UAB Shares How Quitting Smoking is Necessary, and Possible

By Brianna Hoge | UAB News The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention categorizes nicotine as a chemical compound that is highly addictive. Nicotine can be found in a variety of products, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and most e-cigarettes, and is the reason those who use these products can find themselves dependent on them. For those looking to nick nicotine out of their lives, Megan Princewill, a tobacco treatment specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, says the first step to tobacco cessation is to identify habits and modify those behaviors. “Nicotine is an addictive chemical, one of the strongest there is; but more often than not, the act of smoking is what people have the hardest time letting go of,” Princewill said. “If someone smokes inside their home or car, we suggest limiting smoking to outdoors only.” Moving cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters to one spot, somewhere out of sight and out of reach, can prevent mindless, habitual smoking. Princewill says the two changes, while simple, can help identify triggers that have become a muscle memory movement. The Birmingham Health District established in 2019 prohibits smoking on public property, including the UAB campus. Read more about the Health...