"For most people, smoking is both a physical and behavioral addiction."
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Anthony Foster, M.D. is a Board Certified Family Practice Physician at Mecosta Health Services in Big Rapids.
He offers medical care to adults and children and will care for you both in the office and the hospital.
Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Foster, please call MHS at (231) 796-3200.
[Research from American Lung Association, Pfizer Inc. & Michigan Dept. of Community Health]
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Smoking Cessation: Helping you Quit the Habit
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Smoking
Smoking is one of the most addictive habits because the tobacco in cigarettes contains nicotine, an addictive drug that makes it very tough to quit. More than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are from smoking-related illnesses, and smoking greatly amplifies your risks for lung cancer and many other cancers. Cigarettes contain more than 4,000 chemical compounds and at least 400 toxic substances.
Risks of Smoking
Smoking can cause:
 Lung cancer, pancreas, cervix, uterus and bladder cancer
Diminished or extinguished sense of smell and taste
Chronic Bronchitis
Heart Disease
Frequent Colds
Increase in heart rate and blood pressure
Stroke
Smoker's Cough
Premature and more abundant face wrinkles
Cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, and esophagus
Gastric Ulcers
Emphysema
Quitting
Quitting is NOT impossible! This is the great news. More than 45.7 million Americans have quit these addictive habits. Many of them tried several times before they were able to quit.
There are many reasons why we should quit, and it helps to review some general ones and our own personal ones. |
Some reasons for quitting:
Bad for your health
Smoker's cough
Expensive
No longer enjoy smoking
Scared of getting sick or dying
Aware that smoking has already hurt your health
Feeling sick from smoking
Being out-of-breath and feeling out-of-shape
Tired of smelling like smoke
Exposing your family and friends to secondhand smoke
Friends and family wanting your to quit
Feeling like a social outcast
Smoking cessation is significant in the medical management of many contributors to heart attack. Quitting smoking can greatly decrease the occurrence of coronary heart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease. Quitting smoking also cuts the risk of lung cancer, many other cancers, heart disease, stroke, other lung diseases, and other respiratory illnesses.
Resources for Quitting
The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) offers a Smoker's Quit Kit. It breaks down the three steps of quitting: 1. Facts and deciding if you're ready to quit, 2. planning and preparing to stop, and 3. staying smoke-free and making adjustments for a new life.
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 For a free Smoker's Quit Kit call (1-800) 537-5666. For a Fit Kit to help you eat healthy and exercise call (1-866) 434-8548. The American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking® program is available on the internet. It's an interactive course designed to educate and modify the behavior patterns of a smoker. There are no waiting lists and this course if free of charge. Day or night, 7 days a week, on any schedule the smoker chooses to start the process of quitting. To register for the clinic: www.kintera.org.
Oral Medication
A new prescription medicine specifically developed to help adults quit smoking is called CHANTIX (varenicline), and it gives smokers a better chance of success than Zyban®. CHANTIX should be taken for 12 weeks and is only available with a doctor's prescription. It contains no nicotine but works on the same receptors as nicotine. And it's the addiction to nicotine inhaled from smoking that makes quitting so hard. Ask your doctor if CHANTIX is right for you.
Medications used for stopping addictions are not magic pills. For most people, smoking is both a physical and behavioral addiction. That's why a support plan is important such as accountability partners and support from family and friends. Don't think of it as quitting. Start a new life!
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