My Doctor Online The Permanente Medical Group
Are you having back pain with any of the following?
- Severe pain, weakness or tingling in your leg(s).
- Difficulty stopping urination or loss of control of bladder or bowels.
- Unexplained fever, nausea or vomiting.
- A history of cancer or unexplained weight loss.
We understand that you are experiencing one or more of the health issues that might be impacting your back pain.
We recommend that you discuss these health issues with your doctor before proceeding with this program.
Once you are cleared by your doctor to do this program, we hope it helps you find relief from your back pain.
Quitting Tobacco
If you smoke or use tobacco products, quitting is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones. Good planning, support, and the latest quit tobacco medications can help you succeed.
After Your Quit Date [Read/Print full article]
Stay Quit for Life
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Congratulations! Whether it's been a few weeks, a few months, or years since you quit smoking, you've achieved a very significant accomplishment. Finding motivation, confidence, and the right combination of strategies can take time, patience, and persistence. Success is something to celebrate, as are the benefits you're now experiencing from your smoke-free lifestyle.
However long it's been since you quit, there are also strategies to keep in mind to make sure your new smoke-free habits are here to stay.
As you face a new smoke-free life, know that you will still encounter stress, boredom, celebrations, and, well, life. Think about how you might overcome challenges in advance – maybe some of the things you did to help you quit will become part of your new lifestyle or maybe you will find other ways to stay smoke-free. Feel confident that you are joining millions of people who have struggled with and overcome addiction to tobacco.
Don't Have Even One
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Whether it's been a year or 20 years since you quit tobacco, it's important to stay on your guard. The longer you live as a nonsmoker, the less tempting you may find tobacco, but it's still important to keep a good perspective and remind yourself that the biggest risk for relapse is having just 1 cigarette.
Could 1 little cigarette really hurt you after you are officially smoke-free? Studies have shown that the brain of someone who smokes actually changes over time to accommodate regular nicotine use. Your brain can then get used to not having the nicotine, but it will also always be ready to go back to the levels it became used to in the past. That's why people who have just 1 or a few cigarettes after quitting can find themselves quickly back to smoking their regular amount of cigarettes.
Even if you no longer crave tobacco, or think about it much less than you used to, stay on your guard. If you see others causally using nicotine around you (including cigars, hookahs, chewing tobacco, and all forms of cigarettes), remember that your history of using tobacco makes it risky to have any nicotine at all. If you're tempted, revisit your motivations or reframe your thoughts as a nonsmoker.
Take Any Slips in Stride
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Even with strong motivation to quit and good strategies to keep from smoking, mistakes can happen. Do everything you can to keep from having a cigarette, but don't be too discouraged if you slip. Don't let the whole quit attempt go to waste – get yourself back on track and use your mistake as a learning experience. It can be important to:
- Not allow yourself to become too discouraged. Having 1 cigarette or even a few doesn't make you a smoker again, especially if you're able to get back to your quit plan immediately.
- Learn from your mistake. Ask yourself what caused you to smoke and make a strategy to deal with that situation differently if it comes up again.
- Talk about your experiences with a supportive friend or family member. Tell them what you plan to do differently next time and ask for any support you need.
- Discuss your slip with a counselor or a member of a quit smoking group. Your counselor, instructor, or classmate may have advice or a similar experience to share.
- Focus on your success – the amount of time that you did successfully go without smoking. Think about what worked for you during that time and decide to try again.
- Many former smokers tried to stop several times before they finally succeeded. The important thing is that you did have success – celebrate that and put yourself back on a path to succeed again.
Don't Stop Your Medications Too Soon
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Quit tobacco medicines are drugs that help people quit smoking. They can ease the cravings and other symptoms of withdrawal on your quit date and afterwards.
Sometimes people are eager to remove all the nicotine – even helpful nicotine replacement – from their life as fast as possible and stop taking their medications too soon. Allow yourself the full benefit of the medications and take them for the amount of time recommended on the package or prescribed by your doctor. Continue to monitor the way you feel:
- If you cut down on your medications and begin to feel uncomfortable or intolerable symptoms of withdrawal or overdose, talk to us about returning to your original dose or finding a way to switch to a lower dose more gradually.
- If you have used all your medications and find it difficult not to smoke without them, talk to us about renewing your prescription or switching to a different kind of medication to make the transition easier for you.
If you get to a point where you feel like you have to choose between smoking again or using your medications for a longer period of time, choose the medications. Remember that the medications are safer than smoking and, while some of them contain nicotine – the addictive chemical in tobacco – they don't have all the harmful chemicals that you'd be getting with cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.
Additional References:
Reward Yourself
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Congratulate yourself on your success every single day. The change you made when you quit is one of the most important investments you could have made for your health and your future. Celebrate this and make the time to reward yourself for this success:
- Every once and a while, write down new reasons that make you glad you quit smoking. Revisit them from time to time, share them with a friend or family member, or put the list up where you can see it.
- Don't forget the long-term savings you're making now that you've quit. Consider putting that $5.00 a day aside for 6 months or a year – many people find they can afford a shopping spree, a weekend away, or some other treat.
- Celebrate the anniversaries of your quit date. Go to dinner or do something else you enjoy each month and then splurge and do something you really love on your yearly anniversaries.
Related Health Tools:
Classes and Coaching
- Wellness Coaching Wellness Coaching
Interactive Programs
- Quit Tobacco Medications Quit Tobacco Medications
- Quit smoking with Breathe™ Quit smoking with Breathe™
Podcasts
- Quitting Smoking Quitting Smoking
- Second-Hand Smoke Second-Hand Smoke
If you have an emergency medical condition, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. An emergency medical condition is any of the following: (1) a medical condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in serious jeopardy to your health or body functions or organs; (2) active labor when there isn't enough time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery, or if transfer poses a threat to your (or your unborn child's) health and safety, or (3) a mental disorder that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity such that either you are an immediate danger to yourself or others, or you are not immediately able to provide for, or use, food, shelter, or clothing, due to the mental disorder.
This information is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of specific medical advice or care you receive from your physician or other health care professional. If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor. If you have questions or need more information about your medication, please speak to your pharmacist. Kaiser Permanente does not endorse the medications or products mentioned. Any trade names listed are for easy identification only.