Huffington Post reports..14.4 Million Smokers will attempt to quit in 2017

Repost from Pfizer Inc.

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the number of adult
smokers has dropped below 40 million for the first time in 50 years, and there are now more
former smokers than current smokers. This corresponds with the record low rate in the United
States with just 15.1 percent of the population smoking, the lowest it has been since tracking
started in 1965. This could lead to the misconception that smoking is no longer a health
problem in the U.S. The fact is, there are still approximately 36 million smokers in the United
States and 68 percent of all smokers say they want to quit, and 40 percent will make an attempt
to quit this year.

What’s misleading about the yin and yang of this data is the false narrative that quitting smoking
is easy. That’s because smoking is a complex addiction with physical, mental and social
components, and it can take the average smoker multiple tries before they quit smoking. In fact,
only 4 to 7 percent of those who try to quit “cold turkey” are smokefree for up to one year. But
people who seek the advice and support of a healthcare provider, including medication and
counseling, can double their chances of quitting smoking.

On this year’s World No Tobacco Day, held annually on May 31st, Dr. Albert Rizzo, Senior
Medical Advisor to the American Lung Association; Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, Chief Medical Officer
and Executive Vice President at Pfizer; and Wendell McMillan, a clinical laboratory scientist,
Freedom From Smoking facilitator and former smoker, logged on to Facebook Live to bust
some of the myths surrounding smoking cessation in the United States and clear the air.

Here are some tips to help those who want to quit smoking:
Live on World No Tobacco Day
Posted by Pfizer
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Debunking Smoking Myths | HuffPost http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/debunking-smoking-myth...
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