November Is a Great Time to Quit Smoking
November is a great time to try again to kick the smoking
habit.
I say "again" because, as a 30-year-smoker who tried to quit
for 25 of those years, I'm pretty sure all smokers try to quit again and again.
During November, carrying on the work of journalist Peter Jennings, ABC
News is presenting a series of reports on quitting smoking and lung cancer
prevention.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and November 17th
is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. It's a perfect time
for the 51 million Americans who still smoke cigarettes to make a serious
effort at quitting so they won't be part of the 160,000 who die from smoking
each year in the U.S.
There is help, especially during November
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
National Cancer Institute, and the North American Quitline Consortium is
providing resources to help people quit smoking. There's a national network of
quitlines, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, which automatically connects callers to their
state-based quitlines, and to the Web site
smokefree.gov for
additional resources on quitting and lung cancer.
ABCNews.com is devoting a portion of its Web site to "Quit to
Live: Fighting Lung Cancer." The section includes links to smoking cessation
resources; and a "Quitters Blog" documenting peoples' attempts to quit smoking.
The Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout helps
smokers quit cigarettes for at least one day, in hopes they will quit
forever.
A big mistake
Smoking cigarettes was the biggest mistake of my
life.
To quit, I tried everything from shock therapy to
hypnosis. My wife left me in a motel in my underwear for days so I couldn't buy
cigarettes. I finally was able to quit during a 10-day hospital stay with a
collapsed lung. Something about having a steel rod shoved into my chest with no
anaesthetic to reinflate the lung made me really want to quit.
But the damage was done. Chronic bronchitis,
emphysema, and worst of all, allowing my wife's and daughter's lungs to be
polluted year after year by my second-hand smoke.
The primary cause of lung cancer is tobacco smoke.
Today, lung cancer deaths are falling in states with strong tobacco control
laws.
Chemicals and nicotine
The Cancer Society says cigarette smoke contains 4,000
chemicals, including 43 known to cause cancer. The tobacco burns while a
cigarette is smoked, exposing the smoker and others to these deadly chemicals,
tars and gases.
Nicotine does not cause cancer, but it does keep many
people addicted to smoking. Each puff of a cigarette delivers a concentrated
dose of nicotine straight to the brain -- and reinforces the need for the next
puff.
Even after you've given up nicotine, you may still
want to smoke. To maximize your chances of staying smoke-free for good, you
need a plan.
The
Cancer Society can help you come up with a plan, taking you step by step
through making the decision, preparations, and following through.
Moving from one step to the next requires careful
thought and preparation. And, no, it won't be easy. But this time, this month,
it might just work.
Watch the news. Think about it. Call the quitline.
Work on your plan.
It's a great time to try again.
Article written by Joe Hickman
Joe Hickman, a
veteran free-lance writer, is editor at
HaLife.com.
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