Welcome to Dr. Warrick's podcast channel. Warrick is a practicing cardiologist and author with a passion for improving care by helping patients understand their heart health through education. Warrick believes educated patients get the best health care. Discover and understand the latest approaches and technology in heart care and how this might apply to you or someone you love. My name is Dr Warrick Bishop and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast station. I'd also like to welcome you to the Healthy Heart Network. Today I'd like to talk about smoking and some of the challenges smoking brings with it. There's no question we know about the health issues associated. In my own practice, I, of course, see patients who smoke and when I'm dealing with them, I will ask them if they're comfortable for me to speak to that as an issue. I find that that's respectful and it allows them the choice to say no if they really don't want to talk about it. If the patient says to me that they're happy for me to address smoking, speak with them about it I'll say to them look I know you're an adult and it's not my business to tell you how to run your life and so what I'd like to do is share with you my experiences from this side of the desk because I know you won't have seen them and then I'll let you think about making your own choices what I share with my patients is that from where I sit I've seen a lot of regret related to cigarette smoking. I've seen people who've had heart attacks who quit at the click of a finger after they've had an event. I've seen people who've had strokes quit. I've seen people who've been diagnosed with lung cancer stop immediately, when for years leading up to that, they always had an excuse. it was always something they would do soon. It was their next New Year's resolution. The reason I think that's so sad is that it makes me realise that it takes a fundamental fear or scare or change for these people to alter their behaviour. What is most distressing is that these individuals who have suffered a major problem from smoking realise then that it's time to give up. If only they'd done it 15 or 20 years or 30 years earlier, then they wouldn't be sitting in my office. What's become really important to me as an observer is that for individuals to give up cigarettes, they need... a more important reason for their next, when their next cigarette option arrives, they need a more important reason than to have another cigarette. That's pretty clear cut if you've just had a heart attack and you realise your life has been threatened. Your choice is between increasing your risk of a heart attack again, which you now know what it's like, or having another cigarette. And it's pretty easy to make that choice. Sometimes the choice isn't as clear-cut and you have to find what works for you. I often tell a story to my patients about a patient I had for years. In fact, he was a pretty rusty old fellow and we'd really agreed to agree that he was going to be a lifelong committed smoker. I'd sort of given up on... trying to encourage him to change because he had, as an adult, made a decision that smoking was such an important part of his life that that's what he was going to do really forevermore. Unbelievably, though, he turned up one day and he had stopped smoking. I couldn't believe it. This fellow in his mid-70s who was... really quite recalcitrant in previous times about smoking, had just given up. Well, of course, I asked him what was going on and what led to the change, because I know that he hadn't had a heart attack or a stroke. I was looking after him in that area. Well, what he said to me was, Doc, you know what? My grandson sat on my lap and said, Grandpa, you stink. He was able. to throw the cigarettes away, straight away. His more important reason than his next cigarette was his grandson. So smoking is a real challenge for those who have taken it up. It's a battle to give it up. For those who suffer from it, it really has been a curse in their lives. For those who want to avoid suffering, finding a way to give up. is really central and it's important that we support those people. Recently, I posted an article on my Facebook page and that article was letting people know from recent research that if you smoke as few as five cigarettes a day, you're more than doubling your risk of heart attack and other major complications. So pretty significant reminder that just having a few really isn't that good for you anyway. I had someone on my page, my Know Your Real Risk of Heart Attack page, respond to that and share their own story, their own journey with cigarette smoking. And what I'm going to do, with their permission, is share what they wrote. I dropped them a note and said, do you mind if I share? And this is the reply. Dr Bishop, you are most welcome to read my experience on your podcast. Failing the governments of the world banning cigarettes, or they would see a lot quitting, anything that helps others achieve the goal of being released from the chains of smoking is great. For a long time I've listened to the various tips to help cope with cravings, and oh boy, they can be so strong. Like... have a drink of water, go for a walk, eat an apple, ring a friend. They are all conceived by people who don't and who have never smoked. None of those things work for a diehard addict. Nearly everyone I've ever known who has tried to quit cold turkey has said the saying, knowing your own triggers is vital. Sometimes it's just too hard and you need medical help. I did. Whatever works, I say, I know it's very hard for people with no experience of addiction and they will say unaware things like, why can't you just stop when you know it's so bad for you? You must have no willpower. I don't know why you do it. It's a disgusting habit. To a smoker, it's heaven with the shadow of possible death that you push back. To the back of your mind. Knowing your kids worry their mum will die. The guilt. Ah! I have been a social worker for many years. Just now retired from that. Case management and child protection. A very stressful job. And much of my work was dealing with the drug abuse issues of the parents who had lost the care of their children. helping and encouraging them to get clean, but I always treated them with compassion and empathy, knowing that, thereby, for the grace of God, go I. It was tough love too. Random urine analysis. Phone call. Test. Three-month hair analysis. The courts needed full assurance that drug use was no longer going to impact on their ability to care for their kids. Of course, there was always a myriad of... intersecting issues, but drug use was central to all of them, like a spider in a web. Some addicts I knew were good folk, in fact, all just ordinary folk whose anger, pain and despair had sent them down a wobbly road. Addiction doesn't make a person evil, but it does make their life sad, chaotic. Luckily, my addiction to cigarettes didn't cause misery and despair or the loss of my children's care. and it was legal, but no less devastating to my health and finances. Forgive my rambling. I don't lecture others. I only ramble in print. So yes, Dr Warrick, please feel free. If you feel it may help even only one person share my experiences, I would be happy. Could you please send me a link to this podcast? So I hope this member of my Facebook group has got that link. And this is what they said in response to the post I put on my Facebook page. My mind is finally seeing the light after many attempts over the years. I just couldn't see me giving up my ultimate comfort, but I knew financially and health-wise that I had to try. I'm using Champex for the second time and weathering them. brief nausea that comes a few minutes after each morning and evening pill despite the large glass of water the instructions say to take with it. On weekends I get up, eat some breakfast, take the pill and go back to bed to wait out the half hour of nausea or get up really early on weekdays to do the same and sleep a bit more. At night time I take it with some food, toast, leftover from dinners etc. as I'm going to bed and lay in bed and read a good book till the nausea passes and I can sleep. It goes more. It goes quite quickly. It has now been three months and a while since and it's not been easy and I've had moments of missing my favourite bad habit. They pass and the day ends with me being just fine without them and I can mark another day on my calendar. I couldn't even imagine how I would cope with stress without them, but I find I can. The plus side is huge, apart from feeling better, not smelling of smoke, being able to hug my grandchildren without feeling self-conscious. I can now taste food properly again. I can smell, sense, and cooking smells again. Both these senses diminish over time, and as you age, so I want to still enjoy them while I can. But last but not least, given I've bought a packet of 25 cigarettes every three days, and that is apparently a light smoker at an average of seven a day, at approximately $37 to $42 a packet, that's $370 a month, and over three months, drumroll, the money I've saved, i.e. not spent on cigarettes, up to now, is $1,100 and by the end of 12 months it will be nearly $5,000. So I wish I had done this sooner. A tip I've worked out for myself. Look at your individual triggers. For me it was drinking coffee so I switched for the time being to tea and only had coffee in a cafe where you can't smoke. On the phone chatting to a friend. I put my phone on speaker and sort out washing or start to prepare ingredients for dinner. The trick is to keep your hands busy so you could knit, for instance. I don't knit, unfortunately. Limit areas where you can smoke at home. Not in-house ever for me, but some people still do and their house stinks. My kids never wanted to go to their aunt's house because her house reeked of cigarettes. But even if you do, only smoke outside, select a spot with minimal comfort. Make yourself stand. Don't sit. Don't take your social media, i.e. leave your phone inside. Next thing you know, the endorphin hit from your cruising social media will see you lighting up again and again before you come inside again. I also didn't get rid of my last packet. Why? because the time I tried before I had done that, and every time I went to the shops, I would think, I shall just get a small packet, just one here and there. Won't hurt, surely, my inner addict talking. So I have a packet. It's stale, and I know it is there if I truly, truly want to blow my success so far. But I know I don't, as I know too well that... One leads to two, and the next thing you know, you're a full-blown smoker again. When I get those psychological cravings, because I'm not physically addicted anymore, I tell myself, if you still want one in an hour, you can if you really have to. And the hour, two hours, three passes, and I've forgotten all about it. That proves to me I can be around cigarettes and still be okay. A bit like a sober, recovering alcoholic, learning to be around drinkers on social occasions. I hope some of this helps someone in this site give it a go. You might think your smokers are your lifeline. I did too. I could manage just about anything as long as I had my smokes. I proved to myself that that was a myth. My addict brain talking. You can cut out your body's dialogue and send your nicotine receptors packing. I imagine them as little black M&Ms jumping up and down, waving their hands, crying at me. We need you to smoke. They are getting weaker and weaker, day by day, till soon they will be totally silent and leave me in peace. I wanted to share that because I think... The journey for people giving up is so important and such a substantial one. And for this individual on my page to share like that and perhaps give you some strength and opportunity is worth everything. So today, I hope you've enjoyed this podcast. I hope if you're a smoker, it's given you some encouragement. If you're not a smoker, I hope it's given you some insight. If you have any questions, please as always, drop me a line. If you have any suggestions for any future podcasts, please let me know. And until next time, of course, I wish you the very best health. Take care and goodbye. You have been listening to another podcast from Dr. Warrick. Visit his website at drWarrickbishop.com for the latest news on heart disease. If you love this podcast, feel free to leave us a review.
