How many people continue to smoke tobacco products?

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 21.5 percent of adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes. In Iowa it’s a little less, it’s 20.9 percent. But what’s more concerning is among young people in the U.S., 23 percent of high school students and 8 percent of middle school students are current smokers. In Iowa, it’s 22.5 percent of high school students and 3.6 percent of middle school students. But this is significant because almost 90 percent of all adults who are current smokers started before the age of 18.

We spoke with Karl Thomas, MD,   about lung cancer. Aside from cancer, what other deterrents are there to anyone smoking or using tobacco products?

One out of every five deaths in the U.S. every year is smoking related, so that’s 438,000 people each year dying from a tobacco-related illness.

Numerous cancers besides lung cancer are attributed to smoking, including cancers of the lip and oral cavity, the esophagus, the pancreas, cervix, bladder, and kidney.

Smoking also causes coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States and cigarette smokers are two to four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than non-smokers.

You also double your chance of stroke, and cigarette smoking is associated with a 10-fold increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease. About 90 percent of all deaths from COPD is attributable to cigarette smoking.

There are also some other adverse affects like reproductive health, early childhood effects (including an increased risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight), and sudden infant death syndrome. There are a lot of reasons not to start smoking and if you’re smoking now to quit.

Aside from this one-day event, what are some of the ways smokers should consider using to quit their addition to tobacco products?

To be really successful, we encourage people to address both the physical addiction to nicotine and also sort of the behavioral/mental addiction—the hand to mouth habit of smoking (the ritual) and also the dependence on smoking to deal with things like stress or relaxation.

We recommend a combination of counseling or support and using a cessation aid like a nicotine replacement patch or gum or some of the other medications that are available like Zyban, which is bupropion, or CHANTIX™, which is varenicline.

There’s also a nicotine lozenge or inhaler that many people find effective. In addition, you could:

• Circle your friends and family around you
• Participate in one-on-one counseling
• Be part of a support group or cessation class
• Get online support and telephone counseling, like Quitline Iowa

Research shows that you can double your chance of quitting successfully if you work with a telephone quit line like Quitline Iowa.

When someone quits using tobacco products, do their lungs and bodies ever fully recover?

Absolutely, you can start feeling positive effects immediately. Within the first 20 minutes your blood pressure drops, and within 24 hours, your risk of a heart attack already starts to drop. So within that first day, you’re already doing great benefits for yourself. In 48 hours, your nerve endings start to re-grow; your ability to smell and taste start coming back. In the first year, your lung function increases and shortness of breath goes away. Your risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half compared to when you were smoking. There are longer term benefits over the next five to 20 years, like reducing your risk of a stroke to that of a non-smoker and reducing your risk of cancer significantly. 

What would you tell the smoker who is concerned about weight gain if they quit smoking?

Many doctors are asked the question, “Which would you rather have a person do, lose weight or quit smoking for the best benefit for their health?” and they say, “Quit smoking.”

Weight gain, while it’s a common concern, doesn’t always have to happen. I have a friend who just quit and actually lost weight while she was quitting. But you just need to be careful that you don’t substitute food for smoking to satisfy the urge to have something in your mouth. We recommend things like sugar free gum or mints, raw carrot sticks or celery or other vegetables or fruit, pretzels, or air-puffed popcorn.

Exercise is also a proven way to fight a craving. When you get the urge to pick up a cigarette, go for a walk, or do 10 sit-ups, or take the dog out for a walk so you’re getting a little exercise rather than picking up either food or a cigarette. 

Why is a day like the Great American Smokeout day an important starting point for smokers?

It’s a day to draw attention to the idea of quitting and knowing you’re not in it alone. There are millions of people across the United States who are trying to quit now, so there’s that camaraderie of ‘we’re all in it together.’ It does give you an opportunity to:

• Start thinking about quitting
• Start talking to other people
• Start gathering support around you
• Gather information about how to quit

How many attempts does the average smoker make before they successfully quit?

Research shows it takes at least seven tries before you can quit successfully. If it doesn’t work the first time, please don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged. This is such a hard addiction to break; it’s such a hard habit to break.

Don’t get down on yourself if the first, second, or even sixth time it didn’t work. Because every time you try, you’re learning more skills, you’re gaining new strengths that will help you be more successful the next time. So just keep trying and don’t get discouraged because eventually you’re going to quit and you’re going to feel great about doing it.

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Iowa Tobacco Research Center

Cancer Information Service