Quitting Smoking Glossary

Acupuncture

An ancient Oriental treatment that uses needles to lessen someone's desire to smoke, lessen pain or other things.

Addiction

When someone depends on a drug or chemical physically and/or mentally and takes it even when he/she doesn't want to.

Anti-depressant medicine

Medicine that treats depression.

Anxiety

Having "nerves" or feeling very nervous.

Audiotapes

Cassettes or tapes that you listen to.

Coping skills

Ways to act that help you with difficult situations.

Craving

A feeling of wanting something very badly.

Depression

A condition when someone feels very low or has a feeling of no hope.

Hypnosis

Treatment to help someone quit smoking; used by a psychologist or psychiatrist to put someone in a trance.

Impotence

When a man is not able to have sex.

Infertility

When a man or a woman is not able to have a child.

Nicotine gum

Chewing gum that contains nicotine and lessen,s a person's craving to smoke.

Nicotine inhaler

A small plastic tube that contains nicotine and is used like a cigarette; it lessens a person's craving to smoke.

Nicotine nasal spray

A nose spray that contains nicotine and lessens a person's craving to smoke.

Nicotine patch

A patch that contains nicotine and is placed on the skin everyday; it lessens a person's craving to smoke.

Nicotine replacement treatment

These treatments are used to help someone quit smoking. They provide nicotine to the body in a way other than smoking.

Problem solving

When you think about different ways to deal with a problem.

Quit Date

The date you choose to quit smoking. You make a plan for quitting on this day.

Relapse

A setback when someone has a puff of a cigarette or starts smoking again after quitting.

Secondhand smoke

Smoke from someone blowing out while smoking, or smoke from a lit cigarette.

SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Support system

People (family, friends) you are close to who will help you.

Telephone counseling

When a trained counselor talks to you by phone to help you quit smoking.

Temptation

A situation that makes you want to do something you know you shouldn't do.

Urge

A feeling of wanting something very badly.

Videotapes

Tapes or cassettes that you watch.

Withdrawal

Uncomfortable feelings someone who is addicted to a drug or chemical has when the drug or chemical is stopped.

Zyban®

A medicine (pill) that can be prescribed by a doctor to lessen someone's desire to smoke.