Kick that cigarette but!

What’s the hype about smoking?... Does smoking keep your body warm in the winter? Is it cool to know how to exhale smoke? Is it cool to inhale smoke without coughing? Is it cool to own a designer cigarette lighter? Is it cool to smoke while wearing lipstick? Does smoking decrease stress?

When I was a child, I questioned what I had learned in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program whenever I witnessed someone smoke. I wondered how nicotine travels through the body to reach the lungs. I grew up watching my grandfather smoke Pall Mall cigarettes. He could smoke like no other smoker that I had ever seen. He knew how to talk while holding a cigarette in his mouth. I was amazed at how fast he could talk without dropping the ashes. It would have been fun to time how long he was able to hold a cigarette without dropping the ashes. Thankfully, my grandfather did not have a known lung cancer diagnosis. However, his chronic cough affected his quality of life.

When I think of smoking, I also think of my former neighbor, Sandra (pseudonym). Sandra smoked Virginia Slims. At the time, those were the longest cigarettes in the world to me. Sandra enjoyed smoking, despite her raspy voice and nagging cough. One day, I decided to secretly smoke one of her cigarettes. Despite breaking the cigarette in half, the cigarette was too strong for me to smoke. I threw the cigarette away because the smoke burned my throat upon inhalation, and I did not want to sacrifice my voice for nicotine. I entertained the idea of smoking for the second time when I learned that my peers were smoking Newport cigarettes, Black and Mild cigars, Swisher Sweets cigars, and marijuana. I was a social smoker until someone stole my cigarettes and gave them to my mother. Knowing that my mother knew my secret took the fun out of smoking. Thankfully, this fueled my decision to quit smoking. I’m grateful that I didn’t enjoy smoking enough to develop a nicotine addiction. Looking back, I cannot imagine educating a patient who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease about smoking cessation if I were an active smoker today.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT SMOKING AND LUNG CANCER

-According to the American Cancer Society (2022), smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer for smokers, and secondhand smoke is a contributing cause of lung cancer in people who do not smoke. Lung cancer is the most notorious type of cancer, and most common cause of death from cancer in the world (De Groot, Wu, Carter, & Munden, 2018).

-7,000 known environmental chemicals, including 70 chemicals that cause cancer have been identified in secondhand smoke (ACS, 2022).

-Secondhand smoke irritates the bronchial lining, triggers asthma, worsens allergy symptoms, and increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in infants (American Cancer Society [ACS], 2022, -d). In the United States, African American nonsmokers have the highest incidence of developing lung cancer versus Caucasian nonsmokers (De Groot et al., 2018).

-E-cigarettes contain nicotine but have fewer environmental chemicals. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and reactive oxygen species are present in sufficient concentrations in e-cigarette vapor and contribute to inflammatory damage and respiratory illnesses in people who vape (De Groot et al., 2018). Electronic nicotine delivery systems have lower concentrations of nicotine than cigarettes, but studies are being conducted to determine the long-term effects of the chemicals. Classic signs and symptoms of lung cancer include shortness of breath, chronic or worsening cough, hoarseness, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, hemoptysis (coughing up blood), and recurrent respiratory infections (ACS, 2022, -c). Nicotine from smoke causes lung cancer, but nicotine from smokeless tobacco such as snus, snuff, and chewing tobacco can cause cancers of the nose and mouth.

QUITTING IS POSSIBLE!

Damaged lung tissue gradually repairs itself after one quits smoking before cancer is detected (ACS, 2022, -b). Click this link to access community resources that aid in quitting smoking (https://www.quitassist.com/helpful-resources.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgM3626KY-wIVF43ICh049AFhEAAYASAAEgJDevD_BwE). A gradual reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked each day can lead to complete smoking cessation. 1-800-QUIT-NOW is a national quitline that offers services in every state in the United States, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). Speak to your healthcare provider about resources available to help you quit smoking. Prescription medications, nicotine replacement therapy, and support groups are available options to achieve smoking cessation, unless not recommended by your health care provider.

Habits do not develop overnight. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect to quit smoking overnight. If you smoke, own it! Take ownership of educating yourself about the effects of smoking. Also, be mindful of where you flick your ashes and cigarette buts. Refuse to smoke in the environment of vulnerable children and persons who have compromised immunity and respiratory illnesses. Vapor from e-cigarettes and hookah pipes as well as smoke from cigarettes, marijuana, and cigars irritate the lining of the lungs in smokers and nonsmokers. Nicotine from these sources have been linked to incidences of lung, bladder, and oral cancers. Be courteous and refuse to smoke around others without their permission. I hated the smell of tobacco smoke in the past, and it remains offensive today. Even Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford cannot eliminate the smell of smoke. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. I challenge you to protect your lungs so that you can exhale with ease.

Regardless of the hype, smoking is not cool!...Kick that cigarette but!

References

American Cancer Society. (2022, -a). Causes, risk factors, and prevention: What causes lung cancer? Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/what-causes.html

American Cancer Society. (2022, -b). Early detection, diagnosis, and staging: Can lung cancer be prevented? Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/prevention.html

American Cancer Society (2022, -c). Early detection, diagnosis, and staging: Signs and symptoms of lung cancer. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html

American Cancer Society. (2022, -d). Health risks of using tobacco products: Health risks of secondhand smoke. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/health-risks-of-tobacco/secondhand-smoke.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021, December 22). Smoking and tobacco use: 1-800-QUIT-NOW: 15 Years of Helping People Quit. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/features/quitlines/index.html

De Groot, P. M., Wu, C. C., Carter, B. W., & Munden, R. F. (2018). The epidemiology of lung cancer. Translational lung cancer research, 7(3), 220–233. https://doi.org/10.21037/tlcr.2018.05.06