Saving a Smoker
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), "Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or about 1 in 5 deaths" ("Current Cigarette Smokers" par. 1). "In 2019, nearly 14 of every 100 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older (14.0%) currently* smoked cigarettes. This means an estimated 34.1 million adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes. More than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease" ("Current Cigarette Smokers" par. 2). While the smoking numbers may be at the lowest they have ever been, what about those 34.1 million still smoking and the 16 million facing the consequences? As someone who has numerous close family members and friends who smoke I feel it is my duty to educate myself on why smoking is still so prevalent so I can help free them from their deadly addiction. With the number of current smokers still being so high I know I am one amongst many who are dealing with someone who smokes. There is a plethora of resources from various health organizations aimed at the smokers themselves. But in this strategy, I am directing my attention not at the smoker but at the people that the smoker may know. A smoking addict may be more likely to take advice and help from someone they know and trust rather than a random doctor or fear in-sighting ad. Thus, the research bestowed in this document will dive into the "why" is a smoker a smoker and how they cannot be one any longer. In answering these questions, us acquaintances of smokers could get a better understanding of how our familiar feels so we can relate to them. From this formed relation the smoker may feel validated and therefore comfortable enough to finally receive aid that they had been otherwise resistant to. In our numbers is strength, and if us cigarette crusaders participate together, we can move mountains. Therefore I believe that by educating and supplying the familiars of smokers on understanding how and why smoking is so addictive and the methods that are available to stop it, they can provide it to their user they wish to help which will aid in the decrease of the overall current smoking population.
In order to gain an understanding of how smoking is so addictive we must engage in pursuits of empathy to the smoker so they will feel comfortable enough to receive our aid. On the web are commentaries of wisdom given by healthcare experts discussing how to approach a smoker about their addiction and give insights on their thinking. In the article, "How to Help Someone Quit Smoking: 6 Tips for Supporting Their Health" the author and certified health specialist, Christina Bhattacharya, offers advice in the form of six descriptive tips directed to those who wish to help a smoker they may know. In the first tip titled, "Express Your Concerns" it entails that although the current number of smokers has gone down, the addiction still takes numerous lives. While there is 40% actively making an effort to cease smoking there is an overall 70% who want to. Communicate your concerns for them and reinstate that they have your support. Don't bombard your loved one with unwanted advice, help them in a way that is comfortable for them. Even if they have shown initiative to stop smoking, it may not actually be the right time. Keep all of these factors in mind while still giving them the leeway to make their own decisions (Bhattacharya). This first tip from Bhattacharya is a big reminder that our loved one has an addiction and although they may want to quit, the process to cessation is not as easy as we may imagine it. Eager to get them going in the right direction we often become too pushy and end up pushing the smoker away. Afterall our goal should be to help our victimized friend not control them. Under her third tip titled, "Offer Your Encouragement" it relays that every journey to cessation for a smoker is different. On especially rough days it is crucial that you stay optimistic and helpful. Keep encouraging them to persevere and how pleased you are of the progress they have made up to this point. Stay in contact with them technologically or in person to keep them from forgetting how far they have come and to ensure that they are still on track. Gather a nippy batch of cigarette alternatives for when a spontaneous trigger comes about. From your repetitive efforts made to aid them in their journey it will motivate them to weather the storm and emerge victorious (Bhattacharya). This third tip from the author points out how both parties are going to have bumps in the road. Our smoker is going to have relapses and cravings while us cigarette crusaders will become doubtful and impatient. Despite these woes we must never give up on those who need us, and a simple phone call or cigarette suppressant could be enough to keep them from their next relapse.
To further stand in the smoker's shoes we must broaden our perspective with the viewpoints of the many other addicts of the world, other than just the ones we may know. The page labeled, "Smokers Perspective" on the Penn Medicine website gives published testimonials of real-life smokers' experiences in their attempts, struggles, and triumphs in discontinuing to smoke. From one of the accounts an anonymous smoker's testimony can be summarized as, for me smoking is so hard to quit that I have had multiple procedures for throat cancer and overcame alcohol addiction, but I still can't seem to stop smoking. Cigarettes have taken over my life financially and socially. I've been smoking nearly every day of my existence and Im afraid to say goodbye to my constant cigarette companion. After 58 days of being sober I had to unfortunately disclose that I had relapsed during my follow-up call. I've managed to live through cancer, the war in Vietnam, and other addiction so as of July 4th I plan to finally renounce smoking again ("Smokers Perspective"). In this submission it shows how the cigarette is like an oppressor, taking over the life of the smoker. This man who had actually served in Vietnam, compared resisting the urge to smoke to as hard as fighting in a war. Such a testimony gives a very eye-opening account of the power of addiction. Another user's experience can be recapped as, after countless failed attempts and many years of smoking I have finally managed to be 117 days sober thanks to the aid of Smoker's Anonymous and my Hospital's smoking cessation program. I presently still attend these programs as they have made my life so much more fruitful. Not only am I, but my grandchildren are so grateful for these strategies that liberated my life ("Smokers Perspective"). As you can see if one is surrounded by a support system and through their dedication, it is possible to kick the habit with long term success. Not only has the user gained a newfound freedom but the user's loved ones now have a sense of relief. It is proof of how all of our hard work can really pay off and make us capable of having that same sense of relief.
When it comes to the why is smoking addiction still occurring, we must look into the bodily functions that are affected as a result of the chemicals being released from a tobacco cigarette. The physical consequences that are incited within the body upon smoking a cigarette are elucidated in many medical reports of various clinical websites. The feature, "Why People Start Smoking and Why It's Hard to Stop" on the American Cancer Society website is a medical report that delineates on such knowledge. According to the American Cancer Society:
Nicotine and other chemicals in tobacco smoke are easily absorbed into the blood through the lungs. From there, nicotine quickly spreads throughout the body. When taken in small amounts, nicotine causes pleasant feelings and distracts the user from unpleasant feelings. This makes the tobacco user want to use more. It acts on the chemistry of the brain and central nervous system, affecting mood. Nicotine works very much like other addicting drugs, by flooding the brain's reward circuits with a chemical called dopamine. Nicotine also gives a little bit of an adrenaline rush - not enough to notice, but enough to speed up the heart and raise blood pressure. ("Why People Start Smoking")
This piece of information gives us insights on the chain reaction that goes on inside our loved one's body every time they take a puff. The drug fills the brain with an involuntary and false happiness. But this automatic pleasure isn't enjoyed without facing the potential heart risk factors that could come about as a result of nicotine's ability to raise blood pressure. The American Cancer Society then brings up more bodily issues, stating:
As the body adapts to nicotine, people who use it tend to increase the amount of tobacco they use. This raises the amount of nicotine in their blood, and more tobacco is needed to get the same effect. This is called tolerance. Over time, a certain nicotine level is reached and the person will need to keep up the usage to keep the level of nicotine within a comfortable range. ("Why People Start Smoking")
If the dopamine releasing quality of nicotine didn't already make it addicting enough, now we can see how the body can become naturally used to it. When we question why it is that the user needs more and more, this process of tolerance explains why. Their body has now been programmed with a nicotine dependent system with a limit that cannot be reached.
More terminology related to the processes acting on the human vessel both mentally and physically are uncovered in other internet healthcare records. The page labelled, "Nicotine Dependence: How Does it Happen" on the Swedish hospital website features an article that defines what nicotine is and then breaks down into subcategories in how the addiction to this substance affects the body both mentally and physically, including its withdrawal symptoms. In the text specifically, it explains the aspects of a psychological effect that can occur within a frequent smoker. This text can be epitomized as, after the act of smoking has become perpetual, we begin to associate it with the completion of our everyday activities. Actions such as taking a phone call or enjoying a cup of joe cannot be normally enacted without the addition of the cigarette. The automatic satisfactory felt from combining smoking with daily task is defined as psychological dependence (Swedish). Humans are often creatures of habit and usually develop a daily routine of activities that fit their lifestyle. Imagine feeling as though the enjoyable factor in completing any of your everyday endeavors was suddenly being taken away. As it is natural for people to be resistant to change, this can help us understand how to a user, quitting smoking can psychologically feel like they are changing their whole lifestyle. The Swedish hospital website then reveals what can happen as a result of the drug's removal. The text states:
When you don't smoke for a period of time, and no nicotine is entering the body, you can experience unpleasant physical and psychological side-effects such as intense cravings for nicotine, anxiety, depression, weight gain, headaches, problems concentrating, drowsiness or trouble sleeping, and feeling tense, restless, or frustrated. These symptoms are called withdrawal effects. (Swedish)
After the smoker's body has become dependent upon the use of cigarettes and its frequent consumption has been stopped, the body can go under a fit of dysfunction. They become a vessel of a plethora of extremely stressful side-effects. In accordance with all the other negative chemical reactions that cigarettes can cause, this is the icing on top of the cake.
Now that we have fully immersed ourselves in the reasoning behind the target smoker's addiction, the next step is to have viable options available for them to successfully start their cigarette cessation. There are countless smoking cessation methods out there that have been proven effective especially when they are utilized simultaneously together. In the article, "Methods of smoking cessation" written by the medical authors Apexa Patel, Advaita Patel and Baldev Patel of The Journal of National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers, it sets out a list of all of the various methods that one could take to combat smoking. In the description the authors recall a trial that tested a conjunction of techniques that had lucrative results, the authors state, "a randomized trial published in 2008 found that hypnosis and nicotine patches "compares favorably" with standard behavioral counseling and nicotine patches in 12-month quit rates" ("Methods of smoking cessation"). Here is a prime example of how multiple methods can work very well together. Not to mention how their conjoined utilization can lead up to a cessation period of 12 months. The journal also offers another proven plan of action, as stated by the authors, "A 2006 book reviewing the scientific literature on aromatherapy identified only one study on smoking cessation and aromatherapy; the study found that "inhalation of vapor from black pepper extract reduces smoking withdrawal symptoms"" ("Methods of smoking cessation"). Out of all of the commonly known smoking cessation methods, the practice of aromatherapy provides the user with a unique kind of tactic. After they have put down the cigarette long enough for those vexatious side-effects to arise, something as easy as breathing in plain black pepper vapor could bring their discomfort down to a tolerable level.
In addition to the helpful alternatives and alleviates of cigarettes, are powerful campaigns aimed at boosting the addict's initiative to quit. In the article, "Redoubling Efforts to Help Americans Quit Smoking - Federal Initiatives to Tackle the Country's Longest-Running Epidemic." the authors Robert R. Redfield, M.D., Stephen M. Hahn, M.D., and Norman E. Sharpless, M.D. of The New England Journal of Medicine discuss the United States federal initiatives to aid Americans in ending their smoking habit while also elucidating on rates of smoking cessation in relation to proven operations. According to the authors of The New England Journal of Medicine:
Over the past 2 years, the FDA has aired the "Every Try Counts" public-education campaign to encourage adult cigarette smokers to "keep trying" to quit and to "practice the quit." Since the campaign's launch, more than 900,000 people have visited its website and more than 8500 have signed up for text-messaging programs designed to help smokers quit. ("Redoubling Efforts to Help")
At this day and age everyone can be seen using their smart phones; typing text messages and surfing the web. Which is why the "Every Try Counts" campaign has become so successful. Having our addicts sign up for a text messaging service that reminds them to remain sober when we cannot, could be a very convenient strategy. Farther on in the article it brings up additional efficacious operations. As reported by the authors:
The Tips campaign, now in its 9th year, profiles people who are living with serious, long-term health effects from smoking and secondhand-smoke exposure. The 2020 campaign also includes ads featuring people who have cared for a loved one with a smoking-related disease. Between 2012 and 2018, an estimated 1 million adults successfully quit smoking because of the Tips campaign. ("Redoubling Efforts to Help")
This campaign helps us get an idea of how smoking effects everyone in the matter, the smokers and non- smokers alike. From the ads the user can not only be made aware of how their hazardous habit impacts their own health, but the health of their loved ones as well. By getting a glimpse of the realizations presented in the campaigns, our cigarette addicted companion could be added to that one million.
Hence the findings in this exposition have opened our minds to the smoker's perspective, the chemical affairs transpiring in their bodies, and the copious amount of procedures there are to help them. I urge family or friends to use this newfound cognizance to take a stronger stance and direct involvement in supporting the user. If enough of us are able to do this then it will contribute to the overall lowering of the number of present-day smokers and smoking related diseases. This means fewer medical expenses to the addict and second-hand smoke victims. There will be less lives and sense of freedom taken from the cynical cigarette. As a result, there will be more reassurance restored to the familiars of the addicts, the creation of a more healthier environment, and more hope to be gained by everyone who is affected by this issue. May our efforts get us closer to an eventual smoke free world.
Work Cited
