Quit Smoking Today

By Sarah Jane Udall
Columnist

Smoking is the leading cause of many types of cancer, lung diseases, and heart disease. Find out how and where you can get help to quit smoking today.

Statistics and Dangers of Smoking

Cigarettes are perhaps the only legal product whose intended use, smoking, is proven to be harmful to the human body. Each year, nearly 400,000 Americans die from the effects of smoking. Anyone who starts smoking, no matter what his or her age, gender, body type, or genetic make-up is at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, and to smoking.

Smoking is the leading cause of many types of cancer, including 90% of lung cancers, as well as the leading cause of several lung diseases, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Cigarette smoking also increases the risk of heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the United States. Smoking also causes many short-term problems, such as decreased lung function, which leads to shortness of breath and the inability to maintain physical activity for long periods of time. Other common short-term effects of smoking include a diminished ability to smell and taste, premature aging of the skin, and increased risk of sexual impotence in men. Pregnant women who smoke risk not only their health, but also the health and lives of their unborn babies.

Quitting

Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. To have the best chance of quitting successfully you need to know what your options are, and where to go for help. There are several healthcare organizations that offer materials, information, counseling, and other services to help you to quit smoking. You can also ask your doctor, dentist, or local hospital for additional references and resources.

Many smokers will try to quit smoking several times before succeeding because of the addictive nature of nicotine. When you try to cut back on, or quit smoking, the absence of nicotine can cause both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms that lead many smokers to want to start smoking again. Nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, gums, inhalers, nasal sprays, and lozenges can help ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal by providing controlled doses of nicotine without the other harmful components of cigarette smoke.

Conclusion

There is no one right way to quit smoking. Different methods will work better for different people, but it is never too late to quit smoking.

Author Bio

Sarah Jane Udall is a freelance writer currently living in New York City. Her previous experience includes working for Global Village Communications in Washington, D.C., and in the Creative and Development departments of VH1 and MTV networks as a production assistant, and a copy-writer, as well as doing script revision, press releases, and writing for an online newspaper. Sarah Jane holds a B.S. in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Utah.