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Tobacco Cessation

How are Smoking and Health Related?

Smoking kills. In Vermont, tobacco use is the #1 leading cause of preventable death.

Today, about 19.5 percent of Vermonters - or roughly one in every 5 people - smoke tobacco products. In a year's time 1,000 Vermonters will die of smoking-related diseases, including heart diseases and cancers. That's 20% of all deaths in Vermont that could have been prevented.

Tobacco use is also a spring board for many health issues down the road including cardio-vascular disease, complications with diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), recovery time after surgery, the list goes on. Tobacco abuse affects every part of the person from the cost per pack to the health risks it carries.

Smoking Facts

  • 18 - 24 year olds make up the fastest growing smoking population in Vermont
  • Smoking cigarettes causes heart disease, cancer of the lung, larynx, esophagus, pharynx, mouth and bladder and chronic lung disease.
  • Smoking cigarettes contributes to cancer of the pancreas, kidney and cervix
  • Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  • Smokeless tobacco causes serious oral health problems, including cancer of the mouth
  • Cigar smoking causes cancer of the larynx, mouth, esophagus and lung
  • Second hand smoke is a health hazard for infants and children who experience higher rates of colds and ear infections
  • Second hand smoke also harms pets
  • Smoking adults are more likely to have children who smoke

How CVMC Can Help

We are here to help you quit. And we know that quitting can be very difficult. The average person attempts 5-7 times before they quit. Most smokers didn't start out liking smoking or smoking a pack a day but gradually built up to it. The same happens when quitting; each attempt will become easier. At CVMC we offer community-based programs as well as programs for inpatients to help people quit the smoking habit.

The 5 A's - Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange, are used at visits to primary care physicians to see where a patient's readiness to quit might be.

When a smoker is admitted to CVMC, a referral is sent to the Cardio Techs for a consultation to provide information, support and to make sure that the patient is comfortable. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (the patch, gum, lozenges or inhaler) is available while in the hospital.

Additional Links

SmokeFree Society
www.smokefreesociety.org
A nonprofit, organization dedicated to helping smokers stop smoking and educating kids not to start, this site offers effective and innovative quit smoking tools, cessation plans and services.

The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont
www.tobaccofreevermont.org
Advocates for statewide public health policies and funding for programs to prevent and reduce tobacco use.