Stopping the use of tobacco products is one of the best things you can do for your health! All forms of tobacco are dangerous and have devastating health consequences.
Benefits of Quitting Smoking
According to the American Lung Association, when smokers quit, within twenty minutes of smoking that last cigarette the body begins a series of changes.
At 20 minutes after quitting:
- Blood pressure decreases
- Pulse rate drops
- Body temperature of hands and feet increases
At 8 hours:
- Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
- Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
- Chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
- Nerve endings start re-growing
- Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
At 2 weeks to 3 months:
- Circulation improves
- Walking becomes easier
- Lung function increases
At 1 to 9 months:
- Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
At 1 year:
- Excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
At 5 years:
- From 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years:
- Risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
- Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
- Risk of ulcer decreases
At 15 years:
- Risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
- Risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked.
Try the 5 D’s to get through the tough times:
1. Delay: The craving will eventually go away.
2. Deep breath: Take a few calming deep breaths.
3. Drink water: It will flush out the chemicals.
4. Do something else: Find a new habit.
5. Discuss: Talk about your thoughts and feelings.
Make a list with describing why you want to quit. Refer back to this list when you’re tempted. Reward yourself when you quit. Plan something special for yourself. For example, with all the money you’ve saved from quitting smoking, buy yourself some new CDs.Anatomy of a CigaretteHere are just a few chemicals in cigarettes: There are more than 4,000 substances found in cigarettes! Do you really want these chemicals poisoning your body???
FREQUENTLY FOUND IN
|Carbon Monoxide, a poisonous gas||Car exhausts|
|Arsenic||White ant poison|
|Hydrogen Cyanide||Poison used in gas chambers|
|Formaldehyde||Preservative for dead bodies|
|Hydrazine||Rocket fuel & jet engines|
|Vinyl Chloride||PVC pipes|
|Nitric Acid||Fertilizers, explosives, & dyes|
- For information about our 2019 smoking cessation programs, Tobacco-Free LLHD, please contact Carolyn Wilson at 860-446-3062 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
- The State of Connecticut Department of Public Health provides free information and cessation support on their Connecticut QuitLine. Call 1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669) to talk with a professionally trained Quit Coach. The QuitLine is open seven days a week from 8 AM to Midnight.
- For more information about Tobacco Cessation, visit: