Stop Smoking The Puff Stops Here - Health Plan of Nevada Sierra Health and Life

Stop Smoking
                   The Puff Stops Here

                                         Health Education and Wellness

Health Plan of Nevada
Sierra Health and Life

Quitting Smoking
Quitting smoking is the one lifestyle change
that can make the biggest improvement in your
health and prolong your life. Stopping is not
easy, but it is not impossible either.

The Deadly Effects of Tobacco
• Tobacco remains the leading preventable
  cause of premature death in the
  United States.
• More deaths are caused each year by
  tobacco use than by all deaths from human
  immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug
  use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries,
  suicides, and murders combined.
• Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung
  cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung
  cancer deaths in women.
• Tobacco is the greatest cause of premature
  death in America; approximately 443,000
  people die each year, or nearly one of every
  five deaths in the United States.
• Compared to non-smokers, women who
  smoke are 13 times more likely and men are
  23 times more likely to develop lung cancer.
• Smokeless tobacco users have an increased
  risk of developing cancer of the mouth.
• Those who smoke have a two to four times
  higher risk of developing coronary heart
  disease and suffering a stroke, compared to
  non-smokers.

Why It’s Difficult to Quit
Nicotine is the major component in tobacco. It
is a powerful stimulant that:
• Increases your energy
• Increases alertness
• Releases the “feel good chemicals” in the
  brain to affect your mood and help you
  feel better

When you stop smoking, symptoms of
withdrawal include:
•   Cravings
•   Anxiety
•   Irritability
•   Lack of concentration
•   Depression
Many people will return to smoking because
they find these feelings too uncomfortable.

Benefits of Being Smoke-Free
Health Benefits
Check your reasons in the list below.
FF Add years to my life
FF Reduce my risk of lung cancer, heart
   disease, chronic lung diseases
FF Have less coughing, colds and flu
FF Have more stamina while exercising
FF Have fewer wrinkles and softer skin
FF Have more energy and feel better
FF Improve my sense of taste and smell
FF Breathe easier
Personal Benefits
FF Feel more in control of my life
FF Have better smelling hair, breath, clothes,
   house and car
FF Eliminate stress from the fear of what
   smoking does to my health
Family Member Benefits
FF Reduce my children’s, especially infants’,
   respiratory tract infections
FF Set a good example for my children
FF Reduce my family’s lung cancer risk due to
   secondhand smoke

Financial Benefits
FF Save hundreds of dollars each year
   on the high cost of cigarettes
FF Save money on doctor visits and
   medications
FF Save on life, health and car
   insurance premiums
Common Fears of Quitting
• The fear of gaining weight: This can be
  avoided by starting an exercise program and
  eating healthy.
• Having no willpower: Learn new coping
  skills that increase your awareness of your
  own behavior and give you a greater degree
  of control over it.
• Addiction: The physical need for nicotine
  goes away within a week. Withdrawal
  symptoms are temporary and are healthy
  signs that the body is healing itself from its
  long exposure to nicotine.

Four Steps to Smoke-free
Living
Step One: Become a health
concerned smoker.
• Reflect on your smoking and think
  about its effects on your health and your
  family’s health.
• Observe the ways nonsmokers respond to
  situations that you respond to by smoking.
• Smoke in front of a mirror, watching yourself
  closely from the first puff to the last.

Step Two: Consider Quitting.
• When you feel an urge for a cigarette, wait
  one minute before lighting up.
• Go smoke-free for a few hours.
• Go someplace where smoking is not allowed:
  movies, library, museum, a non-smoking
  restaurant.
• Reward yourself for each step you take.
Step Three: Decide to Quit.
• Buy cigarettes by the pack, not the carton.
• Smoke only half of each cigarette.
• Limit your smoking to certain places
  and times.
• Buy a new toothbrush or toothpaste and
  begin brushing your teeth several times
  a day.
Step Four: Make a Quit Attempt.
• Start by going without cigarettes for one 24-
  hour period.
• Set a quit date.
• Discard all your cigarettes, ashtrays
  and lighters.
• Avoid your triggers and places such as bars
  and parties where you are more likely to
  want to smoke. Understand that unfortunate
  slips and relapse can happen.
To successfully manage your triggers so that
they do not lead you to smoking, ask yourself a
few basic questions:
• What is the root cause of my smoking for a
  particular trigger?
• What needs to change in a trigger situation
  so that I keep from smoking?

Learn New Coping Skills
One of the most difficult parts of quitting
smoking or using tobacco is getting past
the habit part of it. Your smoking behaviors
may have decades of reinforcement, so
new skills may seem awkward and
frustrating. The challenge is to replace the
well-established problem behavior patterns
with healthier behaviors.

Exercise
• Choose an exercise that is convenient and
  enjoyable, such as brisk walking.
• Try to do at least 150 minutes of moderate
  aerobic physical activity each week.
• Climb stairs rather than take the elevator.
• Park the car a block or two from your
  destination and walk.
Reduce Stress
Stress is a factor in everyone’s life. Whether
you have a lot of stress or a little, stress is
something that you need to know how to
manage. When you do not manage stress or
you manage it in an unhealthy way, it can have
a harmful effect on your health. Unmanaged
stress is one of the primary reasons why
smokers keep smoking.
• Work on a hobby
• Call a friend
• Play with a pet
• Read a book
• Take a brisk walk
• Sing or dance
• Practice relaxation techniques such as deep
  breathing, meditation and visualization
• Get plenty of sleep and rest
• Take one day at a time

• Practice optimism
Develop a Support System
• List the names of the most important people
  in your life.
• Suggest ways they could help in your efforts
  to quit.
Eat Well
• Eat less saturated fat and added sugar.
  Instead, include more colorful vegetables,
  fruits, healthy fats, lean protein and whole
  grains in your diet.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
• Snack on nutrient-dense foods, such as
  carrot/celery sticks with hummus, apple
  slices with peanut butter, unbuttered
  popcorn and mixed nuts in appropriate
  portion sizes.

Support and Assistance
for Quitting – Tobacco
Cessation Program
Our health educators have specialized training
and experience in addiction and behavioral
changes to assist you on the road to becoming
smoke-free.

What is included in the program?
• Program orientation provided for all
  potential participants
• One-on-one assessment and treatment
  plan developed for each participant with a
  Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor
• Three month treatment plan includes
  both behavior modification and possible
  medication therapy
• Participants are required to attend at least 10
  of 12 behavior modification sessions in the
  form of group and one-on-one sessions, but
  participants may attend as many sessions
  as needed

• Member follow-up (as needed)
Is the treatment program right for me?
• You will have the choice to tailor your
  treatment plan according to your needs.
• You will be provided with the latest
  information and treatment available.
• Your treatment plan will include group
  sessions, one-on-one consultations and/or
  telephone consultations.
• You can be successful on the road to
  becoming smoke-free.
Am I eligible for the treatment
program?
• The Tobacco Cessation Program is open
  to both health plan members and non-
  members.
• Non-members will be required to pay a
  program fee and are not eligible for the
  medication component of this program.

Can I receive assistance with
medication costs and program fees?
There is no cost to Health Plan of Nevada,
Sierra Health and Life, Senior Dimensions,
Smart Choice or Nevada Check Up members
for the program. Health plan members pay
generic co-pay for Zyban® or the brand name
co-pay for Chantix®.

Health plan members in the following target
groups receive free medication: asthma, bipolar,
cancer, CAD, COPD, diabetes, heart failure,
hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, parents of children
with asthma, pregnant women and stroke.

Senior Dimensions members will pay the
generic co-pay for Zyban® or the brand name
co-pay for Chantix® regardless of target group.

HEW has a variety of additional classes or one-
on-one consultations available, including but
not limited to:
•   Asthma
•   COPD
•   Diabetes
•   Exercise
•   Healthy Aging: Up2Me
•   Heart Health
•   Nutrition and Fitness
•   Senior Health
•   Weight Management

         If you are interested in joining
           or learning more about the
     Tobacco Cessation Program , please call
      (702) 877-5356 or (800) 720-7253.

Health Education
                       and Wellness    SM

                      P.O. Box 15645
                Las Vegas, NV 89114-5645

21NVHEW12476                               PD1099 (09/12)