Put it out; Smoking cessation has benefits

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Krystal Ardrey
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  In a 2011 survey by the Department of Defense, 16.7 percent of Airmen identified themselves as smokers.

Smoking is a habit that can take, up to an average of, 10 years off your life. Why do so many Airmen continue to engage in such a deadly habit? The reason varies from person to person, but no matter why they smoke, the Incirlik Health and Wellness Center wants to help military members, dependents and civilians stop smoking.

Emily Arthur, 39th Medical Operations Squadron HAWC health promotions program coordinator, suggested that the top five reasons to quit smoking are as follows:

1. A healthier life
"Obviously number one is the health benefits," Arthur said. "[Quitting] reduces the risk of lots of different types of cancers. Smoking is the number one cause of preventable cancer, lung disease and stroke."

2. Financially
"You could save a lot of money over a lifetime," Arthur said. "In the states the cheapest it is to buy cigarettes is about five dollars a pack. If you stopped smoking a pack a day for a year at the five dollar range, you could save $2,000 a year."

3. Relationships
"A lot of times smoking can cause tension," Arthur said. "A spouse wanting someone to quit, kids wanting their parents to stop or parents wanting their kids to stop smoking, it can cause a lot of relationship tension."

4. Feel better
"A lot of times people feel better once they quit," Arthur said. "They stop coughing and have less shortness of breath."

5. Look and smell better
"You will have less wrinkles and less stained teeth," Arthur said. "It kind of yellows teeth as people smoke, and there is that stench that, even if they try to cover it up, is always there."

Over the course of 2016, the HAWC plans on implementing a new series of programs and classes for tobacco cessation. In the mean time they offer one-on-one tobacco cessation coaching to anyone who wants help quitting.

For more information about quitting, set up an appointment with your primary care manager or call the HAWC at 676-4292.