At least one in six women 18 years of age or older smoked cigarettes in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The American Cancer Society (ACS) says more than 75 percent of female smokers want to kick the habit. While many women may benefit from some of the mainstream quit smoking aids, there are certain quit smoking strategies that apply specifically to women.
Selecting a Quit Day
Picking a day you plan to quit smoking and marking it on your calendar is a good start toward successfully quitting according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A premenopausal woman may want to take her monthly hormonal fluctuations into account when choosing the day she plans to give up smoking. The ACS says premenstrual tension may intensify the urge to smoke. Therefore it may be prudent to choose a day when these symptoms have subsided to help stack the odds in favor of successfully quitting.
Quit Smoking Aids
Both women and men seem to have equal success with quit smoking medications like bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix). Bupropin is an antidepressant medicine that works by lessening nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the urge to light up. Varenicline also helps loosen the hold nicotine has on the body as it takes away the enjoyment of smoking. Nicotine replacement therapy including patches and gum may help men slightly more than women, although they may still be very effective.
Exercise
A woman who would like to quit smoking may fear that she will gain weight. It's true that 80 percent of women who quit will put on about 5 pounds. Weight gain can be reversed and possibly prevented through increased physical activity such as brisk walking, biking or swimming. Staying focused on the long term benefits of kicking the habit may help you feel less concerned about this often temporary condition.
Stay Focused
A woman may be more likely to successfully quit smoking if she spends time thinking about her reasons for wanting to quit and becomes fully aware of the many detrimental effects of continuing to smoke. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says more women die of lung cancer than breast cancer. All told, some 178,000 women die of smoking related deaths every year in the U.S., according to the CDC.
