Put ‘Stop smoking’ at the top of your New Year’s resolution list
If the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 taught us anything, it is a better understanding of how the air we breathe in and out of our lungs can affect us and those around us. We’ve learned to mask, social distance, quarantine, and eat takeout — all to keep a tiny virus out of our lungs. We’ve learned that our lungs can be vulnerable and we need to keep them healthy, so they will keep us healthy.
One of the best ways to keep lungs healthy is to never smoke or vape. And if you do smoke or vape already, the best thing you can do is quit.
“One of our focuses this year has been smoking cessation,” said Jonathan Callaway, MD, a new pulmonologist in southern Utah. “At Intermountain’s Pulmonary Medicine Clinic in St. George, we have been addressing smoking cessation with our patients who currently smoke. We want them to know we offer a great smoking cessation program, counseling, medications, and nicotine replacement to support those who want to quit smoking.”
Quitting smoking means breaking the cycle of addiction. Smoking cessation is successful when the brain is retrained to stop craving nicotine. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. Vaping also is a nicotine addiction and is not a healthy substitute for smoking tobacco. Vapes are not a smoking cessation tool.
“First, people need to have the desire to stop smoking,” said Callaway. “If they’ve been smoking for 30 plus years it can be very difficult to stop. But if they are willing, really want to, and make a good plan, it can be done. Some people quit cold turkey, but most find success with a personalized plan that includes counseling and medication for nicotine replacement. It’s a hard habit to break. With hard work it is possible and the health benefits are worth the work.”
The benefits of quitting begin in as little as one hour after the last cigarette or vape. Stopping smoking significantly reduces risk for diseases and conditions such as emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, heart disease, lung disease, COVID-19 complications, high blood pressure, blood clots, stroke, and the list goes on and on. The health benefits of being a non-smoker such as living longer and healthier should be motivation enough to quit smoking.
“Because nicotine is highly addictive, medication is often a significant part of a cessation plan,” said Callaway. “Nicotine replacement comes in many forms and there are new medications to help with the withdrawal symptoms. There are prescription and over-the-counter quit smoking medications. Ask your doctor about what medications may be right for you.”
Counseling can help patients create a strategy that yields success by preparing in advance a plan to cope with the stress, cravings, and other issues they will face when quitting. Identifying and discussing reasons for quitting, triggers, and tactical measures with a medical professional will go a long way in getting on your way to being smoke-free. Be smart, make a plan, choose tools, apps, and strategies to help make quitting a reality. Or there’s always the cold turkey method too!
“Just do it! Decide today to quit for good,” Callaway said. “Come in and talk to us. We offer nicotine replacement therapies and a lot of support to people willing to do the work, make that change, and to quit smoking or vaping.”
For more information on services and programs, see https://intermountainhealthcare.org/locations/pulmonary-medicine-clinic.
This LiVe Well column represents collaboration between healthcare professionals from the medical staffs of our not-for-profit Intermountain Healthcare hospitals and The Spectrum & Daily News.
