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#Post#: 86--------------------------------------------------
Persistent myths about smoKing
DIR By: guest7
Date: October 30, 2021, 9:18 am
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10 Persistent Myths About Smoking
Have you bought into these smoking myths? Experts set the record
straight.
Smoking in America is down -- but not out. Today, 20% of U.S.
adults are smokers, compared to 45% in 1965, when smoking was at
its peak. But even at the current level of tobacco use, an
estimated 440,000 Americans per year lose their lives to lung
cancer, heart disease, emphysema, or other smoking-related
illnesses. On average, smokers die 14 years before nonsmokers,
and half of all smokers who don't quit are killed by their
habit.
People start smoking for many reasons. Many continue to puff
away because they buy into certain persistent myths about
tobacco use. Here are 10 of those myths, and the truth about
each.
Myth: My other healthy habits may make up for my smoking.
Some smokers justify their habit by insisting that proper
nutrition and lots of exercise are enough to keep them healthy.
Not so.
"Research shows that eating a healthy diet and exercising
don't reduce the health risks associated with smoking," says
Ann M. Malarcher, PhD, senior scientific advisor in the
CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "Smoking affects every
organ system in the body, and thinking that you're going to
find the perfect lifestyle to counteract the effects of smoking
is just not realistic."
"You could take a truckload of vitamins a day and still not undo
the deadly effects of tobacco," says Michael C. Fiore, MD,
professor of medicine and director of the Center for Tobacco
Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin in
Madison, Wis.
Myth: Switching to 'light' cigarettes will cut my risk.
Smokers who switch to brands labeled "light" or "mild"
inevitably compensate for the lower levels of tar and nicotine
by inhaling smoke more deeply or by smoking more of each
cigarette.
"Most people who smoke them wind up getting the same amount of
the killing components in tobacco smoke," Fiore tells WebMD.
"People who smoke light cigarettes are dying of lung cancer,
stroke, heart attack, and emphysema every day."
Similarly, cigarettes labeled "natural" or "organic" are no
safer than ordinary cigarettes. "You don't need to add
anything to tobacco for it to kill you," Fiore says.
Myth: I've smoked for so long; the damage is already done.
The damage caused by smoking is cumulative, and the longer a
person smokes, the greater his/her risk for life-threatening
ailments. But quitting smoking at any age brings health
benefits.
"Your health will improve even if you quit at 70," says Norman
H. Edelman, MD, chief medical officer of the American Lung
Association.
The benefits of quitting start the day you stop. "Within a
month, you will feel like you have more air, because you do,"
Fiore says. "Within a year, your risk of having a heart attack
will be cut by 50%."
According to the American Cancer Society, smokers who quit
before age 35 prevent 90% of the risk of health problems from
smoking. A smoker who quits before age 50 halves his/her risk of
dying within the next 15 years compared to someone who continues
to smoke.
Myth: Trying to quit smoking will stress me out -- and
that's unhealthy.
True, tobacco withdrawal is stressful. But there's no
evidence that the stress has negative long-term effects.
In fact, research shows that smokers who quit begin eating
better, exercising more, and feeling better about themselves.
"They're in a better mental place," Fiore says. "So many
smokers today hate the fact that they are addicted, and that
they are taking money out of the family budget and putting it
toward deadly cigarettes."
On average, a pack-a-day smoking habit costs $2,000 a year,
Edelman says.
Myth: The weight gain that comes with quitting is just as
unhealthy as smoking.
Smokers who quit gain an average of 14 pounds, Malarcher says.
But the risk posed by carrying the extra pounds "is miniscule
compared to the risk of continuing to smoke," Fiore says.
Myth: Quitting "cold turkey" is the only way to go.
Some smokers think that quitting abruptly is the best approach
and that willpower is the only effective tool for curbing
tobacco cravings. They're partly right: Commitment is
essential. But smokers are more likely to succeed at quitting if
they take advantage of counseling and smoking cessation
medications, including nicotine (gum, patches, lozenges,
inhaler, or nasal spray) and the prescription drugs Zyban
(buproprion) and Chantix (varenicline), Malarcher says.
Counseling increases the odds of success by 60%, and taking
medication doubles the odds, Malarcher says.
Myth: Nicotine products are just as unhealthful as smoking.
Nicotine is safe when used as directed. Even using nicotine
every day for years would be safer than smoking, Fiore says.
After all, nicotine products deliver only nicotine. Cigarettes
deliver nicotine along with 4,000 other compounds, including
more than 60 known carcinogens, according to the American Lung
Association. Nicotine replacement therapy versus smoking?
"It's a no-brainer," Fiore says.
Myth: Cutting back on smoking is good enough.
"Cutting down on the number of cigarettes is not an effective
strategy," Malarcher says. "Smokers who cut back draw more
deeply and smoke more of each cigarette." So even though they
smoke fewer cigarettes, they get the same dose of toxic smoke.
"The data suggest that the only [smoking cessation strategy]
that works consistently is getting to the point of not even a
single puff," Fiore says.
Myth: I'm the only one who is hurt by my smoking.
Tobacco smoke also harms the people around you. In the U.S.,
secondhand smoke causes about 50,000 deaths deaths a year, the
American Lung Association estimates. It's been estimated
that a waiter or waitress who works a single eight-hour shift in
a smoky bar inhales as much toxic smoke as a pack-a-day smoker,
Fiore says.
Myth: I tried quitting once and failed, so it's no use
trying again.
Most smokers try several times before quitting for good. So if
you've failed previously, don't let that deter you from
trying again.
"Each time people quit, they learn things that could be useful
for their next attempt at quitting," Malarcher says. Edelman
says, "We like to say the first time you try to quit is
practice, the second time is practice, and the third or fourth
time, you get it right. You have to keep trying."
Remember to do it the DJ way. Say no thanks I quit dot com.
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