November 15, 2008
American Cancer Society marks 33rd Great American Smokeout
The best time to quit smoking is now!
Thursday, November 20, is the Great American Smokeout. This was inaugurated in 1976 to inspire and encourage smokers to quit for one day. Now, 44.2 percent of the 45.3 million Americans who smoke have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year, and the Great American Smokeout remains a great opportunity for you to commit to making a long-term plan to quit tobacco for good.
Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Each year, smoking accounts for an estimated 438,000 premature deaths, including 38,000 deaths among non-smokers as a result of second-hand smoke. Half of all Americans who smoke will die from smoking related diseases.
If you want to stop using tobacco, call the Alaska Quitline at 1-888-842-7848, they offer free patches for anyone who wants to stop using tobacco. You can also call the American Cancer Society Quitline at 1-800-227-2345. You will be able to speak with a trained counselor and receive free, confidential counseling. Or you can call YKHC Nicotine Control & Research at 1-800-478-3321 extension 6312.
Wonderful things happen when a person stops smoking, and it is never too late to stop. See the following listing of improvements to your health when you quit...
When Smokers Quit-Benefits of Quitting Over Time
20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification, Mahmud, A, Feely, J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.)
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1988, p. 202)
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323)
1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164,166)
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's.
(US Surgeon General's Report, 1990, p. vi)
