Quitting tobacco? Here are five facts to help you   

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. If you’ve tried to stop using tobacco before and then started again, don’t be discouraged! You can use this observance to start creating a plan for how to stop, which will greatly increase your chances of quitting for good. And as a Veteran, you can start using the many VA resources that can give your efforts a big boost right now. 

Here are five facts to know as you pursue a tobacco-free life

Using both medication and counseling is your best option for success.

Combining medication and counseling can triple your chances for success compared with going it alone. Medication helps with managing nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Counseling supports you in building practical skills to make long-term changes to your behavior, such as how you respond to the triggers that make you want to use tobacco. 

You’ll start experiencing positive changes fast.

Within 20 minutes of quitting tobacco, your heart rate drops. Within days, you may start to notice improvements in your sense of taste and smell. Within two weeks of stopping smoking, you may breathe more easily. When you stop dipping or chewing, your mouth sores begin to heal, your gums become healthier, and your breath starts to smell better.

The longer you stop, the more your benefits grow. After you stop smoking, your lungs start to repair themselves. Ten years after you quit, your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half. When you stop dipping or chewing, you lower your risk for stroke, heart disease and cancer in the mouth, esophagus and pancreas. Five years after you stop, your risk of mouth cancer is cut in half.

You can rely on VA for a full range of treatment options.

VA treatment options include counseling, prescription medications and nicotine replacement therapy. Counseling is available in individual or group settings from a health care provider or over the phone from a Quit VET coach. Nicotine replacement therapies like the nicotine patch, which offers long-acting relief from withdrawal symptoms, can be combined with short-acting products like nicotine gum and lozenges for more effective results. You can work with your VA health care provider to figure out what combination works for you.

It may take you multiple tries to become tobacco-free.

It may take two, three or even more attempts to become tobacco-free, but practice makes perfect. Every time you try, you learn a little more. Think about what helped you get through your cravings. Take what worked for you before and build on it the next time.

Remember that nearly 80% of Veterans who previously smoked have successfully quit, like Army Veteran Mark Neely. “I actually did quit many times. Then I’d start back up,” Neely recalled. “What’s good about the VA program is that it is so multifaceted. I told myself I’m going to avail myself of every resource VA offers. The important thing is to not stop trying.”

VA makes it easy to get started.

No matter where you are on your journey, VA can help you build your plan, obtain effective treatment and get connected with support. Here are some easy ways to get started:

• Use an online tool for Veterans to build your personalized quit plan. 
• Contact your VA provider through My HealtheVet to discuss your options. 
• Call VA’s free telephone quitline at 1-855-QUIT-VET (1-855-784-8838) for counseling and help with developing a plan. Quit VET coaches offer counseling in English or Spanish. 
• Sign up for SmokefreeVET or text VET to 47848 to receive text messages with encouragement, strategies and support. Puede inscribirse en SmokefreeVET en español enviando VETesp al 47848 o visitando smokefree.gov/SmokefreeVETesp.  

Learn more about VA’s treatment options.