While fewer people are smoking nowadays, there are still plenty of people who smoke.  It may be only when they are out with friends, or with family who smokes, or when they are extra stressed.  Some people can stop for years but fall back into it quickly due to a big stressor in their life.  We understand.  Most of us need help with healthier coping mechanisms and can develop addictive behaviors (think food, alcohol, wasting hours on Netflix, or getting grumpy with our loved ones).  But nicotine is an incredibly addictive chemical and it’s a behavioral habit.  For this post let’s focus on cigarettes.  The New York Times this week had an article reporting on a recent study that 28.6% of cancer deaths nationally are caused by smoking tobacco in some way.  The rate varies on location, with a low of 21% in Utah and a high of 38% in Kentucky.  There is also a big difference rates between genders with men significantly more affected than women.  What are these 12 cancers that are directly related to cigarettes?  Obviously lung, mouth and throat cancers.  But also stomach, colon, bladder and even a type of leukemia. This study did not include cancers due to other types of tobacco like chewing tobacco which would add many more life altering and deadly cancers.  How do we get these numbers to decrease?  By implementing recommended programs in each state that help people stop smoking and prevent them from ever starting in the first place.  The World Health Organization recommendations come down to three basics:  prohibitive cost of tobacco products, no advertising, no smoking in public, and an engaged health system.

Here in primary care we can be engaged in finding out your smoking habits and helping you quit when you’re ready.  We won’t shame you- promise- but we ask if you are ready to quit or reduce smoking.  This upcoming cold and flu season is a great time to quit!  Most people don’t have the urge to smoke as much when they’ve got a cold so take advantage of this fact and don’t resume your usual smoking frequency. Come in and see us as you may need antibiotics for your bronchitis (smoking changes the bronchi and lungs and encourages the growth of different types of bacteria) and we can discuss medications to stop smoking at the same time.  Whether you’d like some accountability while you use the patches and/or gum from the drugstore, or you’d like to try Zyban or Chantix tablets to help reduce the cravings, we are here for you.  People often tell us about some creative ways they have reduced or stopped smoking.  They’ve had success with a transition to e-cigarettes, or cigars/cigarillos, or water pipes, to keep up the nicotine while they transition off the physical cigarette habit and then transition off nicotine slowly.  Different studies have shown varying levels of success with this type of method, but only you know the method that may work for you. We’ve also had patients who found hypnotherapy incredibly helpful in as little as one visit.

Think about the factors that make quitting difficult or that have caused you to relapse in the past.  Do you have a friend or family member to encourage you on the way?  What has worked to help you reduce or quit in the past?  Did you know you can start on a medication while still smoking?  Starting on it for a few weeks prior to a quit date can ease a lot of the anxiety that goes along with quitting.  And we will meet with you and support you through the ups and downs of the process for however long it takes. There are many methods to quit or reduce smoking so come in and see us at any of our Kelly Goodman Group Locations so we can find one that will work for you!