How to Stop Smoking Smoking is never good for anyone's health, but it is even worse if you have diabetes. Just being a heavy smoker greatly increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If you smoke, your insulin may not work as well, you may gain more fat in your upper body and you may have higher stress hormones. All of this makes your blood glucose higher and increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and nerve damage. Quitting is tough because nicotine is highly addictive.
Most people also associate smoking with a better mood and pleasant activities.
A report in the Diabetes Care journal reviewed studies about how people successfully quit smoking. Few studies looked at people with diabetes, but the same strategies should apply. First, work with a medical or mental health professional. Trying to do it alone is much more difficult. The more contact you have with this person the better, even if only for a few minutes a week to get some encouragement.