The United States has been so good at quitting smoking that the smoking rate has reached an all-time low.

But that rate, 14 percent of adults, still accounts for more than 34 million people.

That’s not good enough.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cigarettes cause more than 480,000 deaths, including 41,000 from secondhand smoke, each year in the U.S. If you smoke, you’re likely to live, on average, 10 years less than nonsmokers.

Smoking causes:

  • Cancer.
  • Heart disease.
  • Stroke.
  • Lung disease.
  • Diabetes.
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

It also increases your risk of tuberculosis, some eye diseases and immune-system problems like rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, punctuated a recent report with data from a 2015 national health survey that found 40 percent of adult cigarette smokers who visited a health professional in the past year were not advised to quit.

Hartford HealthCare knows the health risks associated with cigarette smoking. Close to 16 million Americans suffer from cancer, heart diseases and other smoking-related conditions. That’s why Hartford HealthCare holds regular smoking cessation classes and programs throughout the state. (The latest class, Feb. 27 in Hartford, features Dr. Eric Walsh, medical director of Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care. See below for more information.)

Connecticut smokers want to quit, too. About 58 percent of daily adult smokers in the state quit smoking for one or more days in 2017, according to the CDC. The nicotine in cigarettes is so addictive that cold-turkey attempts to quit usually fail. It takes a strong cessation program, the right medication and support from family and friends.

Ask your doctor about the medications that can help you quit smoking. Three types are approved by the Food and Drug Administration: nicotine-replacement therapies, Zyban (bupropion) and Chantix (varenicline). The replacement therapies are available with an inhaler, nasal spray, patch, gum or lozenge.

If medications fail, your doctor might recommend an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), such as e-cigarettes, as an alternative treatment.

“I have had success with patients who want to pursue this method of quitting smoking,” says Dr. J. Craig Allen, medical director of Rushford. “However, it’s important to work with a healthcare provider. ENDS products, if not used correctly, may only exacerbate a nicotine addiction. Statistics show that more than 60 percent of adults who use ENDs to stop smoking continue to use tobacco cigarettes and the e-cigarette or Juul.”

Join Dr. Eric Walsh, medical director of Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care, for “No Butts: How to Stop Smoking for Good,” an information session about smoking cessation Feb. 27 f rom 6 to 7:30 pm at the Hartford Hospital Education and Resource Center. To register, click here or call 1.855.HHC.HERE (1.855.442.4373).