Smoking is not good for anyone, and for people with diabetes, it is especially dangerous.
The nicotine in cigarettes causes blood vessels to harden and narrow, slowing the flow of blood through the body. In addition, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease, so patients definitely don’t want to face the additional risks associated with smoking.
Quitting smoking has health benefits regardless of how many cigarettes you have smoked and how long you have been smoking. Quitting makes you feel better, look better (smoking can cause wrinkles before you age), and saves you money.
14 tips for quitting
For people with diabetes, here are tips for quitting smoking from the American Cancer Society guidelines.
- Set a quit date. It is not necessary to quit immediately. If it feels more realistic to start after a major event or deadline, then set that date as the quit date.
- Tell your doctor your chosen quit date so you can get internal support.
- Create an inconvenience for smoking. Do not prepare any items needed for smoking, such as ashtrays, lighters, or matches.
- Take a deep breath when you especially want to smoke. Hold your breath for 10 seconds, then exhale slowly.
- Go to places where smoking is not allowed, such as libraries, theaters, or museums.
- Go out with friends who are trying to quit smoking and go to places where smoking is not allowed.
- Replace smoking with low-calorie, healthy foods. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Replace smoking with exercise to relieve stress.
- Drink decaffeinated coffee, not caffeinated coffee and alcoholic soft drinks, as such drinks increase the desire to smoke.
- Keep yourself busy (for example, start painting, writing, typing, or knitting) so that you don’t have time to smoke.
- Break the habit of smoking. For those who are used to smoking during breaks, take a walk, talk to a friend, or do something else instead.
- Wrap the cigarette in a piece of paper and tie a rubber band around it so that it is less likely to be accessible and you have time to notice what you are doing and stop.
- Let family and friends know you are quitting and seek their support. If someone in your family and friends smokes, tell them not to smoke around you, and to leave if they encounter others smoking.
- Be kind to yourself, do things you enjoy, and patients will find they don’t need cigarettes to be happy.
Nicotine replacement therapy
Consult your doctor about whether nicotine replacement therapy can help, too.
If you don’t want to take prescription medications, try nicotine-containing patches, gum, lozenges, and nasal sprays to curb nicotine cravings.
- A nicotine patch applied to the skin between the neck and lower back can provide a steady supply of small amounts of nicotine.
- The patch allows patients to control the amount of nicotine they take in each day. It can be used for up to 30 minutes at a time.
- Nasal sprays can provide quick relief from nicotine cravings, but require a doctor’s prescription.
- Tabs can also control the amount of nicotine consumed each day and are used sublingually.
Two medications can also be prescribed by your doctor to help: varenicline and bupropion.
When using the above products, follow the directions on the package and report any side effects that occur to your doctor.
Do not use more than one type of product at the same time and do not smoke while using nicotine replacement products, as doing so may cause serious side effects.