EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Smoking is a hard to break habit for a substantial amount of people, and often times people who smoke wait until their health is at risk to quit smoking.
Those among the seven out of 10 smokers who plan to quit can do so during the Great American Smokeout with help from the Health and Wellness Center or their primary care manager.
The GAS is held November 17th each year by the American Cancer Society.
The event challenges people across the nation to stop using tobacco while raising awareness about the many tools people can use to help them quit and stay quit.
Smokers can make a plan to quit on the day of the smokeout, or use this date to contact quitlines and start the process of quitting.
Tobacco use damages the body from the inside out and can negatively affect a person’s ability to be fit to fight.
“Tobacco use cuts down on a person's cardiorespiratory endurance,” said Dana Baugh, the 354th Medical Operations Squadron health promotion coordinator. “Tobacco affects lung function, which increases risk for injury and means lost days from work. Not only is the cardiorespiratory and skeletal system affected, but eyesight-especially at night-can be affected by tobacco use. Tobacco affects a person's physical ability to fight; users are linked to loss of productivity and absenteeism.”
Tobacco use isn’t only limited to cigarettes and chewing tobacco. There’s been a recent surge in the use of electronic cigarettes as a safe alternative to cigarettes, but those may not be any better.
“E-cigarettes are similar to combustibles,” said Baugh. “At this time, the FDA does not know how harmful some of the liquids in e-cigarettes are but some of the toxins are known to cause cancer. E-cigarettes are not currently regulated and the nicotine/chemical amounts can be very different from one brand to another. Unfortunately, due to some of the ‘fun’ flavors e-cigs come in, it can be easier to start using them.”
Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, yet approximately 42 million Americans still smoke cigarettes.
“Diseases incurred by tobacco usage have been studied for decades,” said Baugh. “Different types of cancers, heart disease, COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], asthma, and respiratory infections are the big health issues. Even secondhand smoke causes health issues; almost 50,000 people die each year from disease coming from secondhand smoke.”
This year, four out of 10 smokers will make an attempt to quit.
Some smokers, may not even realize the ways smoking has affected their body until they quit.
“There are immediate health benefits to quitting tobacco,” said Baugh. “It takes about 48 hours for nicotine to leave the body. After that, bodily functions improve such as increased lung power, healthier skin, decreased cancer risks, living longer, strengthened heart, improved taste buds, and increased money in your pocket!”
Anyone interested in quitting during the Great American Smokeout, or any other time, can call the Freedom Quitline at 1-844-I-AM-FREE (1-844-426-3733) Monday through Friday, 5a.m. to 2p.m., Health and Wellness Center at 377-6662, or contact their primary care manager.