Dr. Rabih Bechara, MD, is a pulmonologist at the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care for the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. He has a message for Georgians coming up on New Year’s Eve: Make 2023 the year you quit smoking.
“Nearly 16% of people still smoke in the State of Georgia,” he said, representing a decline from historical numbers, but still good for #24 in the national ranking of states’ smoking rates.
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in disease across the country, with smoking-related cancer and chronic lung conditions ranking in the top 10 causes of death in Georgia.
The American Lung Association, of which Dr. Bechara is a member, urges all Americans to take a look at their own habits and see how to make 2023 a smoke-free year.
WSB anchor/reporter Sabrina Cupit contributed to reporting for this story.
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