Why and how to quit smoking
Tobacco use has serious
health risks, but quitting has
benefits within 20 minutes
By Rhiannon Bauman
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
T
obacco is the most heavily used addic-
tive product in the United States.
Smoking harms every organ in the
body. Cigarette smoking accounts for about
one-third of all cancer deaths, including
those from lung cancer. In fact, cigarette
smoking has been linked to about 90 percent
of all lung cancer cases. Research shows
smoking increases the risk of heart disease.
Smokers who smoke around others harm
them as well through secondhand smoke. The
deadly effects that smoking has on our bodies
is extensive. Children and infants are at most
risk from people using tobacco products, es-
pecially with secondhand smoke. Second-
hand smoke is a known cause of sudden
infant death syndrome, respiratory problems
and asthma attacks in infants and children.
When adults smoke inside the household,
they are exposing their children to the risk
of slow lung growth. This means they are
more susceptible to bronchitis and pneu-
monia compared to children of nonsmoking
parents.
The best thing you can do for your-
self and your loved ones is to quit using
tobacco products. To help you quit using
tobacco products and start living a healthy
lifestyle, you first need to find your reason
and get motivated to quit. You need to be
fully committed to help reduce the urge of
using.
Second, you need to lean on your loved
ones, or find a group of people going
through the same thing you are. Here lo-
cally in Grant County we have a smoking
cessation program called Kick Buts. This
program has weekly support meetings
along with monthly education meetings to
help you with quitting. For more informa-
tion on this program, call Len’s Drug at
541-575-0629.
Third, you need to give yourself a
break. It is hard to quit tobacco when your
body is addicted to it. Many people try
several times to quit using tobacco and
that is fine. If you relapse, do not get dis-
couraged. Instead, think of why or what
made you relapse and use the opportunity
to recommit to quitting tobacco.
In addition to living a healthier life-
Thinkstock
Image
Children and infants
are at most risk from
people using tobacco
products, especially
with secondhand
smoke. Secondhand
smoke is a known
cause of sudden infant
death syndrome,
respiratory problems
and asthma attacks in
infants and children.
style, you will also be saving money from
not buying the tobacco products you were
using everyday. In fact, if you bought a
pack of cigarettes a day, you would save
$1,825 a year by quitting! You could use
this newfound money for a vacation or
treat yourself to something to celebrate
your success in quitting your addiction.
Quitting smoking has a multitude of
benefits for your body — all the way from
just the first 20 minutes to 15 years af-
ter you have smoked your last cigarette.
Within 20 minutes after you smoke that
last cigarette, your body begins a series of
changes that continue for years.
For more information, visit smoking.
drugabuse.gov,
www.teens.drugabuse.
gov, www.cdc.gov/tobacco, www.smoke-
free.gov or call 1-800-QUITNOW.
Rhiannon Bauman is the tobacco pre-
vention and education coordinator for the
Grant County Health Department in John
Day. She can be contacted at rbauman@
gobhi.net or 541-575-0429.
Benefits of quitting
• After 20 minutes, your heart rate drops.
• After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide
level in your blood drops to normal.
• Two weeks to three months after quit-
ting, your heart attack risk begins to drop,
and your lung function begins to improve.
• One to nine months after quitting, your
coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
• One year after quitting, your added risk
of coronary heart disease is half that of a
smoker’s.
• Five to 15 years after quitting, your
stroke risk is reduced to that of a non
smoker’s.
• Ten years after quitting, your lung
cancer death rate is about half that of a
smoker’s, and your risk of cancers of the
mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney
and pancreas decrease.
• Fifteen years after quitting, your risk of
coronary heart disease is back to that of a
non smoker’s.
(Information from the Office on Smoking
and Health, National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promo-
tion.)
Family Health Guide 2017 || 15