No Better Time to Quit Smoking Than Now
Smoking for those with diabetes drastically raises this risk and the risk of other diabetes complications, further shortening life expectancy and decreasing quality of life. The chemicals in cigarette smoke attack blood vessels, accelerating atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Once blood vessels are damaged, they can block off completely and, depending on which vessels are affected, that can lead to stroke, heart attack and leg amputation.
There is no safe level of smoking. This is not surprising when you consider the ingredients in cigarette smoke: about 4,000 known toxins, including 50 substances known to cause cancer. Every puff exposes your cells and tissues to such chemicals such as arsenic, acetone, ammonia, carbon monoxide, cyanide, mercury, nicotine and lead.
“The combination of high blood glucose levels and smoking dramatically increases damage to the blood vessels that feed the heart, brain, eyes, kidneys and peripheral nerves,” says Dr. Janet Hux, Chief Scientific Advisor for the Canadian Diabetes Association. “Many people with diabetes work very hard to control their blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol in order to prevent complications of diabetes such as heart attack and stroke. Unfortunately, smoking simply undoes this hard work.”
Quitting is never easy, but it can be done
Nicotine is among the most addictive drugs. Smoking is not a habit or a lifestyle choice. It’s an addiction that, over time, changes brain chemistry. Nicotine takes effect by attaching to certain receptors in the brain, and when you become a smoker these receptors increase in number. If not regularly stimulated with nicotine, the increased receptors can make a person experience withdrawal. Both withdrawal and the craving are tied to changes in brain chemistry. The process of quitting is physically and emotionally difficult. However, it is probably the single most effective thing a person can do to improve their health.
“Quitting smoking is one of the most important things people living with diabetes can do to help prevent or delay the onset of complications. No matter how long an individual has smoked, health improvements will occur after quitting,” explains Dr. Hux.
If you’re thinking about quitting, it may help to set a firm, short-term quit date. While quitting will require a great deal of motivation and will-power, there are numerous smoking cessation aids, support groups, and behaviour modification methods that can help. Many hospitals, community centres and schools offer smoking cessation workshops or clinics. Get as much information as you can from your doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist about options to help you quit, including medications or alternative therapies that can increase your chances of success.
Similar to the day-to-day process of managing your diabetes through diet, physical activity and regular blood glucose testing, quitting smoking is something that is best approached by incorporating the change into your daily routine.
Making the transition from smoker to non-smoker is not easy. The most important thing to remember is that you can do it! If you do lapse, give yourself a break. Don’t focus on the one cigarette you just had, but remember the several you haven’t had since you began the process. Managing your quitting is much like managing your diabetes—you have to take it one day at a time.
“If you have tried to quit and failed before, remember that many smokers fail several times before quitting,” adds Dr. Hux. “Use these failures not as a reminder that you can’t quit, but as part of the journey towards becoming a non-smoker. It’s never too late, so don’t quit quitting! And don’t forget to believe in yourself.”
Visit www.diabetes.ca/smoking or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464) for more information on smoking and diabetes.