{"id":73925,"date":"2024-02-07T10:04:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T17:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=73925"},"modified":"2024-02-07T11:20:35","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T18:20:35","slug":"how-he-gave-up-cigarettes-after-50-years-of-smoking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/how-he-gave-up-cigarettes-after-50-years-of-smoking\/","title":{"rendered":"How he quit cigarettes after smoking for 50 years"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_73981\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73981\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-73981\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/02\/06161709\/UCHealth_SteveBates_smoking-cessation-CHM3043-web.webp\" alt=\"Steve Bates picked an important date to give up cigarettes: his parents' anniversary. His dad fought in World War II and died of heart disease at 69 after having been a lifelong smoker. As a gift to his folks, Steve forged a new path. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.\" width=\"640\" height=\"439\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73981\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Bates picked an important date to give up cigarettes: his parents&#8217; anniversary. His dad fought in World War II and died of heart disease at 69 after having been a lifelong smoker. As a gift to his folks, Steve forged a new path. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When Steve Bates chose Sept. 11 as the day to quit his 50-year smoking habit, he did it for a profound reason.<\/p>\n<p>It was a heartfelt gift for his parents, both deceased, whose wedding anniversary would have been the next day. While his mom died from cancer years earlier, his dad\u2019s death was especially significant because, like Steve, he had been a lifelong smoker.<\/p>\n<p>By giving up cigarettes, Steve hoped to break the nicotine cycle and avoid his dad\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dad was a World War II vet who smoked Lucky Strikes and died of heart disease at 69,\u201d Steve said.<br \/>\n<div class=\"su-callout-box col-xs-12 col-sm-6 right\" style=\"background-color:#dce4e7; color:#2e3b44;\">\n<h2><strong>Do you want free help so you can quit smoking?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"gtm_service_line\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/services\/respiratory-lung-care\/smoking-cessation\/\">UCHealth offers free nicotine cessation programs<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Patients can get medications to assist them. These medications include nicotine replacement products like patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers and nasal sprays.<\/li>\n<li>Cognitive counseling is also available.<\/li>\n<li>How to get help?\n<ul>\n<li>Contact your primary care or specialty care provider to get a referral to speak with a tobacco treatment specialist.<\/li>\n<li>For help, you can send an email to <a id=\"LPlnk654458\" href=\"mailto:nixthenic@uchealth.org\" data-linkindex=\"0\">nixthenic@uchealth.org<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Or call the patient lines. In the Denver area, call 720-553-0311. In southern Colorado, call 719-444-CARE (2273). In northern Colorado, call 970-224-5209 for the Health District of Northern Larimer County smoking cessation program.<\/li>\n<li>Programs are free for patients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/quit-after-40-years-free-smoking-cessation-program-near-me\/\"><strong>Read more: Quick tips to help you quit smoking<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>While the date Steve quit is an homage to his parents\u2019 anniversary from long ago, the motivation to stop smoking came to him more recently and under more serious and sober circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/types\/bladder-cancer.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Cancer Society<\/a>, being a smoker makes you three times more likely to get bladder cancer compared to nonsmokers, and smoking can be blamed for as many as half of all bladder cancers in the U.S. In fact, smoking is the No. 1 risk factor for the disease.<\/p>\n<p>Steve, unfortunately, experienced what researchers have long known \u2013 the direct correlation between smoking and bladder cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Last January, he underwent a biopsy after he noticed blood in his urine. Results showed an aggressive form of cancer in the muscle of his bladder wall. He underwent three months of chemotherapy at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-cancer-center-highlands-ranch\/\">UCHealth Highlands Ranch<\/a>\u00a0and then had surgery in July to remove his bladder and prostate to stem the cancer\u2019s spread.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe chemo was a walk in the park compared to the operation and my recovery,\u201d said the 76-year-old Highlands Ranch resident. \u201cMy doctors kept reminding me that I needed to consider quitting smoking. I realized they were right \u2013 I don\u2019t want to face surgery again. I don\u2019t want to face cancer again. I don\u2019t want to face the <em>fear <\/em>of cancer again.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Smoking: an addictive habit learned early in life <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A South Dakota native, Steve began smoking as a young man while stationed in Germany after enlisting in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. There, he met his wife Mary, who was visiting her brother, also an Air Force enlistee. After Steve\u2019s discharge, he and Mary traveled Europe, then returned home to live in Minnesota and Wyoming before permanently settling in Metro Denver nearly 50 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Through the moves, raising two daughters and a successful career in advertising and marketing, smoking a pack a day was a constant for Steve.<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74005\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74005\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74005\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/02\/07095659\/Detail-shot-Steve-Bates-parents-tiny.webp\" alt=\"A close-up shot of Steve Bates' parents. He quit smoking as a gift to his folks and so he would never have to face a fear of cancer again. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.\" width=\"350\" height=\"241\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A close-up shot of Steve Bates&#8217; parents. He quit smoking as a gift to his folks and so he would never have to face a fear of cancer again. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While he tried quitting six times, he now realizes he \u201cwasn\u2019t all in\u201d during those previous attempts. After his bout with cancer and spending months recuperating, regaining his strength and managing the complications that come with his medical condition, it became clear to him that he finally had to stop smoking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I take care of myself today, I have a decent chance of saving myself for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Steve, that tomorrow began on Sept. 11.<\/p>\n<p>He did it cold turkey, without nicotine gum, patches, or medication that many people use to wean themselves off tobacco.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Help from a free tobacco cessation program\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>He wasn\u2019t alone. He had the assistance of a free <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/services\/respiratory-lung-care\/smoking-cessation\/\">UCHealth tobacco cessation program<\/a> and a valuable resource: Collene Curran, certified tobacco and nicotine addiction treatment specialist at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital-uch\/\">UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-at-university-of-colorado-anschutz-medical-campus\/\">Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The program works with people who have been referred by physicians, specialty clinics or those who want help for themselves or family members.<\/p>\n<p>A former smoker, Curran understands the tenacious hold cigarettes have, as she began smoking at 16 to be \u201ccool and rebellious\u201d and finally stopped when she was 44. She approaches her job with empathy not judgment, and sees herself as part mentor, part coach and part educator.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I quit smoking, I realized that cigarettes don\u2019t do any of the things we give them credit for. People tend to smoke to deal with stress, to relieve boredom, to relax, to help them concentrate, but cigarettes don\u2019t actually provide any of those benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the moment you get addicted you start making connections between smoking and those feelings \u2013 relaxing after a meal, having a cigarette when you\u2019re angry, anxious, or enjoying something. Then you begin to feel as if you need a cigarette to help you experience those things, and you\u2019re hooked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Curran builds a rapport and relationship with her patients by talking with them regularly on the phone and helping them better understand the reasons they smoke, their triggers, as well as tips to help them overcome their nicotine craving.<\/p>\n<p>For Steve, that includes a few techniques he uses when he gets the urge to smoke.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_64609\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-64609\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-64609\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/23124816\/Collene-Curran-photo-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Collene Curran is a smoking cessation specialist at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. She's a former smoker herself and gives patients free, compassionate help when they're ready to give up smoking. Photo courtesy of Collene Curran.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/23124816\/Collene-Curran-photo-tiny.webp 800w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/23124816\/Collene-Curran-photo-tiny-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/23124816\/Collene-Curran-photo-tiny-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/23124816\/Collene-Curran-photo-tiny-150x84.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/23124816\/Collene-Curran-photo-tiny-200x113.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-64609\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Collene Curran is a smoking cessation specialist at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. She&#8217;s a former smoker herself and gives patients free, compassionate help when they&#8217;re ready to give up smoking. Photo courtesy of Collene Curran.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>What worked for Steve as he tried to quit cigarettes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>One is called HALT \u2013 recognizing if he was feeling Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired \u2013 and dealing with those emotions instead of reaching for a smoke like he once did.<\/p>\n<p>Another exercise is \u201csquare breathing\u201d where he envisions a square or box, and works his way around it, with each side containing its own mantra: inhaling for four seconds, holding for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds, and repeating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt buys me time to calm myself down,\u201d he said. \u201cThe urges are still there, but they\u2019re diminished. I am working to the point where they\u2019re less frequent, and I don\u2019t have that compulsion to smoke. It\u2019s not like I don\u2019t have urges because I do, but I\u2019m able to work through it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many patients like Steve in the UCHealth tobacco cessation program began smoking in a different era, before conclusive medical research showed how dangerous, damaging and addictive tobacco is to the human body.<\/p>\n<p>Along with this knowledge, there has also been a backlash against smokers who are often blamed for their illness without recognizing the addictive nature of tobacco \u2013 a stigma that doesn\u2019t help patients in their struggle to give up cigarettes, and now vaping for younger patients, experts say.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo help patients quit, it needs to be a collaboration. We are not here to scold our patients, but partner with them,\u201d said Dr. Nina Thomas, a pulmonologist who specializes in pulmonary diseases at the UCHealth Pulmonary Nodule Clinic \u2013 Anschutz Medical Campus.<\/p>\n<p>Education is a big part of the program, as counselors try to demystify the power of nicotine. For instance, many smokers see their habit as a stress reliever, while it actually does the opposite as it chronically increases heart rate and blood pressure, said Thomas, who is also <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/som.cuanschutz.edu\/Profiles\/Faculty\/Profile\/32853\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an assistant professor<\/a> of medicine-pulmonary sciences and critical care at the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/medschool.cuanschutz.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A brighter future without cigarettes: easier breathing, more cash in his pocket<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For those who do give up smoking, the payoff is big, she says, as the longer you go without smoking the more your risk of developing lung cancer declines. After 15 years, your risk of cancer approaches the level of someone who has never smoked, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo matter where you\u2019re at in the spectrum, or how long you\u2019ve smoked, it can only help if you stop smoking,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_74006\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-74006\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74006\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/02\/07095917\/Steve-Bates-with-books-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Steve Bates loves to read and garden. Giving up cigarettes after 50 years of smoking has given him a new lease on life. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.\" width=\"640\" height=\"401\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-74006\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Bates loves to read and garden. Giving up cigarettes after 50 years of smoking has given him a new lease on life. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That is heartening for Steve, a firm believer in living for today, and hopefully, many more tomorrows. That includes reading, keeping up with current events, lots of gardening, perhaps some traveling, and spending time with his family, who are very proud of his commitment to quit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know of anyone stronger when it comes to making a choice and sticking to it,\u201d said his daughter Erica. \u201cHis work in the cessation program only demonstrates his dedication to his present and future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And if all of that wasn\u2019t reason enough to bolster his resolve, he has a handy list to remind himself that he is happy to pull out of his shirt pocket and read aloud:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I\u2019m more relaxed<\/li>\n<li>My lungs are healthier<\/li>\n<li>I smell better<\/li>\n<li>I breathe easier<\/li>\n<li>My fingers aren\u2019t stained<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019m saving money. Every cigarette I don\u2019t smoke is 40 cents I don\u2019t spend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cIn the end, you just need to come to grips with your life. This is a powerful, addictive drug. Do you want your life to be controlled by it? I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Steve Bates chose Sept. 11 as the day to quit his 50-year smoking habit, he did it for a profound reason. It was a heartfelt gift for his parents, both deceased, whose wedding anniversary would have been the next day. While his mom died from cancer years earlier, his dad\u2019s death was especially significant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2357,"featured_media":73981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,3357,4798,9179],"class_list":["post-73925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-lung-and-respiratory-care-pulmonology","tag-smoking-cessation-programs","tag-urologic-cancer-treatment-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How he gave up cigarettes after 50 years - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By giving up cigarettes, Steve hoped to break the nicotine cycle and avoid his dad\u2019s fate. 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