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Handling special situations or conditions
Studies suggest that everyone can quit smoking. Your situation or
condition can give you a special reason to quit:
- Pregnant
women/new mothers: By quitting, you protect your baby's health
and your own.
- Hospitalized
patients: By quitting, you reduce your health problems and heal
faster.
- Heart attack
patients: By quitting, you reduce your risk of a second heart
attack.
- Lung, head,
and neck cancer patients: By quitting, you reduce your chance
of a second cancer.
- Parents
of children and adolescents: By quitting, you protect your children
and adolescents from illnesses caused by second-hand smoke.
Important
questions you must ask yourself
Think about the following questions before you try to stop smoking.
You may want to talk about your answers with your health care provider
and family. Try to answer these questions as honestly as possible:
- Why do you
want to quit?
- When you
tried to quit in the past, what helped and what didn't?
- What will
be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How will
you plan to handle them?
- Who can
help you through the tough times? Your family? Friends? Health
care provider?
- What pleasures
do you get from smoking? What alternatives to smoking can give
you pleasure if you quit?
Important
questions you must ask your family
Here are some questions to ask your health care provider and your
family:
- How can
you help me be successful at quitting?
- What medication
do you think would be best for me and how should I take it?
- What should
I do if I need more help?
- What is
smoking withdrawal like? How can I get information on withdrawal?
Quitting takes
hard work and a lot of effort, but you can quit smoking
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