JANUARY 2017 The Costco Connection 71
successful than are their younger counterparts,” says McIntosh.
Develop a plan
It’s smart to talk to your physician
;rst about what’s best for you and then
create a plan of attack.
Generally, McIntosh suggests picking
a quit date and then using nicotine
replacement drugs, such as lozenges,
gum, nasal spray or a patch, for eight to ;;
weeks. Sometimes it’s best to combine two
of these options. “If you’re on the patch,
pick the gum or lozenge for when you have
a craving. But if you’re only going to use
the lozenge, have one every hour you’re
awake to keep your blood levels steady,”
McIntosh says. Other options can all be
used intermittently.
Nicotine gum and the nicotine patch
are available without a prescription, but
you may want a prescription if your health
insurance covers smoking cessation. Be
sure to use the nicotine replacements as
directed. If you don’t, you may develop
side e;ects and you could be more prone
to relapse.
Get support
McIntosh recommends combining
those tools with a behavioral strategy such
as a “quit line” that provides free counselors to help guide smokers through the process of quitting. An example is the
American Cancer Society’s Quit for Life
program (
quitnow.net). Trained counselors help participants decide what type,
dose and duration of nicotine substitute
or other medications would work best for
them, and develop a quitting plan. They
also provide a variety of other tools to help
every step of the way.
If you don’t quit the ;rst time, Blatt
says, you shouldn’t call it a failure: “We
frame that as a ‘practice quit.’ ” He warns
against using terms like “failed” and “suc-
ceeded.” If someone tells him they could
quit for only a week, he says, “That’s fan-
tastic. What do you think helped you do
that? What tripped you up?”
He sums it all up this way: “It doesn’t
matter how old you are or how long you’ve
been smoking; it pays to quit.” C
Barbara Bronson Gray is a registered nurse
( bbgray@sbcglobal.net) based in California.
BY BARBARA BRONSON GRAY
IF YOU SMOKE cigarettes, you probably
know you should quit. The top reason to
quit is your health. “Smoking is the primary cause of cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory problems, such as
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,”
says Costco member Scott McIntosh, associate professor of public health sciences at
the University of Rochester Medical
Center. “It a;ects every organ in your body
and delays wound and bone healing. It can
also make you need higher doses of certain
medications, due to the interaction of nicotine with many prescription drugs.”
Smoking is an addiction
Quitting smoking may be the hardest
thing you’ve ever tried to do. “It’s hard to
quit because it’s not a habit, it’s an addic-
tion,” McIntosh explains. “It’s a medical
condition that needs to be treated.”
But McIntosh says that even though
smoking is truly one of the toughest
addictions to beat, it is possible for any-
one to quit. There’s a realistic strategy
for everyone.
“Quitting smoking is not an event, it’s
a process,” agrees Costco member Bill
Blatt, director of tobacco control pro-
grams for the American Lung Association
(
lung.org), in Washington, D.C. “Don’t
feel like you should just know how to do it.
It takes some thinking to quit.”
Blatt says it typically takes nine to ;;
attempts before someone is able to quit
smoking for good. “So if you’ve tried ;ve
to six times, you’ll still be able to eventu-
ally quit,” he explains. “As long as you keep
trying, experiment with di;erent things
and learn from your practice quits, even-
tually you’ll ;nd the best combination and
will succeed.”
For most people, it takes combining
behavioral strategies with medication
and having the support of the people
around you.
And it’s never too late to quit. “An older
smoker is less likely to make that commitment to quit, but once they do, they’re more
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How to break away
from the pack
SPECIAL SECTION
FOR YOUR HEALTH
THECOSTCOCONNECTION
Costco offers over-the-counter smoking
cessation items, including gum, patches,
lozenges and more, at warehouses and on
Costco.com. Prescriptions can be ;lled at
Costco pharmacies.
smokingQuit
OUR DIGITAL EDITIONS
Click here for more tips on quitting
smoking. (See page 14 for details.)
