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Tobacco use
remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States,
causing more than 440,000 deaths each year and resulting in an annual cost
of more than $75 billion in direct medical costs. Nationally, smoking
results in more than 5.6 million years of potential life lost each year.
Approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18.
Every day, nearly 4,000 young people under the age of 18 try their first
cigarette. More than 6.4 million children living today will die
prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents — the
decision to smoke cigarettes.
Tobacco
use can cause lung cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, brain cancer,
mouth cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, voice box cancer, emphysema,
heart disease, ulcers, strokes, infertility, bronchitis, among other
illnesses and diseases. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals,
including tar, ammonia, formaldehyde, arsenic, carbon monoxide and
nicotine, a highly additive drug.
On
March 6, 2003, Westchester County Executive Andy Spano signed into law one
of the strongest workplace smoking bills in the country.
Westchester’s Smoke-Free Worksite Law went into effect on June 4,
2003 and banned smoking in virtually all worksites in Westchester County
(including restaurants, taverns and bars) with one or more employee(s).
The New York State Legislature updated a similar law, Article 13E, that
went into effect July 24, 2003.
See resources below.
| Do
gay, lesbian, and bisexual people smoke more than heterosexuals? |
In
general, tobacco use among LGBT appears to be greater than the general
population:
1.
A review of literature from the overview of studies published in English
from 1987 through 2000 reveals that when compared to national survey data,
that tobacco use is more prevalent among the lesbian, gay and bisexual
population. Estimated smoking rates for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals
ranged from 38% to 59% among youth and from 11% to 50% among adults.
National smoking rates during comparable periods ranged from 28% to 35%
for adolescents and were approximately 28% for adults.
(American
journal of preventive medicine
[Am J Prev Med] 2001 Aug; 21 (2), pp. 142-9)
2.
Rate of cigarette smoking is very high among gay and bisexual men.
In a 1999 study in the American Journal of Public Health, the prevalence
rate for smoking among gay and bisexual men was nearly 48%, while the
prevalence rate among straight men in the United States is 28.6%.
(American Journal of Public Health, Dec99, Vol. 89 Issue 12, p1875)
3.
Rate of cigarette smoking is higher among younger gay and lesbian
women than older gay and lesbian women. In a survey study of Kaiser
Permanente members (HMO), women aged 20 through 34 were much more likely
to smoke compared to older women. The study also suggest that…”
stress, depression, socialization, and cultural factors, as well as
external and internalized homophobia and heterosexism, may account for
these patterns. One potential factor is that younger lesbians and bisexual
women may be more likely than older lesbians and bisexual women to
participate in the lesbian "bar culture" as a primary means of
socialization. Furthermore, younger lesbians and bisexual women might be
more likely than their elders to cope with the stress resulting directly
from homophobia and heterosexism by smoking, drinking heavily, or both.
Finally, lesbians and bisexual women may respond to all of the above
stress factors with depressive and anxiety illnesses, which may correlate
with smoking cigarettes and alcohol use.”
(Gruskin
EP, Am J Public Health, 2001 Jun; Vol. 91 (6), pp. 976-9)
While
data is sparse on tobacco use and the LGBT population, the studies listed
below support the fact that tobacco use appears to be significantly
greater in the LGBT population then the heterosexual population.
·
Aaron,
et al. "Behavioral Risk Factors for Disease and Preventative Health
Practices Among Lesbians," American Journal of Public Health, June
2001.
·
Hughes
TL, Curr Womens Health Rep, 2003 Jun; Vol. 3 (3), pp. 254-61
A
good resource aimed at getting GBLT to quit smoking: http://www.gaysmokeout.net/
| The
Health Benefits of Quitting |
| After... |
|
| 20
minutes |
...Blood
pressure drops to near the level before you had your last
cigarette. |
| 8
hours |
...Carbon
monoxide level in the blood drops to normal. |
| 24
hours |
...Chance
of heart attack decreases. |
2
weeks to
3 months |
...Circulation
improves. Lung function increases up to 30%. |
| 1
year |
...Chance
of heart attack is cut in half. |
| 5
years |
...Stroke
risk is reduced to levels of a non-smoker's. |
| 10
years |
...Risk
of dying from lung cancer is about half of a current smoker. |
| Five
key steps for quitting |
Studies have
shown that these five steps will help you quit and quit for good. You have
the best chance of quitting if you use these five steps to develop and
maintain your own quit plan.
 |
Get
ready
Make a plan |
|
 |
|
|
Change
your environment. (Get rid of your cigarettes
and don't let people smoke in your home or
car.)
|
|
Review
your past quit attempts. Think about what
worked and what didn't.
|
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Make
a list of reasons to quit.
|
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Once
you quit don't smoke--not even a puff!
|
|
 |
Get
support
You will have a better chance
of success if you have help. You can get help in many ways |
|
|
Tell
family, friends and coworkers that
you are going to quit and want
their support. Ask them not to
smoke around you. Ask them if they
want to quit with you.
|
|
Talk
to your health care
provider; they can
help.
|
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|
|
|
 |
Learn
new skills and behaviors
Change your routine to reduce
your stress |
|
|
Try
to distract yourself
from urges to smoke.
Talk to someone, go
for a walk, or find a
new hobby.
|
|
When
you
try
to
quit,
change
your
routine.
Use
a
different
route
to
work.
Drink
tea
instead
of
coffee.
Eat
breakfast
in
a
different
place.
|
|
Do
something
to
reduce
your
stress.
Take
a
hot
bath/shower,
exercise,
read
a
book,
call
a
friend,
or
go
to
a
movie.
|
|
Plan
something
enjoyable
to
do
every
day.
Reward
yourself
since
you
are
doing
a
good
thing
for
yourself
and
those
around
you.
|
|
Drink
a lot of water and other fluids.
|
|
 |
Get
medication and use it correctly
Ask your health care provider
for advice first |
|
|
Medications
can help
you stop
smoking
and lessen
the urge
to smoke.
|
|
Ask
your
health
care
provider
for
advice
and
carefully
follow
the
instructions
on
the
package.
|
|
Approved
medications
can
double
your
chances
of
quitting
for
good.
|
|
Everyone
who
is
trying
to
quit
may
benefit
from
using
a
medication.
If
you
are
pregnant,
nursing,
under
18
years
of
age,
smoking
fewer
than
10
cigarettes
per
day,
or
have
a
medical
condition,
talk
to
your
doctor
or
other
health
care
provider.
|
|
The
U.S.
Food
and
Drug
Administration
(FDA)
has
approved
five
medications
to
help
you
quit.
- Bupropion
SR
-
available
by
prescription
- Nicotine
gum
-
available
over-the-counter
- Nicotine
inhaler
-
available
by
prescription
- Nicotine
nasal
spray
-
available
by
prescription
- Nicotine
patch
-
available
over-the-counter
and
by
prescription
|
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Be
prepared for difficult situations or relapse
Don't give up! |
|
Most
relapses occur within the first three months after quitting. Don't
be discouraged if you start smoking again. Remember that most
people try several times before they finally quit for good. Here
are some difficult situations to watch for.
- Alcohol.
Avoid drinking alcohol. Drinking lowers your
chance of success.
- Other
smokers.
Being around smoking can make you want to smoke.
- Weight
gain.
Many smokers will gain weight when they quit,
usually less than 10 pounds. Eat a healthy diet
and stay active. Don't let the weight gain
distract you from your goal-quitting smoking.
- Bad
mood or depression.
There are lots of ways to improve your mood other
than smoking.
If
you are having problems with any of these situations,
talk to your health care provider. Don't give up.
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