I've Tried Everything to Quit Smoking: Can You Help?

Even when you understand the dangers of smoking, it can be difficult to quit on your own without support. If you’re committed to kicking the smoking habit and have tried everything else, consider the benefits of a smoking cessation program.

At Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep, our board-certified pulmonary specialists, Ashok Tyagi, DO, CPE, and Himanshu Chandarana, MD, take a patient-centered approach to help people free themselves from nicotine addiction.

We also offer resources to restore your respiratory function and general health after years of smoking.

Why it’s so difficult to quit smoking

Tobacco use can increase your risk factors for nicotine dependence. Nicotine is an addictive substance in cigarettes and other tobacco products. It triggers the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain that make you crave more nicotine.

Your brain becomes accustomed to having nicotine, even after a short time of smoking. You begin to crave nicotine and can experience symptoms like an intense urge to smoke, irritability, and anxiousness when you try to quit smoking.

There’s also a habitual component to smoking that makes it hard to quit. Many people use smoking as a coping mechanism for stress and may struggle to do ordinary tasks without taking cigarette breaks.

Withdrawal symptoms typically only last a few days, but symptoms can intensify enough to make you start smoking again. For this reason, you can benefit from our medically supervised smoking cessation program, which gives you tangible resources to help you quit for good.

What to expect from a smoking cessation program

The smoking cessation programs we offer at Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep account for all the factors that make quitting difficult.

Our providers use several strategies that help you achieve important milestones on your journey so you can quit smoking for good. These strategies include:

Health counseling

We provide you with informational resources to help you understand the health risks associated with smoking, including lung cancer and heart disease.

Our providers explain the withdrawal symptoms you might experience after quitting nicotine so you can prepare yourself.

Medications

Strong cravings for nicotine can interfere with your quitting progress. If you struggle to resist these cravings, our physicians can prescribe medications to ease the urge to smoke.

We can also suggest nicotine patches that deliver small amounts of the drug through your skin to prevent cravings and other withdrawal symptoms.

Exercise recommendations

Former smokers already experiencing breathing issues may benefit from exercises that strengthen lung function. We can suggest exercises you can do regularly to breathe easier and prevent further complications.

Preventive screenings

Preventive screenings for smoking-related conditions like lung cancer and emphysema help our team identify warning signs of disease early. That ensures you get the treatment you need before your condition worsens.

Because quitting smoking is a major life change, you can rely on our team’s compassionate support through all phases of your smoking cessation program. We can also refer you to peer support groups so you have others to lean on when you feel stressed or overwhelmed.

Call Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep in St. Petersburg, Florida, today to learn more about the benefits of smoking cessation.