The main cause of death among smokers is not lung cancer, but heart disease.
Of the 404,000 deaths caused by smoking each year, 142,600 die from heart and blood vessel diseases. Of the 53,000 non-smokers who died from second-hand smoke, about 40,000 died of heart disease.
Among women under 50, more than half of heart attacks are related to smoking. Compared with cancer, the damage caused by smoking develops slowly. If a person stops smoking, it can be reversed. Most of the damage caused by smoking will happen immediately.
Although quitting smoking is good for people of all ages, the sooner you quit, the greater the benefits. Smokers who quit smoking by the age of 30 will return to the mortality pattern of non-smokers. Quitting smoking has rapid benefits for heart disease; heart function begins to improve within a day, and the additional risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) disappears by half within a year.
Build your motivation to quit smoking
Although 70% of smokers said they wanted to quit smoking, only about 20% said they wanted to quit smoking within the next 30 days. If you are not ready to quit smoking, you can still take steps to move on in the process. E.g:
- Read about the health benefits of quitting smoking. List the benefits that are important to you.
- Identify the tobacco use risks that you are most concerned about.
- Track the number of cigarettes you smoke every day to better understand your tobacco use and determine ways to restrict smoking.
- Talk to your doctor to learn more about the treatments available to quit smoking.
- Talk to friends who quit smoking and ask how they did it.
- Make your home and car a smoke-free zone. This will increase your awareness of tobacco use, protect your friends and family from second-hand smoke, and support your efforts to quit smoking.
Smoking cessation treatment
It is now well known that nicotine is just as addictive as heroin, and causes the brain to release “pleasant chemicals” dopamine and other neurotransmitters within minutes of the first inhalation.
Nicotine withdrawal syndrome is a well-studied disease characterized by anxiety, irritability, irritability, cravings, and negative emotions. In other words, a smoker who is quitting smoking and has this syndrome has an acute illness and should receive medication (nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion or varenicline) to relieve this discomfort, just like any other temporary The same is true for patients with acute symptoms.
The success rate of quitting smoking within a year may be only 2% to 5%-drugs increase this success rate by 5 to 7 times or more. Why struggle without a drug that has been proven to be beneficial?
Through behavioral counseling and appropriate use of medications, you can increase your chances of quitting.
Compared with two decades ago, tobacco users can now choose from a variety of smoking cessation treatment options. An analysis of more than 8,700 published articles revealed two clear themes related to treatment:
- Using approved smoking cessation drugs increases the likelihood of quitting smoking.
- When combined with behavioral interventions, the effect of smoking cessation drugs can be greatly increased. Behavioral interventions include consultations from doctors or other health care providers, smoking cessation groups, and telephone cessation hotlines.
