Special to The Island News
Almost 70% of adults who smoke say they want to quit, but that doesn’t always mean it’s easy to do.
Whether it’s your first or 15th attempt at quitting, you can do it.
“I always tell my patients quitting is possible, no matter how difficult it may be,” said Dr. Andrew Stevens, a board-certified, fellowship-trained pulmonologist with Beaufort Memorial Pulmonary Specialists. “Quitting smoking has a ton of benefits, and it’s worth the effort.”
Your heart and lungs will get the rest they deserve
Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your heart rate and blood pressure drop, which, over the long term, could lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. After three months, your circulation and lung function will improve.
When you reach your one-year anniversary, your risk of coronary heart disease will be half the risk of someone who smokes.
You won’t put others at risk anymore
Secondhand smoke — the smoke others breathe when another person exhales or from the lit end of someone else’s cigarette — poses a variety of health risks to the people around you, even if they have never smoked themselves. In addition to increasing their risk of lung cancer, heart attack and stroke, secondhand smoke can also exacerbate their asthma. Also, when you quit, you no longer expose your friends and loved ones to the 7,000 chemicals that exist in secondhand smoke.
Thirdhand smoke is the smoke that lingers on clothes, hair, carpet and furniture after someone smokes, and it, like secondhand smoke, can expose people to the carcinogens in that smoke.
You can learn mindfulness or other good mental health habits
“I find a lot of patients miss the habit of smoking when they quit,” said Dr. Stevens. “They find themselves at the bar they smoked in, or with the friend they took smoke breaks with, and before they know it, they’re smoking again. I always tell them being mindful is a good thing. It helps them recognize their patterns and avoid those situations or plan accordingly if those situations can’t be avoided.”
For many people, smoking can also be a calming ritual, but quitting gives you an opportunity to choose healthy stress relievers, such as yoga or meditation, instead.
Your cancer risk will plummet
Smoking doesn’t just increase your lung cancer risk. It also makes you more likely to develop cancers of the:
- Bladder
- Colon and rectum
- Esophagus
- Kidney
- Liver
- Mouth
- Pancreas
- Stomach
When you quit smoking, you reduce your risk of all of these types of cancer and other conditions.
“We’ve found that if you quit smoking, your risk of lung cancer is back to the average nonsmoker’s risk by 15 years,” Dr. Stevens said. “That’s why, for lung cancer screenings, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends patients who currently smoke or have quit in the past 15 years have a low-dose CT scan to screen for lung cancer.”
You’ll live a longer, happier life
“More than anything else, I always stress to my patients that quitting smoking will improve their quality of life,” Dr. Stevens said. “You save money, you don’t smell of smoke, you can breathe easier and your body functions better.”
Many people who quit smoking also report that food tastes better and their sense of smell returns to normal. Daily activities won’t leave you out of breath, and you won’t have to leave your friends and family in smoke-free buildings to go outside for a cigarette. You’ll find few places in your life that aren’t improved by your decision to quit.
