Quit Smoking: Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I quit smoking with all the stress I am under?

A: So, you feel smoking soothes you, makes you feel better, and reduces your stress? Actually, it’s creating stress for you - addiction. Don’t believe it? Keep reading. If you smoke to calm yourself before or after an exam or other stressful event, you probably feel immediate gratification. But it’s not gratification from stress reduction, it’s gratification for your body’s chemical need for nicotine. You’re like a puppet being controlled by nicotine and answering to its every demand. In studies, smokers indicate they feel "relaxed" when they smoke, but these same smokers also report a higher incidence of mood fluctuations, with "normal moods during smoke inhalation followed by periods of increased stress between cigarettes." Smokers also report patterns of irritability and stress around the time that they abstain from nicotine.

So if cigarettes are so great at reducing stress, why are you still anxious? Apparently, the mood "benefits" of smoking amount to only the relief of withdrawal symptoms, not stress reduction. It is for this reason that people usually become anxious and agitated the first few days after they quit smoking, but by Day 14 withdrawal symptoms have often dissipated and if you feel anxious it’s probably because of the mid-term, and not because of nicotine withdrawal. With all the stress of college, isn’t it logical not to add one more item to the list? Addiction is stressful; nicotine is a stress inducer. Think about quitting.

Source: Parrott, Andy (1999). Does Cigarette Smoking Cause Stress? American Psychologist, 54, 817–820.

Q: What are some little known facts about cigarettes/nicotine?

There are 4,700 chemicals in cigarettes, including acetone (in fingernail polish), cyanide formaldehyde, methanol, ammonia, and tar.
More than half of current smokers have tried to quit.
Nearly 90% of current smokers want to quit.
Less than 25% of smokers quit the first time – so keep trying. It takes time and practice.
Approximately 82% of GMU students don't smoke.
Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society.
Tobacco use is responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the U.S.
Daily smokers lose an average of 15 years of life.
Smokers (one pack a day) spend approximately $1,000 a year on cigarettes.

Source: American Cancer Society & New Smoking Cessation Strategies: Update, 1998, Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Q: What are some tips to help me quit smoking?

If you try to both "diet" and quit smoking at the same time, you’re less likely to quit. Eat healthy foods and increase your activity levels. Don’t worry about weight gain.Most people who quit smoking don’t gain weight, or if they do they quickly lose it.

Avoid high-risk situations (triggers) that you associate with smoking.

Talk to your friends/partner about how you want them to support you.

If friends and/or partner smokes ask them to not smoke around you for first 3 months.

Drink a lot of water.

Repeat your reasons for quitting 10 times everytime you get a craving.

Take deep breaths.

Do something else to get your mind off the craving (i.e. take a walk, talk with friends, etc.).

Chew on gum, candy, or carrot sticks.

Change your habits so that there are less cigarette-associations.

Eat your food slowly and enjoy every flavor. Your taste buds are going to come to life again after you quit smoking.

Contact Health Education Services to help you remain smoke-free. 703-993-3690/3686

Contact Student Health Services for more information on Nicotine Replacement Therapies and/or Zyban. 703-993-2831

Start thinking of how you’re going to spend all the money you’ll save from not buying cigarettes.

If you do not succeed, try again!