The First Commandment: Thou shalt not use tobacco!
This is the first of the five cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. So, if you do not smoke, trust me: you do not want to start. It is horribly addictive, as any smoker (past or present) can tell you. If you do smoke (or use tobacco in any other form), quitting is absolutely the best thing you can do for your health, without question.
With that said, yes, I truly understand how difficult it can be to quit. I smoked cigarettes for fifteen years myself, off and on, and at times quite heavily. So I can clearly tell you from my own experience that: 1) Quitting smoking, while not effortless, is absolutely doable. 2) You will be amazed at the transformation becoming a non-smoker makes in your life.
The good news is that most Americans do not smoke: 76%. The bad news is that, in spite of how much we know about how cigarettes kill, 24% of Americans still do smoke. There are still 1,220,000,000 smokers worldwide. And there are still kids picking up the habit. So let us take a clear, sober look at the reasons to quit.
How does smoking hurt thee? Let me count the ways...
Current smokers, if you do not do anything else for me, I ask you to please read this section carefully, and really take time to think about this information. I say this as someone who has been there. Do not hide from the truth, and do not hide from the facts. That is one of the ways this habit perpetuates itself. When we smoke, we know it is bad for us, but we try not to think about just how bad it is. Forcing ourselves to think about how bad it is serves as a huge motivator to quit, and therefore makes quitting much easier. Smoking is not kind of, sort of dangerous. It is deadly, and you are playing Russian roulette with your life every day that you continue to smoke. And make no mistake: it is not a quick, painless death, either.
- In spite of the fact that most Americans do not smoke, smoking is still the #1 preventable cause of death in this country.
- Smoking kills 400,000 Americans each year, 18% of all deaths. Think about that! Almost one out of EVERY FIVE deaths is a result of smoking! Even though most of us don't smoke! I am no math whiz, but does that not mean that almost all smokers are killed by the habit? 1,100 Americans die from smoking each day, over twenty for each state. Another way to look at this would be to say that in your state, someone dies from smoking almost every single hour, day in and day out.
- Smoking killed 71,000,000 people during the twentieth century, more than were killed from World War II.
- When you smoke, you are inhaling over two hundred known poisons.
- Children of smoking parents are more likely to smoke than children with non-smoking parents. (My parents and grandparents smoked.)
- One study found the combined price paid by smokers, their families and society for smoking is about $41 per pack of cigarettes (includes cost of cigarettes, taxes, insurance, medical care and lost earnings because of smoking-related disabilities).
To help us really understand that this habit kills real people, I thought it might help to think of famous people who have died as a result of smoking. I was floored by the number of lives cut short, found from a quick Internet search. Here is but a small sample:
Bill Hicks, 32
Carrie Hamilton (Carol Burnett's daughter), 38
Nat King Cole, 45
Enrico Caruso, 48
Jim Varney, 50
Rod Serling, 50
Wayne McLaren (the "Marlboro Man"), 51
Carl Wilson, 51
Eddie Kendricks, 52
Spike Jones, 53
Eddie Rabbitt, 56
Humphrey Bogart, 57
Wolfman Jack, 57
Patrick Swayze, 57
George Harrison, 58
Dick York (from "Bewitched"), 61 (below)
Morton Downey Jr., 67
Peter Jennings, 67
R.J. Reynolds, 68
R.J. Reynolds Jr., 58
R.J. Reynolds III, 60
(Not surprisingly, another member of the Reynolds family, Patrick, is an anti-smoking activist.)
I stand behind this list, although it can be admittedly difficult in some cases to determine what directly caused death. There are many who would consider the deaths of Michael Landon and Robert Palmer (just to name a couple) to be linked to smoking. There are also those who attribute the premature deaths of Andy Kaufman and Dana Reeve to second-hand smoke. (I will admit that Bill Hicks may have had a number of deadly habits.)
Then why don't all smokers quit?
Quitting is tough, but there is more to it than that. Let's be honest: it is an easy habit to rationalize.
"I'm stressed, it relaxes me." But so can hot tea, or coffee, or sitting on the porch, or deep breathing, or meditating. Besides, smoking is not really relaxing in and of itself; it is just easy to associate it with relaxation since it usually involves "taking a break".
"Quitting will cause me to gain weight." I believe studies are mixed in that regard, but let's be clear: gaining weight is much less dangerous to your health than smoking. Personally, I believe any weight gain related to quitting is usually temporary. I put on about ten pounds myself, but it came back off within a few months.
"I don't smoke that much, or I do not inhale, or I smoke cigars, or I dip." Not to put too fine a point on it, there is no safe amount of tobacco, and there is no safe form of tobacco.
"My (Uncle Larry/Aunt Bertha/Cousin Lurch) smoked five packs of cigarettes a day, and lived to be 100." (George Burns gets mentioned here too, though hardly anyone asks if Gracie's heart disease could have been caused by second-hand smoke.) Sure, 2% of us have "great genes", and can live a long and healthy life in spite of awful lifestyle choices. Another 2% of us have awful genes, and are very likely to die prematurely even if we live the life of an altar boy. Then there is the other 95% of us, where it is more or less up to us. So, if you want to follow Uncle Larry's plan, I can only quote Clint Eastwood in reply, "You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya?"
"It is so pleasurable." But really, it is not. Did you enjoy your first cigarette? The only thing that makes it seem pleasurable is the fact that you are addicted, and smoking feeds the addiction. Break the addiction, and you remove pleasure from the equation. Besides, let us think about the other "pleasures" of smoking. Death. Shortness of breath. Dizziness. Bronchitis. Emphysema. Stroke. Heart attack. Aneurysm. Cancer. Premature wrinkles. Smelly homes. Burnt clothing and furniture. Bad breath. Stained fingers and teeth. Pleasure? You can keep it.
Help me, Rhonda!
The good news is that there are more resources available to help one quit smoking than ever before. I quit cold turkey with no aids, though not on my first attempt. But I found myself extremely motivated to quit. Quite frankly, I was angry at being chained to tobacco. It appears, though, that relying on willpower alone does not give you the greatest chance of being successful (though quitting cold turkey is the way to go). But luckily, you do not have to white-knuckle your way through on your own. The best strategy seems to be one that combines counseling elements with prescription stop-smoking medication. Here are some links to some other helpful resources and information:
Dr. Oz
"You Can Quit Smoking" Consumer Guide
Wikipedia
Whatcha gonna do for me?
More great news: the benefits from being a non-smoker happen very quickly! The first few days are the toughest, but then it gets much easier. The immediate effects of smoking cessation include:
- Within 20 minutes blood pressure returns to its normal level
- After 8 hours oxygen levels return to normal
- After 24 hours carbon monoxide levels in the lungs return to those of a non-smoker and the mucus begins to clear
- After 48 hours nicotine leaves the body and taste buds are improved
- After 72 hours breathing becomes easier
- After 2–12 weeks, circulation improves
- After 5 years, the risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker
- After 10 years, the chance of lung cancer is almost the same as a non-smoker
You have also saved yourself a lot of money, and the aggravation of being in places where you cannot easily smoke. Being a non-smoker will undoubtedly make other positive lifestyle changes, such as exercise, much easier.
In conclusion...
- The negative effects of tobacco use can hardly be overstated.
- Quitting tobacco is the absolute best thing a user can do for their health, greatly reducing their risk of death, disease, and disability. If you smoke, make quitting your first focus.
- Though quitting can be tough at first, it quickly gets easier. Also, there are many resources that will help.
- Quitting will make it much less likely that your kids (and other loved ones, for that matter) will smoke.
- By quitting, you will no longer be exposing others to your second-hand smoke.
- With time, the ill effects from smoking can be almost completely reversed.
- It has similarities to recovering from alcoholism, in that after you quit, you should not have even one drag. That is a good way to end up right back as a smoker. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin for many people.
- DO NOT GIVE UP! You can do this thing! Most smokers, including me, were not successful the first time they tried to quit. That does NOT mean that you cannot be successful in the end. I am living proof!
So, what do you think? Are you a former smoker with stop-smoking tips of your own? Are you a current smoker looking for help and support to quit? Leave a comment!
I leave you with a quote from Barb Tarbox (her real name!) She was a Canadian model and lifelong smoker. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, which ended up killing her at age 42, she became an anti-smoking activist. I also provide this link to photos of the end of her life. I cannot get these images out of my head, and I hope that you cannot either.
You are all so much above this. You're intelligent. You're energetic. You have the world before you in the palms of your hands. Any dream you have is possible. But if you walk the path I walked, this is the path you will walk. And I don't want any of you ever to walk this walk.
Next week, we will look at step two in our Lifestyle Makeover! Until then, take good care of yourself. Make it happen!
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