Cigarettes, E-Cigarettes & Vaping | Ohio is a Top 10 Usage State

I was compensated by Med-IQ through an educational grant from Pfizer, Inc. and the Coverys Foundation to write about smoking cessation. All opinions are my own.

Did you know Ohio has one of the top 10 highest rates of smoking and/or vaping in the country?

With everything going on right now, we have had to change how we are doing things – both at home and in our careers. We’ve, might I say, become a little more comfortable being at home and easing up on things that pertain to our health. Eating healthy, exercising regularly, and indulging in one too many cocktails on the patio have become a new norm over here. 

It’s so easy to get stuck in a mindless routine when you’re not having the typical day to day schedule. One thing that Stephen and I started noticing was how we weren’t taking care of our bodies very well. With triplet toddlers, we need all the energy and endurance that we can get. Ha. 

That means we need to make sure our bodies are as healthy as they can be. We don’t just have ourselves to think about and having this slower paced life has truly made us start thinking about that.

For me, I completely stopped moving my body in regards to workouts because believe me, I don’t stop moving. I am running after the girls ALL Day and sometimes all night – however, it is not the same as a good workout and my body is feeling the difference. I haven’t been fueling my body with the proper nutrition. I’ve been eating when I want, whatever I want and not exactly being intentional with it. 

Cocktails on the patio? Welp, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right? There are a lot of things I am working on to get back to my definition of healthy. 

For Stephen, he has a bit more control over his diet than I do, but still not great. Working out? Well, I think all the yard work he does counts for something! Maybe? When we sat down and started looking at changes he could make, he realized that his vaping (that he replaced smoking cigarettes a few years ago, thinking it was a way to eventually quit) was something he could do to make a big difference in his health. 

We started chatting about why it’s time and how he could quit. While making the decision to quit might be easy, the actual quitting part is tough to do – no matter how bad it might be for you. We talked about different ways to quit and knew we needed tools to help. Like I said, there is more below the surface of quitting something than just waking up and doing it. 

In perfect universe timing, I received an email from Med-IQ inquiring if I would be interested in partnering on the topic of smoking cessation – specifically in regards to vaping. Okay universe, I hear you. 

Med-IQ is an accredited medical education company that provides an exceptional educational experience for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.

Their focus is to spread awareness around constructive ways to stop smoking or vaping. They were emailing me because I live in a state with one of the top 10 highest rates of smoking and/or vaping in the country! I emailed them back immediately (after researching Med-IQ, of course) and said that I would love to learn more because I was literally just starting a search with my husband for something just like this. 

A few weeks after agreeing to partner with them, I was able to jump on an hour long conference call with two doctors who are very educated on the topic of Tobacco, Addiction and Lifestyle. Specifically, I spoke with Jodi Prochaska, PhD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University and Hilary Tindle, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University. I was impressed on how easily they relayed big information and how approachable they made it. I was also blown away by everything they were saying. 

Mind-Blowing Facts I learned from talking with doctors about vaping

• There is a biological reason the brain of someone dependent on nicotine will benefit from smoking cessation aids. 
  • The science behind this shows that nicotine is smoked, it hits the brain within 8-10 seconds and releases the “feel good” neurochemical dopamine. It is not just the drug, but the speed at which a drug reaches the brain, that affects its addiction potential. With the patches, you aren’t getting the nicotine dose as quickly as you would inhaling smoke from a cigarette
• E-cigarettes went straight to market without regulatory review of safety and efficacy. E-cigarettes have been advertised as a safer way to get nicotine and a way to “switch” from (ie, quit) smoking tobacco cigarettes. Yet, the e-cigarette companies have not bothered to gain approval from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a therapeutic, that is, as a way to quit smoking, and they have not gained approval as a reduced harm tobacco product. Based on the current evidence, nicotine vaping or the use of e-cigarettes is not a recommended path to quitting smoking.

We also chatted about Proven ways to quit 

Research shows that smokers who use evidence-based tools to help them quit are more likely to succeed than those who do not use such tools, and that using a combination of these tools—for example, combining counseling with the use of nicotine replacement therapy, or a prescription smoking cessation medication— raises success rates even higher. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); Office of the Surgeon General (US). Washington (DC): US Department of Health and Human Services; 2020.) or ( Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General )

Keep in Mind: The FDA-approved smoking cessation aids are proven to increase a person’s chances of becoming tobacco-free.  There is a biological reason the brain of someone dependent on nicotine will benefit from smoking cessation aids. Using FDA-approved nicotine replacement products is NOT trading one addiction for another

• Reach out to your healthcare providers. Your healthcare provider typically knows your history and hopefully is someone you are comfortable talking about this with. With their knowledge, they can make sure to send you down the right path. They can offer brief counseling, prescribe cessation medications, connect you to additional resources and follow up with continued support. Pharmacists can also provide guidance about over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy.
• Call the toll-free Quitline. This is a fantastic resource. They know that quitting is a process and they are there to help you with each step of the way.  It is Free, Convenient, Safe & Secure. You can connect with a personal quitting coach today by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. All state quitlines also provide free counseling, print resources, and local referrals, and many provide access to smoking cessation medications at no cost.

• Digital quit tools — specifically those delivered via the internet and text message — have the potential to reduce smoking rates because of their proven effectiveness, broad reach, scalability and relatively low cost. By talking via text or the internet, it can take a bit of the pressure off of the conversation. It is a much more approachable format than others.  Source: Truth Initiative

Dr. Prochaska and Dr. Tindle were clear that the combination of counseling and use of smoking cessation aids like nicotine replacement therapy (patch, gum, lozenges, inhalers, or nasal spray) or prescribed smoking cessation medicines (Chantix/varenicline or Zyban/Wellbutrin/bupropion) is the best strategy. Combining counseling and medication, compared to using no quit aids, can double or even triple quit success rates.

Tips for Talking With Family Member 

Today, most people who smoke cigarettes/vape e-cigarettes know that the behavior is not good for them or for those around them, but either don’t know how to start the quitting process or may feel judged and experience shame. Most (7 in 10) report wanting to quit smoking, and about 1 in 2 make a quit attempt for a day or longer in a given year; however, only 8% in any given year are successful in quitting long-term. Smoking is a tough addiction to quit, and users commonly find themselves conflicted about quitting (“I know I should quit smoking, but…”).

The best thing you can do is be there to listen, ask open-ended questions and just let them know you’re on their side and willing to help however they need it.  

Here are a few questions you can use to start the conversation with a family member who smokes or vapes.

• What are the good things they feel like they get from smoking? 
• How else might they get these benefits without smoking (eg, exercise, meditation, activities with friends who don’t smoke)?
• What are the bad things they feel like smoking brings?
• Where else could they put the money they spend on cigarettes or vaping?
• What would they do with the time freed up from not smoking?
• Can we weigh the pros and cons of quitting?

Personally, here are our next steps…

We are in conversation, talking about what I learned on the call and taking time to listen to him. Just like anything,  it is important to really understand the “why” behind a certain behavior before you can really figure out a solution. That is where we are at, figuring out the why and the reasons he wants to quit. Our next step is to explore the Truth Initiative: Inspiring Tobacco Free Lives , Smoke Free and  How to Quit Smoking websites. We will then decide which option(s) makes the most sense. It will be a learning process, possibly trial and error at times – but, in the end, we are both fully committed to getting as healthy as we can for our three girls. They deserve it.  So proud of my husband for leading the way.

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Here is to making 2020 our healthiest year yet!

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Recommended Resources 

• How to Quit Smoking| CDC or 1-800-QUIT NOW
• Smoking & Tobacco Use | CDC
• Truth Initiative: Inspiring Tobacco Free Lives 
• Information about FDA-approved products to quit smoking
• is available here.
• Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General,
• available here.
• What You Need to Know About Quitting Smoking: ADVICE FROM THE SURGEON GENERAL
• Fact Sheet on Smoking Cessation + E-cigarettes is available here. 

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Survey 

Med-IQ is conducting an anonymous survey and would appreciate your input. The survey, which includes additional education on this topic, will take less than 10 minutes to complete. Survey responses are shared only in aggregate.  Your responses to these survey questions will provide Med-IQ with important information about your views on and experiences with smoking cigarettes and vaping e-cigarettes. Your responses will be used to identify additional opportunities to help people stop smoking and vaping and educate their healthcare providers.  

You can find the survey link here.

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