Stop-smoking programs can help
SOMERS POINT – Cigarette smoking is the no. 1 cause of lung cancer, and lung cancer is the no. 1 cancer killer (it claims about 160,000 Americans yearly, according to the American Cancer Society). what better time to kick those butts than in November, Lung Cancer Awareness Month?
It’s not simple. It took President Barack Obama, the former “Smoker-in-Chief,” a year to fully shake the habit. But when it comes to lifelong health, there may be no more vital decision than to stop – or to never start.
There’s plenty of help out there for smokers, from support groups to individual counseling to online programs.
Angela Bailey of the Healthy Living Coalition at Shore Medical Center said the addiction is tougher to beat now than it was in the 1960s and 1970s, when the dangers of smoking were first acknowledged.
“At one time, tobacco was just tobacco,” said Bailey. “Now there are 4,000 to 7,000 chemical additives in cigarettes that make a quicker rush and a stronger addiction.”
More than 40 of those additives are known carcinogens, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Depending on the brand, smokers may be ingesting acetone (nail polish remover), arsenic, ammonia, butane, hydrogen cyanide, chloroform, the pesticide DDT and formaldehyde (used in embalming fluid). an ingredient used in jet fuel turns the smoke into a vapor, allowing it to be absorbed more quickly into the lungs. To mask the toxins, tobacco companies add flavors like corn syrup, sugar, licorice, menthol, chocolate, molasses and vanilla, FTC literature states.
There are many reasons beyond health to quit.
Smoking is expensive. a pack-a-day habit can set a person back nearly $3,000 a year. The societal costs are also high: In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that smokers cost the country $96 billion a year in direct health care costs, and $97 billion more in lost productivity.
Some people find it simpler to quit today because smoking has literally lost its “cool” – it is no longer associated with hipness or sophistication. some parents quit to set a good example for their children, or when they first learn they are expecting. Others quit when someone they like dies of lung cancer or another smoking-related disease.
John Consalvo of Greenfield, Upper Township who lost his father to lung cancer at age 60, made the decision to quit in 2010.
“I kept smoking for a couple years after he died, but every time I bought a pack, I knew I was subsidizing the tobacco companies,” Consalvo said. “When I found out about all the things they add to keep people smoking, I got mad. I wouldn’t spend another dollar to enrich them.”
Thinking of quitting? Bailey has a few tips:
- Switch brands. “Smokers are very brand-loyal. Switching brands helps them not to like it. if you smoke menthol, switch to non-menthol,” or vice versa, Bailey said.
- Limit the circumstances where you typically smoke. “If you smoke in your car, clean it and decide that’s one place you won’t smoke,” said Bailey.
- Change the physical cues associated with smoking. Smoke with your left hand instead of your right. Any addiction is like a strong cable, made up of interwoven strands. Break the strands, and the addiction is dismantled bit by bit.
- Replace the ancient habit with new, healthy ones. “For smokers, cigarettes are that best friend in times of stress, a way to celebrate when they’re happy, a part of their social life,” Bailey said. decide in advance what you’ll do in place of lighting up (knitting, painting, playing a musical instrument). Others improve their health even more by getting active – which is much simpler to do when you’re smoke-free.
- Consider the use of smoking gums, patches and medications.
- If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. It’s never too late to stop, and the health benefits accrue over time. if a smoker quits at 40, by 55 it will be as if he had never smoked at all.
“People have to be really ready,” said Bailey. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”
For information about Shore Medical Center’s tobacco prevention and treatment program call (609) 653-3500. To join a Nicotine Anonymous program call (609) 652-2514. for online help see njquitline.org, smokefree.gov, or becomeanex.org.
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