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Quitting tobacco: You can do it!
Posted 8/23/2012 Updated 8/23/2012
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Commentary by Staff Sgt. Patrick Elliott
5th Medical Group Dental Flight
8/23/2012 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Do you smoke or use chewing tobacco? Rarely a day goes by without a magazine, newspaper or TV news report carrying a message about tobacco-related medical problems--dangers such as lung disease, cancer, heart problems and low-birth weight babies. Perhaps you tune out those messages because you don't want to quit just yet--or think you can't.
Tobacco's negative effects on the body, particularly the mouth, are well documented. Smoking impairs the body's defense mechanisms and makes users more susceptible to infections like gum disease. Smoking also interferes with healing, a particular problem for patients who need treatment for periodontal disease. Once the ingredients in tobacco get into the bloodstream, they reduce the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to mouth tissues.
Tobacco is harmful to your mouth, not to mention your social life. Here are just a few reasons why: smelly breath, stained teeth, loss of teeth and jawbone, loss of taste, gum recession, oral cancer, mouth sores and wrinkles! All these symptoms of smoking or a smoking-induced disease can be prevented, and in some cases reversed, by quitting tobacco.
Chewing tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking. Tobacco placed on mucus membranes is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Chewing tobacco users have similar or even higher levels of nicotine than the smoker who uses a pack or more a day! Users are even more susceptible to tooth decay due to the product's higher sugar content. And, chewing tobacco contains at least 28 known cancer-causing chemicals.
It's no secret that tobacco use is difficult to stop--it takes will power and determination. Tobacco use is not just a habit; it's an addiction. You have to be ready to face this challenge before you commit to quit. Remind yourself of the benefits of quitting: you'll immediately reduce your risk of cancer; you'll taste and enjoy food again; you'll feel more relaxed without the jitters of nicotine; you won't be plagued by smoker's breath; your sense of smell will sharpen and your family and friends will thank you.
Here are some tips to get you started:
The base Health and Wellness Center offers the Tobacco Cessation Program which begins the first Wednesday of every month. This program, for Active-Duty members, runs four consecutive Wednesdays from 12 to 1 p.m., in the HAWC classroom on the third floor of the 5th Medical Group building. Members must attend all four sessions and are followed up with a telephone interview at the 90-day quit timeframe. If, after 90 days, a member has abstained from tobacco they are qualified to receive a teeth whitening treatment by the base dental clinic. For more information or to sign up for the next class, please call Lori Halvorson at the HAWC at 723-5399.
Remember, you can do it and you don't have to do it alone! Get help from loved ones, friends and co-workers when going through the quitting process. Ask another smoker to quit with you. Set a date to quit. For more tips, call the American Cancer Society's toll-free number, 1-800-4-CANCER.
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