Get Ready to Quit for Good

You have so much to gain by quitting tobacco. That's because smoking is more than just a bad habit. It's the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

When you're ready to quit smoking, the first thing you need is a plan. And because there's no one-size-fits-all approach, you'll likely need a range of tools and programs to help you stop using tobacco products.

At ProMedica, our highly skilled and experienced staff of respiratory therapists and registered nurses will tailor your plan for quitting. It will address your dependence on nicotine and build habits and behaviors to help you stay tobacco free.

Our Services

With specialized smoking cessation programs for teens and adults, we focus on helping you get support, get information and get healthy. Our treatment programs give you choices for every step of your journey to a tobacco-free life, including:

  • Confidential group and individual nicotine addiction counseling.
  • Medicine education.
  • Preventative education for children and teens.
  • Stop smoking plan development.
  • Support groups.
  • We serve the northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan area and can schedule tobacco prevention programs at schools and worksites. You'll also find specialized programming at these ProMedica facilities:

Natural Therapy Services

Some natural therapies, such as auricular therapy, may help you in your efforts to quit tobacco. At Natural Wellness at Icaria, our licensed and certified natural wellness practitioner uses an internationally recognized method called The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol to aid with smoking cessation. This may help with your overall well-being and support your body's function while quitting.

Learn more about services at Natural Wellness at Icaria.

Prepare To Quit

You probably have a few reasons of your own, but there may be reasons to quit smoking that you aren't aware of. Here are some important ones:

  • You'll feel better: Tobacco use delays healing. By quitting tobacco, you'll recover more quickly from cuts, incisions, wounds and broken bones. You'll soon find you have more energy and are able to breathe easier, too. The time will come when you'll no longer have urges to smoke, which leaves you free to focus on what's important in your life.
  • You'll protect yourself from disease: The health risks of tobacco use include various cancers, asthma, emphysema, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Pregnant women who smoke have a higher risk of premature delivery, low birth-weight babies, stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Steps to Becoming Tobacco Free

Quitting smoking is a big undertaking. That's why we advise taking it step-by-step.

Your personal smoking cessation plan will help you cope with the physical and emotional issues that may come with your decision to stop smoking. These issues include nicotine withdrawal and strong urges to smoke. We're here to help you prepare for those challenges and stay the course on your journey to becoming tobacco free.

The first step is to think through what that journey will look like for you.

  • Mentally prepare to quit: Think about your past attempts to quit. Consider what worked and what didn't, and open your mind to new ideas.
  • Form healthier habits: Go for a brisk walk or join a gym.
  • Reward yourself: You'll save money if you stop smoking. As you're on your way to becoming tobacco free, reward yourself with small things or experiences that reinforce your progress.
  • Create a support system: Get help from family and friends; get group, individual or telephone counseling; or join a support group.
  • Stay away from temptation: Set a no-smoking policy in your home and car, be careful around other tobacco users and avoid alcohol until you're more comfortable with not smoking.
  • Do your homework and get help from experts: Ask your doctor about medicines to help you quit. Also consider counseling, which doubles your chances of quitting for good.
  • Set a quit date: Remember that your plan and medicines take time to work. Set a date two to four weeks in the future to help you plan and prepare.
  • Make a plan, work your plan: Decide what kind of counseling you want. Talk to your doctor about medicines that can help you quit. Create an emergency plan to help keep you on track. Tweak and adjust your plan as needed.
  • Don't give up: Remember that every attempt to quit brings you closer to quitting for good. Never quit trying to quit.

Find Community Support for Quitting Smoking

You can get more information and resources for quitting tobacco from the following community and public organizations:

Are any tobacco products safe?

The answer is no. Tobacco products of any kind aren't safe, and there are many more tobacco products than just cigarettes. Not only are these products harmful to you when you use them, many of them also cause issues for nonsmokers who have to breathe secondhand smoke.

Smokeless Tobacco

Smokeless tobacco is a term for the many forms of tobacco that aren't used for smoking. Chewing tobacco, snuff and dip are all forms of smokeless tobacco. They contain chemicals that lead to:

  • Death.
  • Facial disfigurement.
  • Gum recession, tooth loss, yellow teeth, bad breath and precancerous sores inside your mouth.
  • Heart disease and high blood pressure.
  • Oral cancers including cancer of your mouth, gums, lips, tongue and throat.
  • Tobacco dependence.

Cigars and Pipes

Cigars, cigarillos, little cigars and pipes contain nicotine and cancer-causing chemicals. They can cause:

  • Cancer of your lips, lungs, mouth and throat.
  • Higher risk of chronic bronchitis, emphysema and heart disease.

Hookahs

Commonly referred to as water pipes, hookahs produce smoke that contains high levels of carbon monoxide, heavy metals, carcinogens and nicotine. These chemicals can cause:

  • Cancer of your lips, lungs, mouth and throat.
  • Gum disease.
  • Tobacco dependence, since it delivers about the same amount of nicotine as cigarettes.

For your best health, don't use any tobacco-related products.

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