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Most of the patients she sees
are hospitalized because of their
pulmonary problems. Many will
use a nicotine patch while in the
hospitals as nobody is allowed to
smoke in the buildings or even
on the grounds at any of Peoria’s
hospitals.
“The real challenge is when
they go home. A lot of them pick
up a cigarette the first chance
they get. But for a lot of others,
the road to smoking cessation
starts here,” Tjaden-Huber said.
The American Cancer Society
reports that only 4 percent to 7
percent of those who try to stop
cold turkey have long-term suc-
cess. The percentage rises to 25
percent for those who use medi-
cines or other forms of assistance
to quit the habit, it said.
“The truth is the quit smoking
programs, like other programs
that treat addictions, often have
fairly low success rates. But
that does not mean they are not
worthwhile or that you should be
discouraged,” the American Can-
cer Society said on its website,
www.cancer.org. “Your own suc-
cess in quitting and staying quit
is what really counts and you
have some control over that. Even
if you don’t succeed the first few
times, keep trying. You can learn
from your mistakes so that you
will be ready for those pitfalls the
next time.”
Among the methods to quit
smoking that are used, other
than doing it cold turkey, the use
of the drug Chantix has shown
success. One of the medications
referred to smoking cessation
aids, Chantix works by block-
ing the pleasant effects nicotine
has on the brain. A person who
starts taking Chantix, which is by
prescription only, is told to con-
tinue smoking for the first week
or so in order for the brain to get
used to not having the nicotine
satisfaction while the person
smokes. That way, the craving
dissipates, lessening the need for
the cigarette.
That’s how Chantix, being
a non-nicotine drug, works as
opposed to nicotine patches that
transfer nicotine into the body
without the smoke or holding a
cigarette. The idea is to gradu-
ally decrease the strength of the
patches, or the amount of the
nicotine being absorbed, until the
amount is so slight it is easier to
give it up completely.
Continued on page 28
The Present
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