Healthy Eating | Getting Active | Tobacco Free
Reducing or quitting tobacco use is one of the most important things you can do for your health. There are approximately 7000 chemicals in tobacco, including about 70 that we know cause cancer. Tobacco use is still the number one cause of preventable death and disability world-wide and is linked to many illnesses, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary disease, to name a few.
Tobacco contains nicotine, a highly addictive drug. Nicotine affects brain chemistry and when people quit smoking or using spit tobacco, they may experience symptoms related to nicotine withdrawal. These symptoms can be very hard to overcome. It can be very helpful to seek the advice of your doctor or pharmacists to discuss options to help ease those symptoms. They may recommend medications or nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) to ease the physical discomfort.
In addition to the physical addiction, quitting tobacco also has many behaviours associated with use. Talking to a counsellor or participating in a group such as QuitCore, can be helpful. AlbertaQuits offers support both on-line and by phone to help you identify your triggers and create a change plan that will work for you.
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