Tobacco and nicotine addiction is a disease that can be treated and cured. Smokers who want to quit but cannot do so on their own will now be served by a specialized center for the treatment of nicotine addiction at Brno University Hospital. Photo credit: Freepik
Brno, July 24 (BD) – There are over 2 million smokers in the Czech Republic, and over 15,000 people die from smoking-related diseases in the country every year, one in five of all deaths. Smokers die most from cardiovascular diseases and cancer. All clinical professions are involved in the treatment of smoking-related diseases. Statistics show that professional help is very important in quitting, as only 4% of smokers quit on their own, while sufficiently intensive, professionally-guided treatment increases the success rate up to tenfold.
“Smokers who make a serious decision to give up their addiction have a specialist to guide them through the quitting process. Their previous unsuccessful attempts can also be used as an opportunity to learn from their failures,” says Irena Opletalová, head of the Outpatient Centre for Tobacco Dependence Treatment. “Treatment at our Centre is covered by health insurance and includes psycho-behavioral intervention and pharmacological support.” The reasons why some people do not want to quit smoking include a lack of information about the negative effects of tobacco use, fear of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, or demotivation from previous unsuccessful attempts.
