VA can make it easier for you to quit smoking

Explore the resources that have empowered other Veterans to stop

Every year more than 100,000 Veterans stop smoking, according to a VA Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ Health and Use of Health Care. But VA recognizes that it’s not easy to quit. Nicotine is addictive. Cravings and withdrawal are real. Routines are difficult to change.

That’s why VA’s campaign for the Great American Smokeout on November 20 is encouraging Veterans to Quit Like a Pro. How? By learning what works (from VA experts, other Veterans who stopped smoking, and your own previous attempts to quit) and making use of all VA’s tobacco use treatment resources, such as medications and counseling.

Learning from other Veterans

One Veteran who quit like a pro is Douglas Ferrier, who made several attempts to stop before working with his VA health care provider to find an approach that worked over the long term.

Ferrier says he learned from each attempt. The combination that ultimately worked for him was the medication varenicline, which blocks nicotine’s effects on the brain; VA counseling, which helped him reinforce new routines in place of smoking; and weekly group sessions with other Veterans who quit or were in the process of quitting.

Ferrier, who served in the Navy and the Army National Guard, said the Veterans in the group sessions provide support and advice while also sharing their experiences. “It’s very comforting to know other people have gone through what I went through,” he shared.

Similarly, Navy Veteran Dustin Johnson credits his success in large part to group sessions with Veterans, who helped him put his own experiences into context and hold himself accountable. He also cites his use of nicotine patches and nicotine gum.

“Any time I felt the urge during the day, I was able to use the gum as a substitute to power through that craving,” he said.

Finding reasons to quit

Pros know that success is more likely with motivation, so it may help Veterans to know that some of the benefits of quitting smoking start almost immediately. Within two weeks of stopping smoking, people may find that they can breathe easier when doing everyday tasks like walking up the stairs. Their sense of taste and smell also may begin to improve.

A year after a person stops smoking, their risk of heart attack drops sharply. After 5 to 10 years, the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, lungs and bladder are cut in half. Stopping smoking can also improve sleep, boost the effectiveness of some anxiety and depression medications, alleviate some posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, reduce chronic pain and provide many more benefits.

Many Veterans also find other motivations for quitting—like saving money or avoiding the hassle of finding a time and place to smoke. Others quit to protect loved ones from the harms of second-hand smoke or to start a family (smoking contributes to problems getting pregnant and increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature delivery). Some stop to set a good example for their children and grandchildren and to live longer for them; research shows that stopping smoking at any age increases life expectancy.

Getting started today

Veterans who want to stop smoking have several options for getting help from VA resources:

• Connect with their VA health care provider to discuss new therapies or combinations of treatments that may work best for them.
• Call Quit VET, VA’s free telephone quitline, at 1-855-QUIT-VET (1-855-784-8838) to talk with a trained quit coach and develop a plan to stop smoking. The coaches are trained to guide Veterans through any phase of quitting, understand VA health care system and military culture, and offer support in English and Spanish.
• Sign up for SmokefreeVET by texting VET to 47848. Veterans will receive text messages with tools, tips, encouragement, and support. (Puede inscribirse en SmokefreeVET en español enviando VETesp al 47848 o visitando smokefree.gov/SmokefreeVETesp.)
• Visit the SmokefreeVET website to build a quit plan.

Any day is the best day to start on a journey to smoke-free living and all the benefits it provides. Learn more about VA tobacco use treatment resources and how Veterans can access them.