Page 34 - March 2023 Issue

Tips, Classes and
H ealth C orner Programs to help

you live healthier!

Let’s look at some other related facts population, they can successfully quit
and myths: at rates similar to everyone else!
About one in four adults have a Myth 3: People with mental illness
mental illness or substance abuse need to smoke to manage their illness
Spotlight on Tobacco Use & disorder and this population smokes or stress. Again, this is untrue. When
Mental Health Population
about 40% of all cigarettes. People someone is addicted to nicotine and
with mental illnesses and substance they smoke, the withdrawal process
By Heather Grove, BSN, RN
abuse disorders have been historically stops for a short time. Th is “quiets
Less people are smoking today than in targeted by the tobacco companies the cravings’’ for a few moments,
the past, but tobacco use continues to and may have less awareness of or providing a false sense of stress relief.

be the number one preventable cause access to resources to help them quit. Also people often go outside to take

of death, killing more than 480,000 The most common causes of death smoke breaks. This gives them a

people yearly. Smoking aff ects nearly reason to walk away from a stressful
in people with mental illness such as
every part of the human body. Even anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder situation.
with declines in smoking rates, there
and schizophrenia are heart disease, Consuming nicotine, however,
are still populations of people that are
cancer, lung disease and diabetes, actually causes more stress to happen

more heavily affected by tobacco, such all of which are linked to smoking inside the body. Nicotine in cigarettes
as people in low income communities,
cigarettes. increases the heart rate and blood
racial and ethnic minorities, and those pressure and makes muscles become
with mental health conditions. Th is Myth 1: People with mental illnesses tense.
article is going to dig a little deeper and/or substance abuse disorders do
into the population of individuals with not want to quit smoking. Th e truth Myth 4: Quitting smoking will
mental health conditions. is most people, including those with threaten recovery for people in
mental illnesses and addictions want treatment for substance abuse.
People with mental health conditions to quit smoking and want information Quitting smoking actually does the
have been exploited by the tobacco
on cessation services and resources. opposite. For example, when someone
industry for years. Tobacco companies quits drinking and smoking at the
used to give away free cigarettes to Myth 2: People with mental illnesses same time they have a 25% greater
psychiatric facilities. Th ey funded and substance abuse disorders cannot chance of staying clean and sober, so
misleading research that made it quit smoking. While persons with that’s a win-win!
appear quitting would make mental mental illnesses and substance abuse

health symptoms worse. This is the disorders are a disparate population, Now that you know quitting is possible
opposite of what other research, not meaning they are aff ected more for everyone, it is important to learn
funded by the tobacco industry, shows. by tobacco than the mainstream about some resources to help yourself
or a loved one because having support
can make all the difference in the quit

attempt.
EXAMS & CERTIFICATES

• Truck/Bus Drivers The Maryland Quitline is a no cost,
• Basic Med for Pilots phone-based program available to
anyone 13 and older. Th e client is
• Coast Guard for Boaters paired up with a quit coach, oft en an
• Pre-Op for Upcoming Surgery ex-smoker themselves, to build an
individualized quit plan. He or she may
Board Certified also qualify for nicotine replacement
Occupational Medicine medications, like patches and gum,
to be mailed to them. Services are
C.E. Jensen, MD
available 24/7 and are confi dential.
Denton, MD 410-924-8560
To learn more or be referred, you
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