The amounts of people smoking traditional cigarettes are declining, which is great news! However, 34.1 MILLION people still have their daily smoke in the U.S. alone. And nearly half of those people have a smoking-related disease that is currently plaguing them. Believe it or not, this puts a stress on the healthcare system and on your ability to live a pain free life if you’re a smoker.
The Cost of Smoking
An issue with this, is that addiction to cigarettes is both common and costly to Americans. In the US, the cost of smoking comes out to about $289 BILLION. $133 billion in direct medical care and another $156 billion in lost time at work. That is a staggering amount of money. More than the entire net worth of Elon Musk. If Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates put all of their money together, they could pay for the cost of smoking for ONE YEAR.
That’s a lot of Money… But What Else?
Cigarettes are responsible for a lot of chronic pain. The most closely associated issues with smoking are chronic spinal pain, which is followed by headaches. The association of these represents an increased risk of having chronic pain in comparison to non-smokers. Smoking has also been linked to different kinds of arthritis as well as carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Spinal pain risk increased by 185%
• Headache risk increased by 147%
• Trunk pain risk increased by 117%
• Limb pain risk increased by 99%
Why Though?
Smoking cigarettes causes the pain receptors in the body to get more sensitive. Not only that, but it also lowers your threshold for pain and makes you more aware of the presence of pain. Smoking is also closely associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis, drying out of the discs of the spine, drying out of the muscles, and damage to blood vessels. All of these things together make chronic pain and smoking a package deal for a lot of people. You don’t have to live in pain! Many people have quit smoking successfully and your journey can start today.
What Does Quitting Look Like?
Quitting smoking is difficult. There’s no way around it. Some people report feelings of anxiety and increases in their chronic pain for the first few days after their last cigarette. Be honest with your doctors/therapists on your want to quit smoking, and they can do a lot to help you. Some people elect to use secure messaging with a therapist to talk them through periods of high stress and cravings. My personal tip would be to get active. Exercise can provide a great outlet for all of that extra anxiety and can even help with the detox process when quitting. Take up chewing sugarfree gum or eating sunflower seeds to help with the habit of having a cigarette in your mouth. Remember you have a great network of loved ones around you that want to see you be healthy and operating at your best!
