|
|
Research on Tobacco and Addiction
Bill W., principal
author of Alcoholics Anonymous, planned to write another book
titled After Sobriety, What? Unfortunately, that project was
cut short by Bill's death from emphysema-the legacy of a lifetime
of heavy smoking.
Today there's a new answer to Bill's Question: After sobriety
based on freedom from alcohol/drugs comes the issue of addressing
tobacco addiction.
Of course, quitting tobacco is not a requirement for quitting
alcohol and other drugs. People can achieve a satisfying sobriety
even if they continue smoking. At the same time, many alcoholics/addicts
do try to quit tobacco, and many of them succeed.
Today the single
greatest cause of disease and premature death in America is tobacco
use. Each year, diseases related to tobacco kill 430,000 Americans.
Nearly ¼ of American adults are smokers. 3,000 children
and adolescents become regular tobacco users every day
The U.S. Public
Health Service pegs the annual cost of tobacco-related death
and disease at $100 billion. Hard drinkers and drug users are
stereotyped as heavy smokers, and research supports that view.
Studies indicate that:
" Between
80 and 95% of addicts smoke cigarettes, a rate that is more that
three times that for the general American population.
" Nearly 70%
of addicts are heavy smokers (smoking more than a pack a day).
" Heavier
drinkers puff their cigarettes more and draw in more smoke with
each puff.
Unfortunately,
heavy smoking and heavy drug use create a life threatening synergy:
Using both cigarettes and alcohol over the long term increases
health risks more than using either of them alone.
When compared to
people who neither smoke nor drink, smokers are 7 times more
likely to develop mouth and throat cancer; drinkers are 6 times
more likely; and those who smoke and drink are 38 times more
likely.
Other research
indicates that nicotine addiction is the number one killer for
people in recovery from other chemical addictions. Moreover,
research also indicates that people who continue to use nicotine
while abstaining from alcohol or other drugs relapse twice as
frequently as those who quit the nicotine early in recovery.
For all of these
reasons, successful recovery means having to address nicotine
too. My clients understand that they will not graduate from the
addiction treatment program successfully until they are nicotine
abstinent.
Options for Quitting
increase
According to the
federal government's latest guidelines for health professionals,
current treatments for tobacco dependence offer the "greatest
single opportunity to staunch the loss of life, health, and happiness
caused by this chronic condition."
The bottom line is that smokers who want to quit have more options
than ever before. The guidelines list four kinds of nicotine
replacement therapies: Nicotine gum, the nicotine inhaler, nicotine
nasal spray, and the nicotine patch. These treatments aim to
reduce withdrawal symptoms, allowing people to consume nicotine
in highly controlled and steadily decreasing doses.
In addition, replacement
therapy provides nicotine without the toxins found in cigarette
smoke.
These guidelines also recommend 3 non-nicotine medications to
reduce withdrawal symptoms: Wellbutrin (zyban), the most commonly
prescribed non-nicotine medication to deal with tobacco dependence,
and clonidine and nortriptlyline, 2 second-line medications that
require more medical supervision. The guidelines endorse counseling
for everyone trying to quit.
I have found that
Zyban and counseling seem to work best for young people, and
that the patches are ineffective if not dangerous. Consult with
your physician when considering any of these guidelines.
|
|
(contd.)
Changes your body
goes through when you quit smoking. (NATAC 1998)
Within 20 minutes
of last cigarette:
Blood pressure drops to normal
Pulse drops to normal rate
Body temperature of hands and feet increases to normal
Within 8 hours:
Carbon dioxide level in blood drops to normal
Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
Within 24 hours:
Chance of heart attack decreases
Within 48 hours:
Nerve endings start to regrow
Ability to smell and taste enhances
Within 48 72 hours:
Nicotine leaves the body
Within 72 hours:
Bronchial tubes relax, making breathing easier
Lung capacity increases
Within 2 weeks
to 3 months:
Circulation improves
Walking becomes easier
Lung function increases up to 30%
|
