SMOKING CESSATION

Cigarette smoking is the number 1 preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking accounts for 90% of lung cancer deaths, 80-90% of deaths due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which includes emphysema. Smoking is associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke. We all have to go sometime, but we don’t have to go like this. There are more than 4,800 chemicals in cigarette smoke, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health. Positive health-related changes begin immediately upon quitting and continue for years to come.

Consider the following questions. Do you:

• Smoke soon after awakening?
• Smoke even when ill?
• Find the first cigarette in the morning most difficult to give up?
• Smoke more in the morning than in the evening?

If you answered yes to one of these questions, you may be part of the 25% of the United States population addicted to nicotine. Most people fear quitting smoking because they want to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Actually, your body adjusts rapidly to not having nicotine. In fact, most symptoms of physical withdrawal are over within a three days to a week. It’s the habit that’s hard to beat. All the cues for cigarettes, such as break time, coffee, finishing a meal, etc. are still present. However, you can learn skills to cope with urges to smoke brought on by such cues and minimize their effects. Quitting smoking is not easy, but there are things you can do to make it easier.

For more information, click on the links below.

www.lungusa.org

www.cancer.org