Photo Credit – American Cancer Society
# 5962
Few people under the age of 50 can appreciate just how pervasive smoking was in this country during the 1950s and 1960s. Just about everyone smoked . . . at home, in public, in the movies, and even on TV.
Tobacco products were the major sponsor for radio and TV shows, and celebrities (and sometimes even doctors) offered testimonials as to their flavor, smoothness, safety . . . and yes, even their `health benefits’.
All of that began to change, albeit slowly, when the Surgeon General’s first report on the dangers of tobacco appeared in 1964.
Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General held cigarette smoking responsible for a 70 percent increase in the mortality rate of smokers over non-smokers. The report estimated that average smokers had a nine- to ten-fold risk of developing lung cancer compared to non-smokers: heavy smokers had at least a twenty-fold risk.
Two years later, the United States became the first country to require a health warning on packages of cigarettes.
Caution: Cigarette Smoking May be Hazardous to Your Health (1966–1970)
Since then the warnings have escalated, and societal pressures and restrictions on when and where people can smoke have increased. Over the past few decades, the percentage of adults who smoke has been cut by more than half.
Still, nearly 1 in 5 adults continue to smoke . . . even though nearly 2 out of 3 would like to stop.
It isn’t easy, of course.
Which is why the American Cancer Society promotes a yearly Great American Smokeout, to try to get people to stop for at least one day. Thursday, November 17th, will mark the 36th annual smokeout.
Great American Smokeout --- November 17, 2011
Weekly
November 11, 2011 / 60(44);1513The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, is an annual event that encourages smokers to quit for at least 1 day in the hope they will be encouraged to stop permanently (1). The 36th annual event will be held on November 17, 2011.
Approximately two out of three smokers want to quit, and 52.4% of current adult smokers tried to quit within the past year (2). Health-care providers should routinely identify smokers and other tobacco users, advise them to quit, and assist those trying to quit (3). Getting help (e.g., through counseling or medication) can double or triple the chances for quitting (3).
Since 2002, the number of former smokers in the United States has exceeded the number of current smokers (3). But 19.3% of U.S. adults (about 45.3 million) still smoke. Additional information and free support for quitting is available online (http://www.smokefree.gov) or by telephone (800-QUIT-NOW [800-784-8669]; TTY: 800-332-8615).
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched the Million Hearts initiative, aimed at preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next 5 years. An estimated 26% of heart attacks and 12%--19% of strokes are attributable to smoking. Additional information is available at http://millionhearts.hhs.gov.
As a former smoker, who grew up in a smoking household, I know how tough quitting can be.
If you smoke, and would like to quit, talk to your doctor about your options. There are medications and techniques that can help you get through the ordeal of withdrawal.
For more on how to quit, visit the:
Great American Smokeout
