"No Smoking Day" – Everything You Need to Know About Quitting Smoking

How many times in your life have you told yourself, "Today I'm quitting smoking, and this is my last cigarette," only to end up continuing as usual? As is well known, the harms of smoking are severe, and almost every smoker is aware of them. However, the difficulty of quitting smoking is something that people who want to quit are familiar with. Moreover, over 50% of smokers want to give up this habit. In light of "No Smoking Day" taking place today, Dr. Michael Weinpaz, a specialist in family medicine, diabetes, and clinical herbalist, dispels myths surrounding quitting smoking. Can anyone really quit whenever they want? Are "light" cigarettes less harmful than regular ones? Must one gain weight in the process of quitting smoking?

Cigarettes don't control me; I'll just quit whenever I want – False

While the desire to quit smoking is essential to the process, only 3-5 out of a group of one hundred smokers who try to quit alone manage to persist over time. This shows that it's not as simple as one might think. Quitting smoking involves several challenges: one is the physical difficulty of nicotine addiction, and the other is changing lifestyle habits. An effective way to address these issues is to schedule an appointment with a family doctor, who can help tailor the best approach for the individual.

I find it very hard to feel calm without a cigarette – Not accurate

One of the main reasons smokers feel calm when smoking is the addiction to cigarettes and nicotine. Nicotine reaches the brain within 5-10 seconds of the first puff. Binding nicotine to receptors in the brain causes the release of dopamine (responsible for the sense of pleasure and calm from the cigarette) at very high levels. Between cigarettes, dopamine levels drop, causing the smoker to suffer withdrawal symptoms, including stress, restlessness, lack of concentration, and the need for the next cigarette. The smoker feels better after lighting up because the cigarette handles these withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, the habit that turned the cigarette into a "calming medicine" makes the smoker feel they can't do without it and struggle to find another effective solution. The only way out of this illusion is to quit smoking for good, through a well-structured process. Non-smokers are much calmer and happier.

Quitting smoking causes weight gain – Not accurate

There is a social claim that a person who quits smoking often gains significant weight. The body of a person who has quit smoking undergoes many physical changes, such as improved taste and smell, subsequently making food taste better, slowing metabolism, and the absence of a cigarette in the mouth leading to an increased desire to eat. Weight gain can be an unpleasant side effect, but it can later be addressed by focusing on weight management.

If I quit drastically, it will be hard; gradual quitting will be easier – Not accurate

Quitting smoking can be done gradually or abruptly - every smoker is invited to choose the method that suits them, based on previous attempts, other behavior changes in their life, and personality, as long as it is done under professional supervision. If you've decided to quit smoking, set a quit date and stick to it. If you find it difficult, it's recommended to consult your family doctor for today's available cessation aids.

The most effective way to quit smoking is alone, using the Cold Turkey method – False

Most smokers have tried to quit smoking five to seven times during their lives before succeeding. One of the main reasons for their initial lack of success is that they do not do it with help. As mentioned above, only 3-5% succeed in quitting without medication or behavioral support. Quitting smoking without medication is a difficult and challenging task, physically and emotionally. Some common side effects include constipation, irritability, impaired concentration, and a persistent craving to smoke throughout the process. Undoubtedly, today, the most proven and effective way is a combination of drug and behavioral therapy. It is recommended to consult a family doctor to tailor the best treatment for you.

Reducing the number of cigarettes to 1-5 a day is as effective as quitting – False

Two out of three smokers in Israel report smoking over 10 cigarettes a day. There is no acceptable or safe amount of smoking, as each cigarette causes harm to the body. Many smokers would like to manage to smoke only 3 cigarettes a day, but those who succeed in this task often return to smoking more cigarettes after a few months. An individual who manages to reduce their usage to only three cigarettes aims to extract the most from them, by smoking deeply and holding the smoke in the lungs for an extended period, and finishing the cigarette to the end. An important fact is that even seemingly minor consumption, just 3 cigarettes a day, raises the risk of diseases caused by smoking. Additionally, a study published recently in BMJ Open found that even one cigarette a day is harmful to health. Therefore, the real goal of the smoker should be not to reduce but to quit smoking entirely.

"Light" cigarettes with low nicotine levels are less harmful – False

When the brain becomes addicted to nicotine, it produces many additional receptors. The more one smokes, the more receptors the brain will produce, and the harder it is to satisfy them.

When the nicotine content in a cigarette is reduced (as in "light" cigarettes), smokers inhale the cigarette smoke more intensely, smoke the filter completely, or increase the number of cigarettes per day. All these actions are taken to supply the amount of nicotine the receptors are accustomed to receiving. Such a situation suggests that "light" cigarettes might even be more dangerous.

Dr. Michael Weinpaz is a smoking cessation consultant, diabetes doctor, family doctor, and clinical herbalist.