Published Mar 30, 2006
Recently, several HealthTalk employees quit smoking. I applaud their decision and wish them luck in sticking with it (studies have shown it can take several attempts before some people can really stop for good). So in light of their accomplishment, I thought Id rail against smoking for those of you who either still smoke or have friends or family who do (send this to them).
First, let me say that if youve ever tried to quit and failed, I empathize with you. Nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance, and it physically hurts to withdraw from it. In fact, inhaled nicotine reaches the brain faster than drugs taken by IV injection, because it goes right from the lungs into the arteries to the brain. Nicotine is addictive, and you are addicted (sorry to be so blunt, but its true) not to mention the psychological habit of smoking, which is another huge component. Thats why experts recommend nicotine substitutes to taper off the physical addiction, as well as some form of counseling, one-on-one or in a group, to help with the psychological aspects.
Now lets talk about why you should stop smoking (besides the cost and the smell). Simply put, smoking is the most important source of preventable illness and premature death worldwide. Smoking-related diseases kill about 450,000 Americans each year, including those affected indirectly such as babies born prematurely due to prenatal exposure and victims of secondhand exposure.
To put that number into perspective, cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined! Half of American smokers who continue to smoke will die of a smoking-related illness. And the annual costs are over $150 billion, including $82 billion in mortality-related productivity loses and $75 billion in excess medical costs (primarily paid for by Medicaid and Medicare out of our tax dollars).
And its not just that smoking can be fatal. For every person who dies from smoking, there are at least 20 more who have at least one serious illness associated with smoking. Chronic lung disease tops the list. Even if you dont get lung cancer, smoking causes chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Youve seen those people wheeling around oxygen tanks? Theyve got COPD, most likely related to years of smoking (having to live with an oxygen tank, youd probably wish youd have gotten cancer!). And theres always heart disease and stroke to add to the list of smoking-related illnesses.
But lets talk about cancer. Cigarette smoke doesnt just contain nicotine. It contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Cigarette smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths. It is a major cause of cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, pharynx (throat), and esophagus, and is a contributing cause in the development of cancers of the bladder, pancreas, liver, uterus, cervix, kidney, stomach, colon and rectum, and some leukemias.
The risk of developing lung cancer is 23 times higher in smoking males and 15 times higher in smoking females compared to lifelong nonsmokers. And since 1987, more women have died from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer. Oh, and guess what? The risk of lung cancer is the same even if you smoke light or low-tar cigarettes.
Now a special message to the smoking men out there: And I dont mean smokin! Thats because research shows that men who smoke have a higher likelihood of erectile dysfunction than do non-smokers. If you smoke less than one pack a day, you have a 24 percent greater likelihood. And if you smoke more than a pack a day, you have a 39 percent greater likelihood of having erectile dysfunction. Maybe that will hit home more than everything else!
So lets see: cancer, heart disease, chronic lung disease, stroke and even erectile dysfunction maybe alone, maybe in combination. The choice is yours, and its right there in your hand. Put it down, put it out, put it away. While you may not thank me later (for not having an illness), you might rue the day you didnt take my advice and stop now.
Higher levels of nicotine in a cigarette can make it harder to quit smoking. and report any symptoms to their doctor smoking, some ex-smokers still have
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See what your medical symptoms Even if you select this option there are some features of our site that still require you to log When you stop smoking,
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