10/15/2006Smoking Censation

Joseph Beals, MD

Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health. The methods to quit smoking are varied. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. From nicotine replacement therapy to prescription Zyban, the assistance with this goal is readily available.  “Cold turkey” versus a gradual withdrawal is an individual choice.   On average it takes six quitting attempts before a person actually succeeds in breaking the habit.

If quitting for yourself is not motivation enough, think, about your children.  The CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) estimates that 43% of children ages two months to 11 years live in a home with at least one smoker.  These children are at risk for many illnesses including; ear infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, colds and asthma.

Helpful tips for quitting

• Set a firm quite date
• Smoke fewer cigarettes each day.  When you reach the half number you usually smoke – stop smoking altogether
• Quit by tapering down by 1-2 cigarettes per day until there are none
• If you fail to quit the first time you try, continue to try

Web resources to help you quit

• QuitNet.com - Stop Smoking Help and Cessation Support
• American Cancer Society - Web resources to help 'Kick the Habit'
• SmokeFree.gov - Online guide to quitting [printable PDF file]
  
• 1-800-QUIT-NOW - A free service that can help you quit smoking
• You Can Quit Now - Additional (free) quitting resources from the CDC website

Some effects of quitting

• 20 Minutes: Your heart rate drops
• 12 Hours:  The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal
• 2 Weeks: Your lung function increases up to 30%; circulation improves
• 3–9 Months: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease
• 1 Year: Your risk of having coronary artery disease is half that of a smoker
• 5 Years: Stroke risk begins to be reduced to that of a nonsmoker
• 10 Years: Risk of dying from lung cancer is half of a smoker
• 15 Years: Your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker

Cigarette smoking facts and statistics

Cigarette smoking is the major preventable cause of disease in the United States; it is estimated to result in more than 400,000 deaths annually.  In 2000, it was estimated to be responsible for nearly 5 million premature deaths worldwide.  The most important causes of smoking-related mortality include atherosclerotic vascular disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer death in the United States and throughout the world, will cause an estimated 162,000 deaths in the US during 2006.  Cigarette smoking is estimated to be responsible for almost 90% of lung cancer cases.  In the US alone, the consequences and productivity losses associated with smoking are estimated to cost in excess of $90 billion per year.

Cigarettes draw smoke, fire, and toxic substances into your lungs to give your body a dose of nicotine, a highly addictive drug.  Tobacco companies know the truth:  once you’re hooked on nicotine, it’s very hard to quit.

Remember:  Nature gives you just one pair of lungs, they must last a lifetime.

Contributed by Dr. Beth Wendt, DO

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