It’s the beginning of a New Year, a time when many people decide to make healthy lifestyle changes for the year ahead. As we turn to 2024, it’s time to ditch that pack and tell cigarettes “No More.”
Each year, smoking kills more people than alcohol, car crashes, and illegal drugs combined, but there are still more than 28 million smokers nationwide, and more than 600,000 Kentucky adults identify as smokers.
In a given year, more than half of adult smokers will attempt to quit smoking cigarettes, but less than 8% will be successful. Trying to quit smoking is extremely difficult, and that’s why Med Center Health offers the “BREATHE Smoking Cessation” program.
“The BREATHE Program is a 1-on-1 smoking cessation program that is for anybody that wants to quit the use of tobacco products,” said Marie Vincent, Wellness Coordinator at Med Center Health. “Smoking exposes you to all kinds of harmful chemicals, and it also puts you at risk for heart disease, lung disease, lung cancer, diabetes, and so many other preventable diseases.”
A single cigarette contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including 70 cancer-causing chemicals. Smoking is the cause of 1 in 5 deaths in the US annually, and tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death.
A person who is able to quit smoking lowers their risk of being diagnosed with 12 different types of cancer and significantly lowers their risk of heart and lung diseases, and Med Center Health’s BREATHE Program is proven to help a person quit smoking.
“Most people are not able to quit cold turkey,” said Vincent. “Most people do need help by this kind of program and a nicotine replacement therapy. If you join this program, and participate in nicotine replacement therapy, your chances for successfully quitting actually increase 50 percent.”
The CDC estimates that adult male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lose 14.5 years of life because of smoking. And given the diseases that smoking can cause, it can steal your quality of life long before you die.
“It’s important to quit smoking as soon as possible to help prevent countless diseases. It’s really hard to quit on your own, and that’s why we offer this program. We are here for you during this difficult time, and we want to see you succeed. Having a supportive system like this program helps you so much.”
2024 is here, and now is the time to take back years on your life and give up smoking for good. If you are ready to take control of your health and quit smoking, you can make an appointment to meet with a certified treatment specialist and begin Med Center Health’s BREATHE Smoking Cessation Program.
To learn more about the BREATHE Smoking Cessation Program, and to sign up for the program, visit MedCenterHealth.org/Breathe.
-submitted by Med Center Health
