By Amy Newcomb
GUIDON staff
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Often referred to as a habit, sometimes called a vice, and known to be an addiction, tobacco use is higher among active-duty military personnel than the general population by 11 percent, according to a 2005 survey by the American Lung Association.

Until 1975, cigarettes were included in C-rations, and tobacco use was considered the norm for military personnel to take a break with. Even now, tobacco use is more socially acceptable within the military than it is in civilian culture, according to usmedicine.com.

So, how does the military effectively combat tobacco use and help promote a smoke-free military? Smoking cessation.

Leslie Teague, a General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital pharmacist, has been training for her certification as a tobacco treatment specialist and assists people with smoking cessation options.

Teague said people should consider smoking cessation because of the severity of the health risks associated with tobacco use.

“One out of every five people in the United States will die from smoking — either lung cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, throat cancer, there are types of emphysema, (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), (or) asthma,”  Teague said.

The nicotine in a cigarette or in smokeless tobacco products are not what makes these things harmful; it’s the chemicals — cancer-causing carcinogenic compounds and other toxins within them that make them so deadly, Teague said.

“If you smoke a cigarette, the nicotine and all the bad things go to your heart, lungs and brain in five to 10 seconds,” Teague said. “That’s fast.”

Teague said the best way to combat a smoking addiction is to go through the entire process of the smoking cessation program offered by GLWACH.

Individuals who opt for the smoking cessation program attend four classes, which discuss preparation in becoming tobacco-free, having a plan to stay tobacco-free, discussing individual triggers associated with a tobacco habit and more. Products that help individuals quit smoking are also an option.

“We can give you Zyban, which is the smoking pill, and we have nicotine replacement products like patches, gums and lozenges,” Teague said.

One product that Teague discourages as a smoking cessation tool is the E-cigarette.

“They are not FDA approved, so you can’t be sure of what is actually in there. There is supposed to be water vapor, but the FDA has started initial studies and they have found things that are found in cigarettes, like formaldehyde and antifreeze — things that are carcinogenic,” Teague said.

To make an appointment to attend the smoking cessation program, individuals can either go through their primary care manager or contact Mary Stevens, community health resource center, at 596.0491.