Quit Smoking Pros And Cons Essay

QUIT SMOKING CLINICS

Smoking cessation clinics provide help beyond that of self-help programs, and they tend to attract smokers seeking extra help. In fact, formal clinics might be seen as providing quitters with the motivations, skills, and supports they otherwise lack for a self-quit attempt. Formal quit smoking clinics in the United States are sponsored by voluntary organizations (e.g., American Cancer Society, American Lung Association), proprietary organizations (SmokeLess, Smoke Stoppers), hospitals, managed-care organizations and health plans, health departments, and other groups. Regional American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, and Cancer Information Service (1-800-4-CANCER) offices can supply details on local programs.

Over the years, formal clinic programs have become increasingly similar. Most use accepted, state-of-the-art cognitive behavioral treatment techniques to help smokers get ready to quit (e.g., brand switching, motivational techniques), quit (e.g., abrupt quit date quitting, aversive smoking), cope with withdrawal symptoms and

smokers see a physician on an annual basis, and most do so more than once. Glynn and Manley projected that if only half of U.S. physicians delivered even a brief “quitting” message to their patients who smoked and were successful with only 1 in 10, this would yield 1.75 million new ex-smokers every year—more than double the national annual quit rate. Using conservative estimates, over 5 million U.S. smokers could be reached through hospital-based programs each year. In all medical settings, given physicians’ very limited time for preventive interventions, non-physician health care providers (e.g., nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists) play a critical role as change agents. Similarly this “quitting” message can be translated worldwide by all physicians, nurses, physicians assistants, respiratory therapists and dentist we would yield millions of ex-smokers