Top Five Tips for Quitting Tobacco
Dec. 27, 2007, DENVER - This January,
thousands of tobacco users across Colorado will choose to
quit smoking or chewing as their New Year’s resolution. To
help make that quit attempt last a lifetime, here are five
tips for quitting tobacco from the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment.
“We know it’s difficult to quit, but we
also know that a large majority of smokers want to quit.
With the free nicotine patches and coaching service of the
Colorado QuitLine, this is the year to make that resolution
happen. A healthier lifestyle could be just around the
corner for you and your family,” said Dr. Ned Calonge, chief
medical officer at the department. “And despite the popular
misperception, the patches do not cause cancer. They are
safe, effective and simply lessen your cravings for the
tobacco.”
Top Five Tips
- Set a quit date and call the Colorado
Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW. You’ll receive a free supply
of nicotine patches and receive a customized plan from
an experienced quit coach. Services are available in
English and Spanish.
- Enlist your family, friends and
co-workers in your quit plan. Tell them you are trying
to quit, you need their encouragement and ask them not
to smoke or chew around you.
- Write your goals down on paper. Tape
your goals on your doors, mirrors, refrigerators and in
your car to remind you why you are quitting and to help
keep you motivated. This also could include what you
will buy with the money you are saving from not
purchasing tobacco. For a pack-a-day smoker, this
amounts to nearly $1,500 a year.
- Throw away all your tobacco products
including your packs, ashtrays, items with tobacco
logos, and lighters, so they don’t remind you of smoking
or chewing.
- Go for a walk outside every day.
Exercise will help lower your stress, increase your
endurance and help you prevent weight gain during the
quitting process.
The Colorado Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW
(1-800-784-8669) or
www.coquitline.org is operated by National Jewish
Medical and Research Center under contract to the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment’s State Tobacco
Education & Prevention Partnership. It is a free, telephone
coaching service that offers a free supply of the patch and
connects smokers with trained coaches who help them create a
customized quit plan. This service is available to both
English- and Spanish-speaking Colorado residents.
The QuitLine coaches are available Monday
through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 7
p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The
service also is available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
at TTY: 800-659-2656.
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