Did you know that nicotine is more addictive than heroine or cocaine? It is one of the most addictive substances that exist.
Myth: Light cigarettes are safer than regular ones.
FACT: Call them what you will — low-tar, light, or ultra-light — light cigarettes do NOTHING to reduce your risk of lung cancer.
Myth: Quitting while you are in your twenties will prevent lung cancer.
FACT: Quitting before the age of 35 can reduce your risk of lung cancer by up to 90 percent… BUT for every year you smoke, your risk of lung cancer and other health complications increases. Do you want to take the risk?
Myth: If my parents smoked and didn’t have lung cancer, then I can smoke and not have lung cancer.
FACT: Heredity has nothing to do with it. Your parents were lucky. You may not be so lucky.
Myth: Cigars or chewing tobacco will keep my cancer risk low.
FACT: Cigar smoke still puts you at risk for mouth, gum, and throat cancer. Chewing tobacco contains up to twenty-eight different cancer causing chemicals. You aren’t protecting yourself by choosing chewing tobacco or cigars. You’re just changing the type of cancer you might get.
Choosing nicotine replacement therapy as part of your quitting program increases your chances of successfully quitting smoking. Nicotine replacement therapy helps wean you off the nicotine dependency by giving you small doses of the drug to ease those cravings.
Your doctor can help you pick the nicotine replacement therapy program that is right for you. A variety of over the counter and prescription options are available. A nicotine patch delivers the drug directly into your bloodstream. Nicotine gum releases the drug while you chew. Nicotine lozenges work in the same way nicotine gum does. Your doctor can prescribe a nicotine inhaler (which mimics the action of smoking) or nicotine nasal spray.
If you’d like to go totally nicotine-free, you can try an antidepressant like Wellbutrin, which helps control cravings.