How to Quit Smoking and Vaping During the Coronavirus Pandemic
People who smoke and vape may be at greater risk for Covid-19, but quitting is hard, especially now. The good news: There are a lot of helpful resources.
Because the coronavirus targets the lungs, doctors and public health officials are adding new urgency to their longstanding plea for smokers and vapers to quit — or at least slow down.
Both habits can compromise lung function. Early Covid-19 studies have shown that cigarette smokers in particular are more susceptible to the infection and suffer more severe cases. Doctors are raising similar concerns about vapers.
If you have ever considered quitting, right now would be a most excellent time to make a determined effort to do so. Pulmonologists suggest that combining two common methods — the nicotine patch plus either a nicotine gum or lozenge — can boost your chances of success. There are a multitude of apps and online resources to connect people to support groups and good advice.
Here is a sampling:
Apps
Kwit Includes tips, games and motivational thoughts to help stop smoking.
MyQuit Coach Offers different approaches to quitting smoking and community support.
Smoke Free Provides 20 different techniques to quitting smoking, plus options and graphs to track cravings.
AG Healey Warns Against Smoking, Vaping During Pandemic
A man smokes a cigarette while wearing a protective mask while waiting for a bus in Detroit.
Smoking or vaping may put people into a higher-risk category for COVID-19 and could make infections worse, Attorney General Maura Healey and Massachusetts General Hospital cautioned in an advisory sent Thursday to medical professionals, educators and parent groups.
“My message today is that it’s so important you do everything you can to keep yourself healthy. If you are smoking or vaping, I urge you to quit. Quitting during this pandemic could not only save your life, but by preventing the need for treatment in a hospital, you might also save someone else’s life.”
Healey told WBUR that social distancing has opened some parents eyes’ to the risks their kids are taking.
“You know we’ve heard from parents, who are sequestered at home with their families and they’re realizing that their child is vaping — is addicted,” she said. “And they’re looking for help.”