Smoked: Why You Should Quit

Why Quit?

Regardless of age and longevity of your habit, quitting will help you live longer. Ex-smokers enjoy a higher quality of life with less illnesses, better self-reported health, and reduced rates of bronchitis and pneumonia. For years, the US Surgeon General has reported the risks linked to smoking. In 1990, the Surgeon General concluded that quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. Former smokers live longer/healthier lives than people who smoke. Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease. Damage to skin from prolonged smoking is reduced. Women who quit before a pregnancy reduce their risk of having a premature child to that of women who never smoked.

The information below was taken directly from the American Cancer Society's Guide to Quitting Smoking and is considered a reputable source among doctors and industry professionals alike.

20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

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.
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
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.
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's. The American Cancer Society is the formost

Credible Communicator Source (Message # 5)

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Guide_for_Quitting_Smoking.asp

Posted by Melissa Carnrick