Quitting Smoking for Improved Longevity: How to Get Started Today
Immortality: it’s often the goal of your typical villain in the average film or TV show. Now, however, something similar is becoming an increasingly common ideal for most Americans. Today, people define longevity as living to old age—without being hampered by health issues. Over 75% of adults hope that medical advancements will help them do just that.
However, they’re also taking matters into their own hands to stay healthy as they age, and you can do the same. The key is to change your lifestyle for the better. Follow a balanced diet. Exercise regularly. More importantly, drop harmful habits like smoking and drinking.
In fact, recent studies find that quitting smoking alone can significantly improve your longevity. Here’s why that happens—and how you can get started today.
The link between smoking cessation and longevity
Cigarette use is closely associated with a multitude of health conditions. Aside from lung cancer, it can cause heart and liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, and even reproductive issues. In Elevate Your Brain, we even note that smoking can impact your cognitive abilities. Because the habit constricts your heart and blood vessels, it limits your brain’s oxygen supply, worsening skills like memory.
As such, it’s no surprise that ditching cigarettes can improve your overall longevity, no matter how old you are and how long you’ve gone smoke-free. Researchers from the University of Toronto find that even being a non-smoker for less than three years can increase your life expectancy by more than half a decade. By reducing your exposure to cigarettes’ harmful chemicals, you lower your chances of getting diagnosed with smoking-related diseases—and ultimately live both longer and healthier.
The best part is you can start as soon as today.
How to start quitting smoking today
For improved success, let go of the cold turkey strategy and embrace a more gradual process that promotes sustainability and forgives relapses. These three simple yet effective steps can get you started.
Identify your triggers
According to the 2022 WebMD article Facing My Smoking Triggers, your mind closely associates the habit with specific activities and situations, prompting you to light a stick when you encounter them. To identify your triggers, go through your daily routine and determine what parts of it give you the urge to smoke. That can be as simple as stress at the office or hanging out with friends and family at bars and restaurants.
You can then start managing them. Situational triggers, like social outings, can easily be avoided or done less frequently. Otherwise, consider replacing smoking with another activity, especially when dealing with emotional triggers. For example, you can use a stress ball, listen to calming music, take some deep breaths, or write your feelings down.
Switch away from tobacco
By gradually switching away from tobacco altogether, you can avoid smoking withdrawal and prevent relapse without further exposing yourself to harmful cigarette chemicals. To do so, you can use alternative nicotine products like patches and pouches.
Nicotine patches are one tried-and-tested item you can try. This form of nicotine replacement therapy sticks on the skin for withdrawal relief. They’re sweat-proof and waterproof, so you can wear them to rid yourself of cravings no matter what you encounter in a day. Nicoderm’s nicotine patches are particularly effective due to their unique Extended Release SmartControl Technology. This releases controlled amounts of nicotine throughout the day, helping each patch last for over 24 hours. The patches come in 7mg to 21mg nicotine strengths that help you slowly decrease your dosage over time.
If you’d prefer an oral nicotine product, try the nicotine pouch. This fits between your gum and upper lip to relieve withdrawal for over an hour and comes in different flavors to ease the transition—such as mint if you like menthol cigarettes and coffee if you usually smoke while getting your caffeine fix. The nicotine pouches from ZYN, manufactured by the Philip Morris-owned brand Swedish Match, are especially popular in the US for using completely tobacco-free nicotine extracted and purified using advanced distillation procedures. Coming in subtler strengths of 3mg to 6mg, they can help close out your gradual quitting journey.
Build a strong support system
No quit-smoking journey is perfect. Even if you make an effort to identify your triggers and switch away from tobacco altogether, you may still relapse. That’s okay: progress isn’t linear. What matters is how you pick yourself up after and soldier on. Having a support system can help you do that more effectively.
You can start by seeking help from loved ones. Family, friends, and partners can all lend a hand in cheering you on and keeping you accountable. If you know someone who wants to quit smoking, too, you can even form a buddy system and keep each other going.
If you’d rather seek the support and advice of professionals and people going through the same struggles as you, consider joining a quit-smoking program. However, be discerning about the one you choose. Avoid those that charge high fees and promise quick fixes. Instead, MedLine Plus recommends cessation programs that last for at least two weeks and are run by smoking cessation experts.
