Welcome to QuitCast
Quit Tobacco...and Make Everyone Proud! That's exactly what this series of short podcasts will help you do: quit and, hopefully, stay quit for good. Hi, I'm Dr. Jeff Elting, U.S. Army Medical Corps,...
View ArticleReady or Not
If you’re listening to this podcast, you’re interested in quitting tobacco. But are you really ready to quit? Ask yourself that question and answer it honestly. Because quitting tobacco is one of the...
View ArticleWeighing the Options
Quitting tobacco successfully takes dedication and a solid plan. Step 1 of that plan is deciding how to quit. Many options are available, but it’s important to find one that’s right for you. Here’s an...
View ArticlePrep Step 1: Develop a Strategy for Quitting
Every battle requires a planeven your own personal battle against tobacco. People who develop a clear strategy for quitting are far more successful than those who don’t. Planning your strategy starts...
View ArticleChoose Your Quit Day
You’ve been thinking about quitting tobacco. If you’ve made it this far, chances are you’re serious about doing it. So, it’s time to choose your quit daythe day you’ll stop using tobacco for good....
View ArticleFriends and Foes
Quitting tobacco is hard to do, but it’s easier with support from people around you. Friends, family, co-workersall of them can contribute to your success… or stand in your way! Friends, for instance,...
View ArticleSay It—Believe It—Share It, Part 1
Developing a strong support network of family and friends is critical to quitting tobacco. In fact, people with a support network are up to 10 times more successful at quitting than those who go it...
View ArticlePrep Step 2: Know Your Triggers
Know your enemy and you’re better able to defeat it. When you’re trying to quit tobacco, the enemy is the people, places, times, or situations that make you crave tobacco. These are “triggers”some are...
View ArticleSay It—Believe It—Share It, Part 2
We talked about how important it is to create a network of friends and family to encourage you as you quit tobacco. By now, you should be sharing your plans with them and letting them know how serious...
View ArticleMore About Triggers
In an earlier podcast, we talked about how certain people, places and things can trigger your desire for tobacco. Your list of triggers might have included things like coffee, alcohol, or certain...
View ArticleYour Best Options, Part 1
Earlier, we discussed some of the options for how to quit tobacco. Let’s look at a couple of them in more detail. The “cold turkey” approach is effective in helping your body recover more quickly from...
View ArticlePrep Step 3: Your Best Options, Part 2
In an earlier program, we talked about some of the more traditional approaches to quitting tobaccocold turkey and nicotine replacement therapies. Now, let’s look at some of the more recent medical...
View ArticleThe Battle Within, Part 1
If you’re following these podcasts as a guide, you’re halfway to your quit date! It’s time to start preparing for the changes you might experience during the weeks ahead. Keep in mind that addiction to...
View ArticleJekyll and Hyde Syndrome
As you’re preparing yourself to quit tobacco, it’s important to also prepare the people around you—your support network. We’ve talked about how you should share your quitting strategy with those people...
View ArticleMedical Issues
Most likely, your closest friends and family members will make up your primary circle of supportafter all, they know you and your behaviors better than anyone. But your primary healthcare provider...
View ArticleCourage Collection
The first podcast in this series challenged you to “Quit Tobacco...And Make Everyone Proud!” Today, start turning those words into actual itemsa collection that will remind you of the important people...
View ArticlePrep Step 4: Distractions and Diversions
Quitting tobacco involves getting nicotine out of your body and your mind. Distractions and diversions are important tools to use in beating the cravings and withdrawal symptoms you’ll experience. So,...
View ArticleChange of Place
We've talked about tobacco "triggers"the people and things that give you the urge to use tobacco. The places around you can be triggers, too. A smoky bar, for instance, can set off cravings for almost...
View ArticleReward Yourself
We’ve talked a lot about reducing and eliminating the negative aspects of tobacco use. But, it's just as important to focus on the positive effects of doing that. In short, it's important to reward...
View ArticlePre Step 5: Tough Love
If you're following the schedule of quitting in these podcasts, next week will be your last week of preparation before Quit Day. So, it's time to get even more serious with your approach to quitting....
View ArticleOne Week To Go
Your Quit Day is approaching fast! Are you nervous? Excited? Maybe a little of both? The feelings are natural, but most of all your Quit Day should be something to look forward to—because it'll be the...
View ArticleMind Games
As your Quit Day approaches, remember a little mantra called "mind over matter." Let's face itwhen you quit, your body's going to want tobaccoa lot! But remember that your mind has already been made...
View ArticleCall Tree
With your Quit Day right around the corner, it's time to wrap up final preparations and details of your plan for quitting tobacco. You're probably focusing on that a lot, but now is the time to remind...
View ArticlePrep Step 6: Countdown
Okay, this is it! Are you ready to quit tobacco for good? Of course you are! This weekend, as you continue to prepare yourself physically and mentally for your Quit Day, go through your Quit Journal...
View ArticleYour Quit Day!
This is itthe first day of your tobacco-free life! Take a deep breath of fresh air and get used to it. Your surroundings should be free of tobacco products, but if not, take the last pack of smokes or...
View ArticleFirst 24 Hours
The first 24 hours without tobacco are often the toughest. Did you make it through the day without relapse? If so, congratulations!you made it one day, now make it one more. If not, think about why...
View ArticleChecking In
It's important to have helpful and caring supporters around you as you adjust to your new, healthier lifestyle. If you haven't already contacted people on your list of active supportersyour family,...
View ArticleWithdrawal (Cravings & Urges), Part I
As your body detoxifies from nicotine, it's normal to experience both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Anxiety, anger, and irritability normally peak in the first 48 hours. As your brain...
View ArticleWithdrawal (Cravings & Urges), Part 2
It happens to almost every tobacco user trying to quit: the craving. That nearly irresistible urge to abandon all that you have worked for and indulge again in tobacco. After several days of quitting,...
View ArticleWithdrawal (Cravings & Urges), Part 3
We've talked about how nicotine withdrawal may affect you, the person quitting tobacco. But what about the people around you? Those peopleespecially the ones in your closest circle of supportcan be...
View ArticleHelp, I’ve Slipped
If you slip up, don't give up! It won't happen to everyone, but a large percentage of people who quit using tobacco eventually start using it again. The important thing to remember is that just because...
View ArticleWeight & Diet, Part 1
The possibility of gaining weight is one reason that some people are afraid to quit smoking. If you maintain a healthy diet and eating habits, though, you have nothing to fear. Tobacco use does act as...
View ArticleWeight & Diet, Part 2
We talked earlier about the fact that gaining weight can occur when a person quits tobacco—but it doesn’t have to! A healthy diet and plenty of exercise are the keys to keeping off the pounds....
View ArticleTreat Yourself
An earlier podcast gave you the assignment of writing down in your quit journal a list of milestones you wanted to achieve once you quit tobacco. You might have included making it 1 day, then 1 week,...
View ArticleOne Day at a Time
As part of planning to quit, you thought about triggers and obstacles you might face once your quit day came, and you wrote down in your quit journal ways of successfully addressing those challenges....
View ArticleWhat's Happening
Hopefully, you’re now at the end of your third week without tobacco, and you’ve probably started noticing a number of physical changes in yourself. Your breathing and stamina should be improving, and...
View ArticleReview Your Triggers
In earlier podcasts, we talked about identifying your "tobacco triggers"—the people, places, times of day, and situations that make you crave tobacco. You brainstormed ways of avoiding them and...
View ArticleLean on Me
During the process of preparing to quit—and now that you've actually stopped using tobacco—you've seen how important it is to have the support of people around you. How many times already have you...
View ArticleLearn From Others, Part 2
No two stories of quitting tobacco are exactly the same—each one has unique examples of successes, setbacks, and ways of planning for and dealing with the challenges of quitting. In another podcast, we...
View ArticleMoney Up In Smoke
As you were planning for your quit day, you may have calculated the money you’d save by not using tobacco. But whether you did it then, evaluating the cost savings now can be a powerful motivator. If...
View ArticleMedical Check-In
We've talked about how important it is to continually reassess your efforts to quit tobacco and how you should refine and refocus your strategies along the way. This should include checking in with...
View ArticleSleep
Quitting tobacco can be exhausting. Sleep is an important ingredient to your success. In fact, a lack of sleep, or generally just being tired, is one of the four top contributors to cravings. The...
View ArticleFriends and Foes Revisited
In recent podcasts we've talked about reassessing your quit program as time goes on—from reevaluating your tobacco triggers and the amount of money you’re saving to the actual approaches you're using...
View ArticleMore Than a Month!
If you've been following these podcasts as your guide to planning and implementing a quit program, then you're now at the end of your fifth week—and that means it’s been more than a month since you...
View ArticleRelapse!
Mark Twain once commented that "Quitting smoking is easy…I’ve done it a thousand times." Unfortunately, his point is true: Many people quit tobacco only to start up again... and then quit again, and...
View ArticleDevelop a New Strategy, Part 1
Hopefully, you've been following an effective quit plan and are still tobacco free after several weeks. But, the reality is that many people relapse when they quit tobacco. The important thing is to...
View ArticleDevelop a New Strategy, Part 2
Military commanders study historic battles to learn what worked and what didn’t work in various situations. You need to do the same with your battle plan against tobacco. If you’ve experienced a...
View ArticleExecute Your New Plan
For many people, a major life change requires a special "launch." For instance, more diets are started on January 1 than at any other time because a brand new year is considered time for a brand new...
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