Low awareness, few patients: smoking cessation clinics see almost no visitors in a year

　　On May 1, 2011, the "Implementation Rules for Public Place Sanitation Management" first included a smoking ban in indoor public places into regulations. Recently, the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office released a draft national smoking control regulation, once again putting smoking control on the agenda. On the 4th, reporters learned from smoking cessation clinics in some hospitals in the city that very few smokers actively seek help to quit smoking; some hospitals reported only a handful of patients in a year, and some even had zero visits.

Few people come, making smoking cessation clinics mere decorations

　　In recent years, the health department in Zaozhuang has created a "smoke-free medical and health system" throughout the city, gradually establishing smoking cessation clinics in secondary and higher medical institutions since 2010. Recently, reporters found that citizens know very little about smoking cessation clinics, and there are not many smokers visiting the clinics in several hospitals in the city; it is common to see a day go by without a single patient.

　　According to staff from the municipal health and family planning commission, smoking cessation clinics have been set up in secondary and higher medical institutions since 2010, but they are mostly affiliated with respiratory clinics. Besides being little known, the number of patients they receive is also very few. Director Ma from the respiratory department of Zaozhuang Hospital under the Zhaokang Group mentioned that the smoking cessation clinic was established at the end of 2013, and in that year, the number of people who came to the clinic was minimal, mostly for consultations, with almost no one willing to undergo treatment. Most of those who came for consultations were forced to quit smoking due to health issues caused by smoking, and very few healthy individuals voluntarily sought help to quit. Director Ma stated that many people only decide to quit smoking when they are forced to due to health problems, and very few come to the clinic voluntarily. "Overall, the public's awareness of smoking cessation still needs to be strengthened; many people still do not realize the harm of smoking to themselves and others, and do not feel that quitting smoking requires specialized treatment." During the time the smoking cessation clinic has been established, due to the lack of patients seeking treatment, the medical staff in the department mainly focus on education, advising patients and their families who are suffering from smoking-related illnesses to quit smoking.

　　The cold reception of smoking cessation clinics is also closely related to the low awareness of the public about these clinics. Reporters randomly interviewed several citizens with a smoking history on the street, and many did not know that smoking cessation clinics existed. A citizen named Wang stated that he had never heard of such a clinic in the hospital and had never thought about going to the hospital to quit smoking.

Can quitting smoking rely solely on willpower? Let's hear what the doctors say

　　A young man in his twenties admitted that he felt that smoking cessation clinics might not be effective because the addiction to nicotine cannot be easily removed; when a friend offers a cigarette, he just takes it. Many people around him are like this, making it hard to quit. The harmful component in cigarettes is tar, while nicotine is the main substance that leads to addiction.

　　According to Director Hou from the municipal second hospital, the vast majority of smokers still believe that quitting smoking is just a matter of willpower and that smoking is merely a bad habit. These outdated views on quitting smoking are directly responsible for the embarrassing situation faced by smoking cessation clinics. Director Hou explained that quitting smoking cannot rely solely on willpower; it also requires oral medications and psychological support for treatment. Most smokers do not fully understand the dangers of smoking, which also makes quitting difficult. Because the municipal second hospital is a specialized hospital, the reason why people who want to quit smoking do not come to the hospital for treatment, besides the low awareness of smoking cessation clinics, is also due to the perception that quitting smoking requires mental control, which seems like "making a big deal out of a small issue."

　　Director Ma from the respiratory department of Zaozhuang Hospital mentioned that some smokers believe that as long as their willpower is strong enough, they can quit smoking, so they try to distract themselves by eating snacks or using e-cigarettes to achieve their goal of quitting. When they fail to quit, they believe their willpower is not strong enough, and even their family members may blame them for being "unaware."