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Thinking of Quitting? |
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If you are interested in quitting and want to know WHERE you can find help, you have come to the right place. This web page will give you information on HOW to quit and reasons WHY you should quit. There is also information on medications that can help you quit. For information on quit smoking classes in Santa Barbara County call 681-5407 or 346-7275 or 737-7775
x5407. |
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On this page:
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| Where to Find Help: Statewide |
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Ready to Quit?
If you are ready to quit, a Helpline counselor can set up a quit plan that’s right for you. An intake counselor who will send you a packet of helpful information will answer your first call. If you are accepted into the program, there will be a number in the packet to call to arrange counseling sessions. A cessation counselor will return your call within 48 hours.
Call 1-800-NO-BUTTS |
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Medi-Cal?  page top
The Helpline program can provide you with the Certificate of Enrollment necessary to receive nicotine patches, nicotine gum, or Zyban. You’ll need to take the certificate, along with a prescription from your doctor, to the pharmacy. |
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Teen Smoker?
The Helpline has services for teens too! Just identify yourself as a teen for help by mail or over the phone. |
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Spanish Helpline |
Chewers' Helpline |
Deaf/Hearing Impaired Helpline |
800-45-NO FUME
(800-456-6386) |
800-844-CHEW
(800-844-2439) |
800-933-4TDD
(800-933-4833) |
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Also available in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean |
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Local Programs To Help You Quit
For information on quit smoking classes in Santa Barbara County call:
(805)
681-5407 for South County services
(805) 346-7275 for North County services
(805) 737-7775 x 5407 for Lompoc area
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Services Offered in Santa Barbara County: |
| The Tobacco Prevention Settlement Program funds community-based services to help people who want to stop smoking or using tobacco products. Classes are offered monthly in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, quarterly in Lompoc, and are offered in group and/or one-on-one formats on college/university campuses and at other funded agencies. Services typically include four to seven sessions that address the psychosocial and behavioral components of nicotine addiction. Ongoing support to prevent relapse is also provided. Medications are available, including nicotine replacement (patches, gum, and lozenges) as well as Wellbutrin or Chantix to program participants. The eligibility criteria and benefit specifics are detailed below: |
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| Eligibility and Requirements: page top |
1. Clients must reside in Santa Barbara County.
2. Clients of any income level are eligible to participate in the classes, but clients must have the following income levels to receive free and reduced cost nicotine replacement products and/or medications:
- Household size: 1 Maximum Income: $40,000
- Household size: 2 or more Maximum Total Income: $60,000
3. Clients must follow the prescribed treatment plan and respond to follow-up contact and/or attend relapse prevention classes in order to be eligible to receive continued pharmaceutical treatment.
4. If a client chooses to use Wellbutrin or Chantix, it is the client’s responsibility to obtain the prescription from a physician and to pay the necessary physician visit fees.
5. Medi-Cal clients must go through the Santa Barbara Regional Health Authority for medication prescriptions and a donation scholarship is provided for many Medi-Cal clients.
6. Medically Indigent Adults (MIA) clients must go through their MIA provider and request pharmaceutical prescriptions that specifically state a medical necessity to quit tobacco use.
7. A client is eligible for TPSP benefits only once in a 12-month period.
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Benefits: |
- Eight (8) weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum or lozenges) free of cost.
- Eight (8) additional weeks of nicotine replacement are available with follow-up treatment for $20 per box.
- Reimbursement of Wellbutrin (bupropion) or Chantix prescriptions for up to 3 months, dispensed one month at a time. (Maximum reimbursement is $130 per month, and up to $390 within a 12-month period.)
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| HOW TO QUIT page top |
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| Make a Plan |
This 2-week plan gives you activities to do before you quit that will help you succeed when you do quit. Set aside time every day to practice.
You will have the chance to:
Take action by setting your "quit date"—the day you will start bring a former smoker—and telling people about it.
- Think about why quitting is important to you. (Write a list)
- Plan what to do at times and places that could be challenging when you become a former smoker.
- Practice coping with the urge to smoke and choosing, on occasion, not to smoke.
- Change behaviors around what you eat, how you exercise, how you cope with stress and strong feelings, and getting support from others.
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Choose Your Quit Date |
Midnight on a Thursday or Friday is the best time for most people. That way, you'll be through the hardest part of withdrawal by Monday morning.
Your quit date should be about 2 weeks after you begin learning and practicing the strategies and skills described. |
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The Day You Quit |
- Throw away all your cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays.
- You will feel the urge to smoke, but it usually passes in 2-3 minutes. When you feel the urge, do something else. Take deep breaths and let them out slowly. Drink a glass of water.
- Carry things to put in your mouth, like gum, hard candy, and toothpicks.
- Keep busy: Go to the movies, ride your bike, walk the dog, play video games, call a friend.
- Go to places where you're not allowed to smoke, like the movies.
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The First Few Days page top |
- 1. The first few days after you quit, don't hang around people and places where you used to smoke. If your family or friends smoke, ask them not to:
→ Smoke around you
→ Offer you cigarettes
→ Leave cigarettes where you can find them
→ Tease you about not smoking
- Turn your home into a "no smoking zone," especially if your family smokes.
- Spend a lot of time in places where you're not allowed to smoke.
- Drink lots of water and fruit juice, but limit your intake of drinks like soda, coffee and tea that contain caffeine
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Coping with Cravings |
- Notice the craving. Don't ignore, suppress or fight it.
- Stop and think about it. Take a moment to experience the craving.
- Make a conscious choice not to smoke.
- Wait. The urge will pass after a minute or so, whether or not you choose to smoke.
- Do anything to delay the urge.
- Get up and do something.
- Call someone and talk about it.
- Congratulate yourself each time you have an urge to smoke and choose not to.
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| Plan Alternatives |
- Drink water, especially out of a sip bottle.
- Play with "worry stones" or other small objects.
- Take a walk.
- Chew gum.
- Take a shower.
- Go someplace where smoking isn't allowed, such as the movies or the library.
- Call a friend, or be with others who don't smoke.
- Learn to identify what you need at that moment—to be alone or to talk, for example.
- Stay positive. When you wake up, promise yourself that you won't smoke a cigarette that day.
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Celebrate Your Success! |
- Mark each milestone you reach in some way.
- Calculate the amount of money you haven't spent on cigarettes. You may want to use a glass jar to save the money you would have spent on tobacco, then spend it on something special.
- Treat yourself to something fun, such as a movie or coffee with a friend.
- Each day, watch for the best thing that happens to you because you're not smoking. Maybe you can walk up the stairs without getting winded, or eat in the nonsmoking section of a restaurant.
- Ask your family and friends to celebrate with you.
Within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette, the body begins a series of changes that continue for years. |
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20 Minutes after Quitting
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- Blood pressure drops to normal
- Pulse rate drops to normal
- Temperature of hands and feet increases to normal
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8 Hours after Quitting |
- Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
- Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
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24 Hours after Quitting |
- Chance of heart attack decreases
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48 Hours after Quitting |
- Nerve endings start regrowing
- Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
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| 2 Weeks to 3 Months after Quitting |
- Circulation improves
- Walking becomes easier
- Lung function increases up to 30%
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| 1 to 9 Months after Quitting |
- Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease
- Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce infection
- Overall energy increases
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| 1 Year after Quitting |
- Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker
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| 5 Years after Quitting |
- Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting
- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is half that of a smoker
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| 10 Years after Quitting |
- Lung cancer death rate about half that of a continuing smoker's
- Precancerous cells are replaced
- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decrease
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| 15 Years after Quitting page top |
- Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker
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| Medications That Can Help You Quit Smoking or Chewing |
The following products can help you quit, but only if you also join a class or get counseling support.
Nicotine replacement can minimize or eliminate withdrawal symptoms commonly experienced when quitting smoking or chewing. The quitter is better able to resist using tobacco in situations when he or she might crave cigarettes or chewing tobacco. |
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| Nicotine Chewing Gum*/ Lozenge |
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Gum or lozenge is available over the counter in 2-mg or 4-mg strengths. The nicotine is absorbed by the membranes in the mouth and prevents withdrawal symptoms. |
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Patches are available over the counter in 7-, 14-, and 21-mg strengths. Dosage depends on the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Gradual weaning is recommended to reduce nicotine withdrawal effects. Do not smoke while using nicotine replacement products. |
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Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban)* |
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Bupropion is a prescription medicine that helps reduce withdrawal symptoms and the urge to smoke. It acts on the brain to modify neurotransmitters involved in nicotine addiction and withdrawal.
Requires a prescription from your Doctor and must be taken 7-10 days prior to a quit attempt.
*Side effects have been reported by a small percentage of users, so be sure to read and understand all package instructions. |
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CHANTIX, (varenicline) is a recently FDA-approved prescription drug to assist with quitting tobacco use. This product blocks the release of dopamine, the brain’s chemical messenger that is responsible for the addictive response to nicotine; thus eliminating the pleasurable sensation often received after smoking or using tobacco products. In addition, CHANTIX reduces the withdrawal symptoms that lead smokers to light up again and again.
CHANTIX is in tablet form and is taken twice daily for 12 weeks. A doctor can prescribe another dose of 12 weeks for on-going support for those who have successfully quit. CHANTIX should not be used by pregnant or nursing women. CHANTIX should not be used with nicotine replacement products, as their affects are blocked and/or reduced by the actions of the medication.
It is recommended that clients begin the use of CHANTIX seven (7) days prior to their quit day. CHANTIX is a medication that works to assist the quitting process, but studies show that it is only effective if it is combined with a smoking cessation treatment/support program.
*Some side effects of this medication include: nausea, headache, insomnia and abnormal dreams. All concerns about these side effects can be addressed with your doctor and/or your cessation facilitator. |
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Copyright 1997-2007 Public Health
Department, Santa Barbara County. All Rights Reserved.
Page last updated
July 8, 2008
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Click HERE to
contact the Tobacco Settlement Prevention Program.
For technical support regarding this site, click HERE. |
