TOBACCO CESSATION

Smoking cessation (also known as quitting smoking or simply quitting) is the process of discontinuing tobacco smoking. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, which is addictive.

Nicotine withdrawal makes the process of quitting often very prolonged and difficult.

Seventy percent of smokers would like to quit smoking, and 50 percent report attempting to quit within the past year. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. Tobacco cessation significantly reduces the risk of dying from tobacco-related diseases such as coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),  and lung cancer. Due to its link to many chronic diseases, cigarette smoking has been restricted in many public areas.

Many different strategies can be used for smoking cessation, including quitting without assistance (“cold turkey” or cut down then quit), behavioral counseling, and medications such as bupropion, cytisine, nicotine replacement therapy, or varenicline. Most smokers who try to quit do so without assistance, though only 3% to 6% of quit attempts without assistance are successful. Behavioral counseling and Medications each increase the rate of successfully quitting smoking, and a combination of behavioral counseling with a medication such as bupropion is more effective than either intervention alone.

Since nicotine is addictive, quitting smoking leads to symptoms of nicotine withdrawal such as nicotine cravings, anxiety, irritability, depression, and weight gain. Professional smoking cessation support methods generally attempt to address nicotine withdrawal symptoms to help the client break free of nicotine addiction.

Tobacco use can lead to tobacco/nicotine dependence and serious health problems. Quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of developing smoking-related diseases.

Tobacco/nicotine dependence is a condition that often requires repeated treatments, but there are helpful treatments and resources for quitting.

Smokers can and do quit smoking. In fact, today there are more former smokers than current smokers.

Nicotine Dependence 

Health Benefits of quitting

Tobacco smoke contains a deadly mix of more than 7,000 chemicals; hundreds are harmful, and about 70 can cause cancer. Smoking increases the risk of serious health problems, many diseases, and death.

People who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk of disease and early death. Although the health benefits are greater for people who stop at earlier ages, there are benefits at any age. We are never too old to quit.

Stopping smoking  and tobacco is associated with the following health benefits: 

Smoker’s attempt to quit 

Percentage of adult daily cigarette smokers who stopped smoking for more than 1 day in 2015 because they were trying to quit:

• More than 5 out of 10 (55.4%) of all adult smokers
• Nearly 7 out of 10 (66.7%) smokers aged 18–24 years
• Nearly 6 out of 10 (59.8%) smokers aged 25–44 years
• More than 4 out of 10 (49.6%) smokers aged 45–64 years
• About 4 out of 10 (47.2%) smokers aged 65 years or older

Services we provide/ offer

• Behavioral Treatments
• Behavioral counseling is typically provided by specialists in smoking cessation for four to eight sessions.
• Medications: We also offer medication where behavioral treatment could not help alone.
• Nicotine Replacement Therapy
• Antidepressants