Cigarette, cigar or marijuana smoke is harmful to your lungs—whether you are smoking yourself, or breathing in second hand smoke from someone else. Lung damage from smoke appears sooner and more often in people with CF, especially if you have asthma as well. Smoking also causes premature wrinkling of the skin, increased risk of heart disease and low-birth-weight babies. This said, it is very hard to quit smoking once you have started. A good way to avoid that difficulty is never to start smoking. However, if you are smoking and want to stop, there are many methods that can help you.
I want to quit, what should I do?
Keep trying. It takes an average of seven attempts of quitting before
succeeding. Remember that it takes only seven seconds for the nicotine to reach
the brain once you light up so it is very easy to become addicted.
There are many tools available to help you quit smoking. The following are
the best known:
The nicotine patch: One of the most popular aids in smoking
cessation, the nicotine patch helps to reduce the effects of nicotine
withdrawal. Your doctor will give you the appropriate dosage based on the amount
of cigarettes you smoke daily.
Nicotine gum: This gum is chewed when you crave a cigarette. You
can buy it without a prescription at your pharmacy. It comes in two doses -- 2
mg, for people who smoke 25 cigarettes or less in one day and 4 mg, for those
who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day.
Zyban®: This is a prescription pill that helps people
who really want to quit. Talk about it with your doctor and he or she will
decide if it is the right treatment for you.
Support group: Many support groups exist to help people quit
smoking. To find out more about it, check the
Canadian Lung Association on the web.
Help is also available from your provincial lung association at the following sites:
I am not smoking but I often go where people smoke. What should I do?
Although second-hand smoke is just as bad as smoking, it's almost impossible to avoid all smoking areas. Be prepared. Since smoke can trigger a bronchospasm (constriction of the airways that results in wheezing and shortness of breath), make sure you have your short-acting emergency bronchodilator (Ventolin ®, Bricanyl ®) before going out to a crowded area where you know there will be smoke. Also keep in mind that barbecues, bonfires, open fire and other places where leaves are burned can all trigger shortness of breath. Get in the habit of always carrying your medication with you.
What do people with CF need to know about alcohol use?
Part of being an adult is having a responsible approach to drinking alcohol.
Unless your beliefs completely forbid alcohol consumption, your social life may
include drinking alcoholic beverages and being around other people who drink.
There is one key word here: MODERATION. Why? Because having CF increases some
health risks connected with the use of alcohol.
Why should I limit my use of alcohol?
Even a small amount of alcohol might interfere with your antibiotics and
other medications, making them not work as well.
The secretions in the ducts of the liver of a person with CF are thick and
sluggish. Drinking alcohol can cause more damage to areas that are already
impaired by CF, as well as increasing the risk of general liver damage.
Drinking alcohol affects the blood glucose in people who have diabetes.
I am diabetic and I want to have a drink. What should I do?
Always have a good meal before drinking and snack while drinking. When you
drink alcohol, your liver stops making glucose because it's working to clean
alcohol from your blood. Because glucose production is shut down, hypoglycemia,
(low blood sugar) becomes a risk for diabetics. If you drink on an empty stomach
or shortly after taking your insulin, this risk is increased. As it takes two
hours for just one ounce of alcohol to metabolize and leave your system, the
risk continues long after you've emptied your glass.
Exercise can decrease your blood sugar even more. Dancing is exercise, so try
to avoid alcohol if you hit the dance floor.
Keep a high carbohydrate snack with you all the times. If you feel the symptoms of hypoglycemia, eat it immediately.
The standard treatment for hypoglycemia is usually one of the following:
1/2 cup of orange or apple juice or regular pop
clear hard candies
two to three Dextrosol ®Tablets or one package Glucose Gel®.
In addition, if your snack or meal is more than 1/2 hour away, you should
take a snack such as crackers and cheese, or crackers and peanut butter or 1/2
meat or cheese sandwich. If you don't feel better after ten minutes, repeat the
treatment.
Make sure that at least one of your friends is aware of your condition. They
will be prepared to help you if you have severe hypoglycemia and lose
consciousness.
Monitor your blood glucose. This is the best way to prevent hypoglycemia.
How much is too much?
Each individual case is different. If you think you have a drinking problem,
seek help through your CF team, substance abuse program, other health care
professionals or Alcoholics Anonymous. The following is a list of warning signs
of a drinking problem:
Change in mood or behaviour while drinking (Sometimes resulting in anger or aggression)
More than one or two drinks every time you drink
Can never stop at just one drink
Alcohol always on hand
Drinking in the morning or drinking all day.
Drinking until passing out
Drinking alone or sneaking drinks
Several traffic violations for driving under the influence
Late to work or calling in sick because of being hungover
Stealing money to buy alcohol
Binge drinking
High tolerance to alcohol
Vomiting or the shakes, especially in the morning
Some of the information in this article was adapted from an article by Joan
Zukosky, RN, Adult CF Nurse Co-ordinator. Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Washington
University Medical School, St. Louis, Missouri (in Genentech's CF Toolbox)
