most likely become irritated.

Tiny hairs called cilia work to clean your bronchial tubes and lungs of nasty foreign matter. They’re the street sweepers of the body.

What Happens When You Smoke?

Wha

t Hap

pens

Whe

n Yo

u Sm

oke?

Deep inside the lungs, cigarette smoke damages the floating scavenger cells that work to remove foreign particles from the

lungs’ tiny air sacs, called alveoli.

o A lot of what you inhale turns to tar. This tar isn’t unlike what you might use to pave a road or shingle a house. Only about 30% of cigarette tar is sent back into the air through exhalation – the rest sticks to your throat and lungs like saltwater taffy.

What Happens When You Smoke?

The chemicals in cigarette smoke are pretty much immediately absorbed into your bloodstream. From here they go straight to your heart and from there, everywhere

else in your body.

Your heart begins to beat faster as soon as you light up, as much as 10 to 25 beats per minute. That adds up to

36,000 extra beats per day.

What Happens When You Smoke?

What Happens When You Smoke?

Another thing that happens when you smoke is that your blood pressure rises by about 10 to 15 percent. High blood pressure means you have an increased risk of heat attack and stroke. Smoking not only affects the pressure, but it also damages the blood itself.

3 What Happens When You Quit & What Should You Expect?

Withdrawal

Poss

ible

With

draw

al S

ympt

oms

Cravings for a Cigarette are frequent and intense within the first two to three days after stopping. The cravings become less frequent over the next

four or five days, but they may increase again and persist for many weeks.

Most former smokers – even those who have been free for many years – still report an occasional

urge for a cigarette.

Possible Withdrawal SymptomsDeep breathing and immediate activity will help distract you from your craving. The worst of the cravings usually end within a couple of weeks after breaking free. You know you’re in good shape when you no longer think of cigarettes all the time.

Coughing: As your lungs get rid of the built up toxins, you may cough up blackish mucus. This only lasts for a few days.

Sleeplessness: Your body should gain more energy now that you have quit smoking. However, if you are feeling sleepless, use your new energy to exercise and go to bed a little later when you feel more tired.

Mouth Sores: Chemical changes from quitting may cause blisters, sores, and inflammation. They will subside within a few days.

Possible Withdrawal Symptoms

…..…..

Possible Withdrawal Symptoms.

Constipation – Chemical changes may cause discomfort for a few days, but this will only last for 3 to 4 days.

Occasional Dizziness – Your body is receiving more oxygen than what it is used to, and this may cause dizzy spells that last a few seconds and may recur for 4 to 5 days.

Possible Withdrawal Symptoms

• Tightness in the Chest:– As your body adjusts to increased oxygen, you may

experience chest pain for 3 to 4 days. • Irritability:

– This is a response to your body’s loss of nicotine. Try breathing and exercising to relieve symptoms.

• Lack of Concentration:– The combination of withdrawal symptoms can make it

difficult to concentrate. As you develop new habits, your concentration will improve.

Cigarette Triggers4

Feeling stressed or down Talking on the phone Drinking alcohol Watching T.V. Driving Finishing a meal Playing cards Taking a break Spending time around other smokers Drinking coffee Witnessing someone else smoke Cooling off after a fight or winding down after sex

Common Cigarette Triggers

…..…..

Track Your Cigarettes

• Learn your triggers so you can learn to avoid them.

• Slowly start to separate your cigarettes from your triggers.

• Start a journal if you don’t know how to track your cigarette use.

5 Before You Quit

Be prepared

Have your nicotine replacements or other quit smoking medications ready. And remember, some of the non-nicotine medications require you to start taking them up to two weeks before your quit smoking date.

Consult your doctor about when to start taking the nicotine replacement.

Before You Quit

Before You QuitKeep a water bottle around that you can refill. It makes getting a cleansing drink easier. It’ll also help keep your stomach full. An empty stomach can sometimes set off cravings. We recommend you carry a bottle of water with you for most of the first week after you’ve quit smoking.

Befo

re Y

ou Q

uit

① Buy things you can chew on: carrot sticks, celery, toothpicks, cinnamon sticks, sugarless candy, sugarless gum. Stock the fridge with healthy snacks and sprinkle the candy throughout your house, in the car, and at work. Keep it all as handy as you did your cigarettes – right in your pocket is best.

② Get something for your hands to do. Get a squeeze toy or handball.

Before You Quit

• Make a list of your “Reasons I Want To Quit Smoking.” Post copies of it around your house, car, and workplace.

• Do one last double-check to ensure that you haven’t overlooked a spare pack of cigarettes in the glove compartment or the pocket of an old coat.

Be aware of and control the following factors to prevent slip-ups.

HUNGRYANGRYLONELYTIRED

H.A.L.T.

…..…..

» Make a conscious decision to record your goal and put it in a place where you will see it regularly. Consider typing up your goal and placing it on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator or at your desk at work. This will remind you that you’re working toward something and give you a reminder of continued motivation.

Set Your Goals

Don’t keep your goal a secret. Announcing your goal to family, friends, and co-workers will help keep you accountable. Consider setting up an appointment with your physician to let them know about your health goal. You are much more likely to keep working toward your goal if others know about it.

Tell Others About Your Goals

Mea

sure

You

r Pro

gres

s ① Measuring your progress can help you know when you are making steps forward, and more importantly, when you’ve achieved your goal.

Make sure you are writing your progress down. Consider joining an online progress community,

where you log in and connect with others who are quitting as wello Livestrong MyQuit Coach

o Choose a reward that helps your smoking cessation goals:

Time to yourselfA new outfitGet your car cleanedGet your teeth whitened

Reward Yourself

Assignment for Next Week

• Write down the reasons you have decided to quit smoking. Put those reasons in your car, in your bathroom, on your fridge, and somewhere at work.

• Bring this list with you next week.

We will be talking about different strategies for living life without smoking and how to stay smoke-free.

Next Group Session