Great American Smokeout
The American Cancer Society is challenging Americans to quit smoking, at least for just one day, Thursday, Nov. 18 during their annual event called The Great American Smoke-out. The event, first held in 1977, is meant to help people realize that if they can quit for one day, they can quit forever.
“My advice is to cease smoking immediately if you are a smoker”, says Dr. Thomas H. Thompson a local orthopedic surgeon.
Canadian health care provider Capital Health encourages smokers to consider each attempt as a learning experience building toward the next more successful attempt and ultimately toward successfully quitting smoking.
The average smoker attempts to quit at least five times before succeeding, reports Capital Health. This fact alone may hearten to those who have previously attempted to quit.
One option for those who wish to quit is the free smoking cessation classes offered by the Community Cancer Center in Roseburg and run by Jenny Young Seidemann who also teaches the UCC nutrition science class. The current smoking cessation class is running from Oct. 7 to Dec. 12. It teaches skills for quitting and “staying quit” as well. The members also provide a support group to encourage each other. Although not available on a drop- in basis, anyone who would like to sign up for the next class or who has more questions about this free class should contact Dianna RN at 541-673-2267.
Students in the smoking cessation group learn many techniques for quitting. One suggestion is to have a plan. Just as everyone has individual reasons for smoking, everyone needs to have an individual plan for quitting. A smoker’s journal that is used to track smoking habits can help identify why a person smokes and help them determine what methods will be most useful for quitting. Students in the class also learn stress management techniques and what do about cravings. Identifying out a support system also helps.
“Quitting smoking is the most important thing you can do for your health,” says Young Seidemann. “It is more important than losing weight.”
Quitting smoking is not just something a person does just one time. It is something a person has to maintain a commitment to. Many ex-smokers experience stress and think that just one cigarette will help with the stress, but, “You can’t have even that one cigarette or you’re a smoker again and whatever stressed you out it still there too,” says Young Seidemann.
“It always makes it easier when you’re not around people who smoke,” says Kevin Miller, a student in the auto program who describes his efforts to quit smoking. Kevin says that he has smoked for about six years and, although he quit once for one and one half months, he believes that stress was a major factor in his resuming smoking.
Lung cancer is the leading preventable cause of death in America and the average smoker will die seven to 15 years earlier than the average non-smoker. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that “cigarette smoking kills an estimated 440,000 U.S. citizens each year—more than alcohol, illegal drug use, homicide, suicide, car accidents and AIDS combined.”
Facts like these can make a nonsmoker wonder why anyone would start smoking. The reason is simple. Nicotine is a highly addictive and fast acting narcotic whose levels peak as quickly as 10 seconds after inhalation. A study conducted at the University of Massachusetts in 1998 demonstrated that smokers can become addicted in a matter of days or weeks. The journal Nature Neuroscience has reported that the adolescent brain is more vulnerable to nicotine addiction than the adult brain, and since most smokers start smoking in their teens according to the CDC, who reports that 82 percent of those who have ever smoked began before they were 18, it’s not surprising that many people try time after time to quit smoking.
There are many reasons to join The Great American Smokeout and to make the transition to a smoke free life. Smoking doesn’t just damage a person’s lungs and cardiovascular system. “Smokers are more likely to have delayed or non-union (healing) of fractures and soft tissue injuries” says Thompson. He added that smokers heal more slowly and are more likely to injure their backs and necks than non-smokers.
Smoking also affects non- smokers through second hand smoke exposure. The Surgeon General has determined that even brief exposure to second hand smoke is dangerous for children. “Even brief exposures can be harmful”, the Surgeon General reports.. Those who live with smokers also have an increased risk of illness.
Another place that smoking hurts is in the wallet. Smoking one pack per day at $5 a pack will cost a smoker over $1800 per year on cigarettes. That’s the cost of 24 credits at UCC.
Students interesting in “starting to stop” can get started by setting a target date and letting friends and family know about their intentions. Social pressures can often provide incentive when willpower weakens. This and many other tips for quitting smoking are listed in the info box to the right.
For more information about quitting contact any of the resources listed on this page. To preregister for the next free smoking cessation class call Dianna, RN at the Community Cancer Center, 541-673-2267.