Quitting tobacco

Tobacco causes harm by causing chronic inflammation and releasing toxic substances.

Quitting tobacco, by far, is effective than any other medication or intervention to prevent early death from heart attack, stroke, COPD, pneumonia, lung cancers, bladder cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer. It decreases risk of early death by half from all causes. The longer a patient smokes, the more risk of diseases. Patients’ genetics and other medical conditions also contribute to risk of early death.

Patients usually can’t quit tobacco by themselves, since it is a complicated addiction. The addiction has behavioral / mental, physical, economical, social components that needs to be addressed.

Role of physician: Addressing mental and behavioral factors of addiction, decreasing physical dependence with scientifically approved medications including varenicline, bupropion, nicotine supplements and treating the side effects and risks of tobacco to prevent life-threatening diseases.

Medications used in tobacco cessation have distinctive side effect profile. However none of them is as harmful as smoking tobacco. Benefits are almost always more than risks of using medications.

Chewing tobacco is not safe either. It usually causes oral cancers.

Vaping tobacco is less riskier than smoking it, however it is never a replacement of quitting tobacco.

Role of patients: Understanding the real risks of tobacco, attempting or willing to attempt treatment, having a good social support system or creating such environment, understanding behaviors that increases cravings of smoking greatly helps physicians to become successful of treatment.

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