Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation (also known as quitting or kicking the habit) is the attempt to stop smoking tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Tobacco is the single greatest cause of preventable death [Page 1574]and disease in the United States today. Almost 25 percent of American adults currently smoke, and every day, an estimated 3,000 children and adolescents become regular smokers.

Not only are there several health effects to the smoker and those around him or her, but there are also significant societal impacts. Each year, $100 billion are spent in the United States on tobacco-related deaths and disease. Fortunately, the number of smokers in the United States is decreasing. In 2005, an estimated 50.8 percent of American adults who had ever smoked were no longer smoking.

Unfortunately, smoking cessation is not easy. Over 70 percent of current smokers have stated a desire to quit smoking, but only 2.5 percent per year are successful in permanently stopping.

Smoking cessation is a difficult process, typically requiring multiple attempts. Nicotine, the active ingredient of tobacco products, is one of the most addictive drugs. Studies have shown that nicotine is just as addictive as other drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and alcohol. Addiction to nicotine leads to withdrawal when the smoker strives to quit, making it even more difficult.

Immediately after smoking cessation, smokers exhibit nicotine withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating, insomnia, restlessness, and an increased appetite—many of the symptoms that lead to the smoker's desire to continue to smoke.

Benefits

Tobacco products have been linked to an extensive list of diseases, including several types of cancer, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, reproductive health effects, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The good news is that smoking cessation has considerable immediate and long-term health benefits for smokers of all ages. Former smokers decrease their risk of death from smoking shortly after cessation and this risk continues to drop for at least 10 to 15 years. By quitting at a younger age, former smokers cut their risk of death in half compared to those who continue smoking past the age of 50.

Within 20 minutes of inhaling the last puff of tobacco, the heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature of the smoker begin to decrease to normal. Within two weeks to three months, the risk of sustaining a heart attack decreases and lung function improves. After just one year of ceasing smoking, a former smoker's risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker. This risk completely reduces to that of a nonsmoker's risk after 15 years of not smoking. Similarly, the risk of having a stroke reduces to the levels of a nonsmoker within five to 15 years of quitting. The risk of developing lung cancer and other cancers connected to smoking decreases to half that of a current smoker after 10 years of cessation.

By quitting at a younger age, smokers cut their risk of death in half compared to those who continue smoking past the age of 50.