Smoking cessation

Smoking is harmful to health. The main harms are cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Most people who smoke start in their teens, and some become addicted. Stopping smoking may be prompted by public policy or price rises, and while physicians have a role in lobbying for these, the main opportunity a physician has to help their patients stop smoking is during the medical consultation. Advising the patient to stop has some effect, but is more likely to be effective when combined with practical help, the best form of which is regular face-to-face meetings to support the patient combined with drugs that reduce craving. Helping a patient to stop smoking greatly reduces their risk of illness and early death.