Quitting smoking is difficult for many reasons, and if you find it hard to kick the habit on your own, you’re not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 10% of adults actually succeed in quitting for good each year.
At Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep, our pulmonary experts Ashok Tyagi, DO, CPE, and Himanshu Chandarana, MD, offer support and resources to help you quit smoking and to improve your overall lung health.
Our smoking cessation program gives you the tools to change your habits and overcome your addiction to nicotine.
The nicotine found in cigarettes is highly addictive. Every time you inhale cigarette smoke, the nicotine stimulates your brain to release feel-good chemicals. In a short time, your body gets used to these chemicals and wants more.
When you smoke for a long time, many more changes take place in your brain. You feel you need nicotine just to survive, which makes quitting smoking even more difficult.
Depriving your brain of nicotine also triggers withdrawal symptoms that make quitting smoking uncomfortable, such as:
For many people, these withdrawal side effects can be severe, and it’s often easier to smoke again than struggle with the symptoms.
Because smoking significantly increases your risk of chronic diseases and premature death, it's critical you stay focused on your goal and get the support you need to remain smoke-free.
The smoking cessation program at Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep can help you successfully quit smoking.
Our team understands how nicotine cravings and other factors work against quitting. We provide resources that help you stay proactive about achieving your goal, managing cravings, and minimizing withdrawal side effects.
The smoking cessation strategies we offer include:
Working with a support team like ours keeps you accountable for your treatment plan. We also offer preventive services to screen for lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other smoking-related complications.
To restore lung health, our team can recommend breathing exercises after you quit to reverse some of the damage smoking causes. Our goal is to keep your lungs functioning at peak levels so you can enjoy a much happier, healthier life without cigarettes.
The sooner you stop smoking, the better it is for your health. Whether you smoke a pack or just a few cigarettes a day, we can help you break your addiction to nicotine for good.
Even if you’ve tried to quit on your own without success, know that our customized cessation solutions can help. To learn more, call the Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep office in St. Petersburg, Florida, today to schedule a smoking cessation consultation.
