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Smoking cessation classes to be offered by Himanshu P. P. Upadhyaya, M.D.  Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences The MUSC Wellness Wednesday program will focus on World No Tobacco Day with Christine Horne from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 31 in the Children’s Hospital lobby. The session will offer information pertaining to smoking cessation programs.   It’s expensive, and many places of business, work, and recreation are beginning to ban it. Cigarette smoking has been described as the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Tobacco is related to more than 400,000 deaths annually and is the leading cause of death in South Carolina.   Unfortunately, most regular smokers try to quit on their own with no support and many will relapse to smoking. However, strategies to increase the chances of quitting have been proven. A variety of effective treatments are now available including nicotine replacement therapy (e.g., nicotine patch, gum, lozenge), Zyban, nortryptyline, clonidine etc. All of these work best in combination with smoking cessation counseling and/or behavior therapy. Most smokers will require three to seven attempts before they can finally quit smoking. Hence, in the event of a lapse or relapse to smoking, individuals should not loose hope and should try quitting again. Most insurance companies do not pay for smoking cessation treatment, which is a barrier for many individuals seeking help.   A group of MUSC researchers from the clinical neuroscience division within the psychiatry department has been conducting treatment and non-treatment studies in adolescent and young adult smokers to find out mechanisms involved in nicotine dependence and better treatments for adolescents and young adults. They currently offer smoking cessation treatment at no cost for adolescents and young adults aged 12-21, as well as women between 18-40 years of age.   More information about smoking cessation programs at MUSC can be found at http://www.musc.edu/asap, or call 792-2388. In addition, one member of this group directs a weekly smoking cessation meeting in the Department of Psychiatry (call 792-1414 for details). Another resource is the State of South Carolina quit line for information and support on smoking cessation (877-448-7848).   About a quarter of adults in the United States currently are smokers. Smoking is responsible for 20 percent of all deaths in America. Forty-five percent of smokers eventually will die of a tobacco-induced disorder.   Premature mortality due to cigarette smoking is estimated to cause a loss of around 15 years for the average smoker. Smoking causes a number of illnesses including lung, oral, and other cancers, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, peptic ulcers, gastrointestinal disorders, maternal/fetal complications and other disorders.   Nearly $90 billion is spent annually on tobacco-associated health care costs.  Unfortunately, cigarettes are among the most addictive substances known. Particularly, tobacco use among adolescents is an area of considerable public health concern. Even though the rates of smoking have declined recently, about 15 percent of high-school seniors smoke daily, more than 4 million adolescents in the United States are smokers. An estimated 3,000 adolescents start to smoke every day. A majority of adolescent smokers claim they want to quit and would not have started smoking if they could choose again. Surveys indicate that up to 70 percent of adolescents try cigarettes and one-third of all adolescents smoke. Also, tobacco is often one of the first drugs tried by individuals who later use illicit drugs, and 80 percent of adult smokers become addicted to tobacco by age 18. Hence, nicotine use is common and in addition can lead to more serious drug abuse, morbidity, and premature mortality. It is clear that cigarette smoking prevention and treatment efforts need to begin in adolescence. In addition, besides the cost savings, there is evidence that smoking cessation is linked to improved health and reduced risk of cancer. Other smoking programs include: Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (Pharmacy Services). Contact Chris Fortier, PharmD, 792-7354 Hollings Cancer Center (8-10 sessions). Contact Cindy Carter, Ph.D., 792-9192 Free and Clear Quit for Life for employees with standard state Blue Cross Blue Shield (free telephonic counseling). Call 1-866-quit4life Great Expectations for employees with BlueChoice Health Plan ($15). Call 1-800-327-3183 Ext. 25541 Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health First. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA, and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.   Friday, May 26, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island papers at 849-1778, ext. 201.