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Quit Smoking – Help and Resources in Napa, Sonoma and Benicia

Urgent Care and TeleHealth

Occupational Medicine & Urgent Care located in Napa, Sonoma and Benicia

Are you ready to quit smoking? Congratulations! We look forward to helping you.

Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can take to protect your health.

Why quit smoking? You probably already know that quitting smoking will improve your overall health and well-being. But did you know how quickly your health can improve after quitting?

The risk of a heart attack decreases just one day after quitting smoking.
-Dr. Ian Ahwah, Emergency Medicine Physician

Within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your heart rate returns to normal. After 12 hours, your body’s oxygen level returns to normal, and the carbon monoxide leaves your body. The risk of a heart attack decreases just one day after quitting smoking. Two days after smoking cessation, the nerve endings in your nose and mouth start to heal, so your senses of taste and smell become more vivid. After one month, your lungs begin to clear, and you’ll breathe easier. After years of quitting smoking your risk of a heart attack, lung cancer and premature death continue to drop.

In our urgent care clinics, we provide guidance, support and medication for smoking cessation.  You’ll have regular monthly checkups to monitor your progress and ensure you have the support you need to live a tobacco-free life.

Why Is It So Hard to Quit Smoking?

The addictive substance in tobacco is nicotine. When you smoke, nicotine reaches your brain within 20 seconds. It triggers your brain to release dopamine, which is a chemical that makes you feel good. By activating this reward center in your brain, nicotine causes both a physical and psychological addiction. Research has found that nicotine is as addictive as opioid drugs. Smoking cessation at Urgent Care + TeleHealth is a process that combines medication and behavioral counseling which we offer to people at our clinics in Napa and Benicia.

What Are the Benefits of Quitting Smoking?

Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do to protect your cardiovascular health. Your blood circulation will improve, and your risk of a heart attack or stroke begins to drop within a day of stopping smoking. Quitting smoking also lowers your risk of upper respiratory infections and COPD. If you already have COPD, your symptoms will begin to improve within days of quitting smoking. Quitting smoking lowers your risk of developing 12 types of cancer, including cancer of the stomach, lungs, pancreas, larynx, liver, colon and cervix. Smoking cessation also saves you money and reduces your healthcare costs. Your risk of requiring hospitalization or dying if you’re diagnosed with COVID-19 drops if you quit smoking.

What Are the Health Effects of Smoking?

Smoking affects every cell in your body. In women of childbearing age, smoking increases the risk of a miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and low birth weight baby. In all people, smoking increases the risk of many types of cancer, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), kidney and oral cancer.

People who smoke have a higher risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19. When a smoker gets infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, they have a higher risk of requiring hospitalization and extreme life-saving measures, such as intubation.

Smoking lowers an adult’s lifespan by 10 years or more. People who smoke have more chronic diseases, including COPD, peripheral arterial disease, atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

People who smoke get sick more frequently and more severely when they acquire a respiratory infection. They’re more likely to develop bronchitis or pneumonia than a non-smoker.

Smoking causes unsightly yellow and brown stains on teeth. It also increases the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Smoking speeds cognitive declines. When a pregnant woman smokes, her child has a higher risk of genetic disorders and asthma.

Can Medications Help Me Quit Smoking?

At our Napa and Benicia clinics, we often use a medication called Chantix (varenicline) to help people stop smoking. It’s available in tablet form. You begin with a once-per-day dose, then you switch to a twice-daily dose. Chantix has the highest success rate for smoking cessation out of all types of medications for quitting smoking.

When you smoke, nicotine is sent to your brain, where it attaches to nicotine receptors and causes dopamine to be released. Dopamine is the chemical that is responsible for making you feel good. The problem is that when dopamine levels drop, you’ll want another cigarette.

Chantix helps break the addiction cycles by attaching to nicotine receptors in the brain, so that nicotine can’t. When you take Chantix, dopamine is still released, but at a lower level than with nicotine helping you gradually give us nicotine.

We sometimes pair Chantix with other medications, behavioral counselling and support to enhance your chances of quitting smoking for good.

What Are the Advantages of Using Urgent Care + TeleHealth for Smoking Cessation?

Urgent Care clinics are not just for emergencies.  Our services are more comprehensive than many realize and usually less expensive too. We can bill your healthcare insurance for smoking cessation visits. If you have an HSA or FSA, you can use the funds at Urgent Care.

Scheduling appointments at our urgent care centers is easy. We offer online scheduling and same-day appointments when possible, so you don’t have to wait for weeks or even months to get help with quitting smoking.

Our smoking cessation services are coordinated by board-certified doctors and supported by certified physician assistants and nurse practitioners.. Each of your visits with us will be efficient and personalized to your needs and each person’s treatment plan is individually tailored.

Your visits with our experienced healthcare team can include any lab tests you need. We can monitor your cholesterol, blood pressure and other conditions affected by smoking so that you can see the improvement after quitting smoking. Our smoking cessation program is comprehensive and includes the psychological and social support that you need in order to overcome nicotine addiction.

To learn more about our smoking cessation services or to schedule a same-day appointment with one of our healthcare providers, contact us today.

Services We Provide

Occupational Medicine

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Workers Compensation

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DOT Physicals

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Urgent Care

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Physicals

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STD Testing and Treatment

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Flu Shots and Vaccines

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COVID Treatments: Paxlovid Antiviral

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Cholesterol Testing and Treatment

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High Blood Pressure Testing and Treatment

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Sports Medicine

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Quit Smoking

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Chronic Migraine and Headache Diagnosis and Treatment

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Heartburn and Acid Reflux/GERD

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IV Vitamin Infusion Hydration Therapy

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Allergy Testing and Treatment

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Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Diagnosis and Treatment

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Wound Care by Certified Specialists for Acute, Post Surgical and Chronic/Diabetic Wounds

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Pre Operation Physicals to Prepare for Surgery

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Mask Fit Testing

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Great Doctor & Staff Very efficent and caring

Submitted 11/08/19

K.S.

Dr Ahwah was very good! He listened to me and checked me thoroughly. I highly recommend him. I’m not sure though if he has other regular office other than Urgent Care, otherwise, I will have him as my PCP.

Submitted 12/02/18

D.T.

Very quick! I showed up as a walk-in patient right when the Clinic opened. Spent maybe 15 minutes filling paperwork and dealing with insurance. Saw the doctor almost immediately, took him 5 seconds to determine my ailment, sent me off with 3 prescriptions. A couple days later I’m as good as new!

Submitted 10/30/18

E.H.

Quick and efficient! Glad to know this option of a quick visit is so close to home and open on weekends

Submitted 10/21/18

F.F.

I was treated promptly and keep kindly, when I came in after a bicycling accident. The medication that was prescribed is working. The glued wound continued to bleed at home, so I had to apply a large adhesive strip to stop bleeding on my clothing. I’m trending better. Thanks for your care.

Submitted 09/21/18

J.S.

Very helpful staff in & out quickly . Highly recommend for urgent care .

Submitted 09/19/18

L.B.

The doctor and whole team was awesome. My first time there and my first time to an urgent care facility. Good to know there is a convenient place in my neighborhood that I can get in and out quickly. A quick diagnosis, vitals, medical notes/info, and a prescription …and a CVS in the same mall for the pharmacy!

Submitted 08/21/18

G.E.

The staff and doctor were all quite courteous and welcoming. I got a lot of information about my condition from the doctor, who was very thorough and had an excellent “bedside manner.”

Submitted 08/12/18

S.P.

visit to your medical service was timely & well done

Submitted 07/31/18

T.M.

Dr. Ian Ahwah was great! He knew exactly what was going on with my severe sore throat and prescribed me some meds that took care of the condition. Thank you Dr. Ahwah!

Submitted 07/30/18

D.N.

Great workers very caring

Submitted 07/29/18

D.S.

The facility was clean and bright, registration was quick and easy, and the wait time was short. I was treated with respect. The doctor communicated well regarding the medical issue and treatment.

Submitted 07/29/18

K.H.

Very good experience. He listened well and was genuinely concerned. I would absolutely recommend to a friend!

Submitted 07/29/18

S.C.

Dr. Ahwah is always patient and always listens. The staff there are great and very helpful.

Submitted 07/28/18

L.J.