Myths About Smoking:

Reasons to Talk to Your Mental Health Provider about Quitting

Myth:         I’m not hurting anyone by smoking.
Truth:        Smoking doesn’t just kill smokers.

• In fact, about 50,000 non-smoking Americans die every year from second-hand-smoke.
• Second-hand smoke can cause breathing problems and heart disease in non-smokers.  Spouses, children, and other people exposed to second-hand smoke get colds, the flu, ear infections, and lung infections a lot more easily than people who aren’t around second-hand smoke.
• Smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of miscarriage, pre-term delivery, stillbirth, infant death, and low birth weight.
• Children with parents or guardians who smoke are much more likely to start smoking themselves…and suffer the same fatal health problems.

Myth:        It's too late for me to quit.
Truth:       It is never too late to quit and see great benefit. 

• Older smokers are often more likely to successfully quit than younger smokers.
• And the benefits are immediately noticeable.  For instance, your blood pressure and body temperature return to normal after only 20 minutes.  Likewise, your chance of having a heart attack decreases after only 1 day, and your ability to taste and smell noticeably improves after only 2 days.
• At over $3 a pack, the average smoker can expect to save over $1000 a year by quitting.  This amount increases by several more thousand dollars when you add in health, hygiene, and other costs.

Myth:         I’ll gain a ton of weight if I quit smoking.
Truth:        The average weight gain is small—around 5-10 pounds. 

• Plus, you would have to gain more than 100 pounds to suffer the same health risks as you would if you continued smoking. 
• And you can expect to return to your normal weight because your caloric intake and your metabolism will stabilize as you get used to being smoke-free. 
• Talk to your provider about treatment options and strategies that will help prevent or limit weight gain.  These options might include medications, increasing your activity level, talking to a nutritionist, or building healthy coping skills.

Myth:         I shouldn’t try to quit because I will get too depressed or anxious.
Truth:        You can expect to feel much better if you quit.

• Quitting is a hard thing to do, so many people have mixed feelings about it, and a small number people report brief increases in depression or anxiety after quitting. 
• However, quitting will help improve your quality of life. 
• Consider that smokers have much higher anxiety, panic, and stress levels than non-smokers, as well as worse depression and poorer sleep.
• We have many proven tools to help you quit with pride and success. 
• Talk to your provider about these tools, which can include extra support, skills, or medications. 

Myth:         I shouldn’t try to quit because I’ll relapse to “more serious” drugs or alcohol.
Truth:        Research indicates that quitting smoking actually improves abstinence from other substances. 

• In addition, smoking is more dangerous than any other addiction. 
• In fact, smoking causes more premature deaths than AIDS, homicide, car crashes, suicide, alcohol and all illegal drugs combined! 

Myth:         I’ve tried to quit before without luck, so its a waste of time to try again.
Truth:        It can take many tries to quit for good…

• Most smokers make several quit attempts before becoming 100% smoke-free.
• You are more likely to quit for good with each new try.
• And your past quit attempts provide excellent information on “what works” and “what doesn’t work.”  For instance, notice what led to your last relapse.  How can you plan ahead for smoking triggers this time around?

 

We can help you quit smoking!

If you want to quit smoking, please tell you mental health provider today.

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