Stop Smoking to Start Living Better

Add Years to Life, Quit Smoking

Smoking harms almost every organ in the body. Smoking cigarettes is the cause for 87% of lung cancer deaths.  The list of health problems caused due to cigarette smoking is endless and some of the deadlier ones include lung disease, heart disease, cataracts and stroke. Women who smoke are at a greater chance of increased problems during pregnancy and can even have their baby die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Passive smokers (those who breathe the smoke) can also be affected by the same set of problems mentioned above.
​
What Do I Gain by Quitting Smoking?
People in any age group can quit smoking and improve their health, but it helps best when the younger age group people quit smoking as it improves their health even more. When you quit smoking you:

• Reduce the risk of any of the above-mentioned diseases.
• Cut down the risk of lung cancer by 30% to 50% after 10 years compared to people who keep smoking.
• Reduce the risk of mouth and esophageal cancer by 50% within 5 years of quitting.
• Improve overall well-being and health. Overall well-being can be improved in some other ways too and if you are interested in improving your overall well-being in life, visit the website www.firsteatright.com.

But when people with cancer continue smoking, it increases the risk of cancer recurrence, new cancer types and long-term side effects of cancer treatment.

Ways to Put A Full Stop to Smoking
There are different ways to end your smoking habit. The most effective ones include:

Counselling
It has been noted that, even a short counselling session with a physician can encourage people to stop smoking. Your physician usually takes these steps to help you sort the problem:

• Notify you on the benefits of a smoke-free life.
• Ask you about your smoking habit during every visit and your interest in quitting smoking.
• Provide you with a plan to stop smoking. The physician will set an end date to this habit, give you self-help material and recommend drug treatment, if needed.
• Insist on follow-up visits.

Individuals receiving counselling from the doctor, attending group sessions and taking nicotine gums succeeded better in quitting smoking that others who did not follow any of these.
​
Drugs
Nicotine-replacement products and non-nicotine medicines help a smoker come out of the habit only after a minimum time duration of at least six months than those who are under no drug treatment at all.

Nicotine-replacement products containing nicotine are increasingly used nowadays to break away from nicotine addiction and reduce the withdrawal symptoms such as depression, nervousness, lack of clarity or trouble sleeping. Nicotine gums, inhalers or sprays are the most commonly used ones. These replacement drugs can cause problems in pregnant women, teenagers and people with heart rhythm problems, high blood pressure, esophagitis, asthma and ulcers.

There are also other medicines (without any nicotine) that can be used to help people quit smoking. But these also have certain side effects and it is mandatory to consult a physician before coming to any conclusions.

Smoking Less
Some smokers do not quit smoking altogether, but reduce the numbers. This is still beneficial to the smoker, as he/she is at an even more lesser risk of lung and other cancer types. But, if the smoker tries to inhale more smoke each time to satisfy his/her nicotine cravings, it becomes a problem again. Even nicotine-replacement products do not completely benefit these smokers who have reduced their numbers and they tend to increase them sometime later in life.