You need to kick butt for more than just yourself. That smoke is affecting your loved ones at home as well. Often referred to as passive smoking, it is a combination of the smoke exhaled by you and the smoke that comes from the end of a burning cigarette or cigar. Breathing in second-hand tobacco smoke carries significant health risks. And there’s also ‘third-hand’ smoke.
A study published online in the journal ‘Tobacco Control’ in December 2015, says that despite hospitals operating a smoke-free policy, newborns in intensive care may still be exposed to third-hand smoke residue from their smoker parents. This smoke is easily transported and deposited indoors, where it may take weeks or even months to degrade. Passive smoking has been linked to cardiovascular and lung diseases. A study led by researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has also found that passive smoking causes significant genetic damage in human cells. Whatever the age of your children and life partner, there is no known safe level of exposure to passive smoking.
Many people believe that smoking outside eliminates the risk to children or others in the home. Yet this does not seem to be true. Reports show that nicotine levels are still significantly high in the hair of children even if parents smoke outside. This might be due to leaving windows or doors open, it might be due to smoke entering the door as a smoker returns inside, or perhaps due to children being exposed to clothes with smoke particles on them. The best thing a smoker can do is to try to quit smoking and not expose children to any smoke.
Quitting smoking can be one of the most difficult, yet rewarding things a person can do. Many other people try a number of times before they finally give up for good. You need to make the choices that will work for you in attempting to quit smoking and staying quit for good. Here’s what you could do…
Get started: Think about your reasons to quit smoking and how you can learn from your previous attempts. Plus, how to manage those situations when you want to smoke.
NRT as quit smoking strategy: Explore what you can use in your quit plan: NRT or Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is a good option to consider in your quit smoking plan. Clinical trials show NRT can increase the chances of quitting smoking by 50-70% compared to unassisted quitting. NRT products like Nicotine patches, Nicotine gum, Nicotine lozenges and mini-lozenges, Nicotine inhaler, Nicotine mouth spray and a Combination NRT therapy are available. NRT does not contain the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes and tobacco smoke. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer. At present, there is no evidence to suggest that nicotine found in NRT products causes cancer. Using the correct dose, NRT products contain much less nicotine on average than what you would get from smoking tobacco. The nicotine is also absorbed at a slower rate. A vast majority of smokers have few problems stopping using NRT at the end of the recommended time frame.
Prescribed quit smoking medication: Quit smoking medications are only available on prescription from a doctor. Their use can increase your chances of quitting smoking successfully. Talk to your doctor about the suitability of these quit smoking medications for you. Consult your doctor if you experience any symptoms that may be related to these prescribed quit smoking medications.
Have a support system: When you are attempting to quit smoking, it is helpful to be able to pull on the support of family and friends. However, there is also professional guidance and support available to staying quit. You could choose between individual counselling, seeking advice from your doctor, joining a quit smoking group or even trying alternative therapies like acupuncture, hypnotherapy etc.
Stay quit: Quitting smoking is not just about trying to quit, but also staying quit. Don’t worry if you slip up. Every attempt to quit smoking takes you one step closer to being smoke free. It can take time to discover what best works for you. If one strategy doesn’t work, then maybe another will. For many people a combination of strategies works best.
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