Texas State - Student Health Center

Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, blood pressure, pulse and body temperature return to normal.
Within 8 hours of your last cigarette, carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal and oxygen levels increase to normal.
Within 2 days of quitting, nerve endings start to regrow and your ability to smell and taste improve.
Within 3 months, circulation improves and lung function increases up to 30 percent

How do I prepare to quit?

Know why you are quitting. List the benefits that this change will bring you. Post the list to remind yourself.
Tell friends who will be supportive. Let them know how they can help.
Know your smoking patterns and routine and make changes as needed.
Recruit a friend to quit at the same time.
Use the resources and links listed at the end of this page for support.
Get rid of any tobacco products in your room or apartment.
Plan regular exercise.
Have low calorie snacks available.
Collect the money you save and treat yourself to something.

What are the withdrawal symptoms?

Tobacco craving lasts a maximum of 3 to 5 minutes.
Irritability, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia and difficulty concentrating are common.
Increased appetite: Weight gain is 5 to 7 pounds on average; only 5 percent of people gain more than 20 pounds. You would have to gain 100 pounds to develop the same health risk that smoking creates.
Fatigue and dizziness may occur as well.

Symptoms are most intense during the first 3 to 4 days. Within 20 days, the average number of symptoms drops to just 1.

What about those first few weeks?
Here are some things to keep in mind that will make quitting easier:

Do not quit everything at once. Focus on smoking. If you try to stop drinking coffee, change your diet and quit smoking at the same time, it will be much harder to achieve success.
Focus on the present. Deal with one urge at a time instead of anticipating more cravings.
Drink plenty of water. It will flush the nicotine out of your system and help you feel better.
Do not drink alcohol for 3 weeks. Because it affects your judgment, you are more likely to smoke without thinking about it.
Get plenty of sleep. You will feel better and remain better motivated.
Take warm showers to relieve tension.

I am worried about gaining weight. What can I do?
Fear of weight gain prevents many people from even attempting to quit smoking. While nicotine does suppress normal appetite signals, you can re-learn healthy eating habits. Listen to your body's signals of true hunger and fullness:

Try not to go longer than 2 to 4 hours without a meal or snack. This prevents you from getting too hungry.
Throughout the day, eat smaller, more frequent meals and snacks.
Eating breakfast is critical to stabilize brain chemistry and prevent late-day carbohydrate cravings.
Respond to your cravings if you have them, but with small portions. Restricting food triggers binges and causes guilt. Do not place foods in good and bad categories.
Emphasize unprocessed, whole foods, such as whole grains and fresh fruit. These foods will keep your blood sugar stable and help your mood.
Specific chemicals in ex-smokers' brains cause cravings for fats. Include a little fat or healthy oils in your meals. Your body chemistry needs these foods, and they you fuller longer.
Cravings gradually disappear as eating patterns normalize. Regular, moderate exercise is also helpful in this process.

What if I relapse?
It is normal for some people to relapse, so do not assume that it means you will not succeed. These questions can help you learn from a relapse.

Were you well prepared to quit?
What happened?
In what situation did you begin to use tobacco again?
What people were with you?
What could you have done to avoid that cigarette or chewing tobacco?
How can you deal with stress without tobacco?

Why should I keep trying?
You can prevent damaging health effects such as:

Shortness of breath
Decreased stamina and fatigue
Cold hands and feet
Colds, flu, asthma and bronchitis
Tooth and gum disease
Skin wrinkling and aging
Lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Remember: Every attempt you make improves your chances of permanently quitting.

What are the different methods for quitting?

Cold Turkey: Stop smoking without seeking assistance. 90 percent of smokers stop on their own.
Clock Method: Delay gratification by increasing the amount of time between each cigarette or chew.
Slow withdrawal method: Decrease the number of cigarettes smoked each day or change brands to gradually lower nicotine varieties.
Hypnosis: This may be as effective as behavioral methods.
Acupuncture: Randomized trials have not proved its effectiveness, but some people find it works.
Behavior modification: This can be provided in a group or through the use of self-help booklets.
Medication methods: Used to decrease the physiological symptoms of dependency. Nicotine replacement methods include gum, the patch or an inhaler. Non-nicotine prescription methods include bupropion and Zyban.

How do I help a friend quit?
Click here for ways to help a friend.

Resources
Health Education Resource Center (512) 245-2309
Confidential walk-in or appointments for answers to health questions. Assistance with health research available. Located in suite 201 of the Student Health Center at the corner of Sessom and Tomas Rivera Drive.

Student Health Center (512) 245-2167
Confidential appointments with a physician, nurse or psychiatrist. Located at the corner of Sessom and Tomas Rivera Drive.

1-800-TRY TO STOP (1-800-879-8678)
This helpline provides referrals to local programs, telephone counseling and mailed information packets. It is free, confidential and available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Links you can use
Trytostop.org
An online, interactive site developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The Quit Wizard will help you assess your risk factors, set a quit date and keep you smoke free. Other features include success stories, expert advice and a bulletin board. There are many language options including Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Hatian-Creole, Russian and Portuguese.

WebMD's Smoking Cessation Center
This site allows you to set goals, design your own personalized quit plan, find out about nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation support groups and read about quitting options.

Medline Plus - Smoking Cessation
This search page will give you a number of links to help you quit smoking.

Bob Quits
Bob decided to quit smoking and recorded his experience in this online video journal and blog. Check out this site to see what you can expect when you quit smoking.

U.S. Surgeon General
Developed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, this site provides resources for those who wish to quit smoking.

Medication methods
www.habitrol.com
Promotes the Habitrol nicotine patch.

www.nicodermcq.com
Promotes the Nicoderm nicotine patch.

www.nicorette.com
Promotes Nicorette gum.

Last Modified: May 31, 2006