Don’t Forget About November 20th
Posted by preparedcitizens on November 14, 2008
I know, I can be an awful nag.
Six days until the Great American Smokeout
Quitting smoking really can be difficult. I know how hard it is. I truly do. But I also know how great the health benefits are.
I was a smoker and I do empathize. I do understand. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t say a word.
I do care.
I also know what it feels like to have an asthma attack. For a while I had a reactive sort of asthma. When I would get a bad cold or the flu I had asthma symptoms and had to use a nebulizer. Thankfully, it is under control now. Losing weight helped too.
The point is, even though quitting smoking is hard to do, the effort is worth it.
And I cannot promise that I won’t mention this again….
This is from the CDC:
Smoking and Influenza
If you are thinking about quitting smoking – today is the time to take the appropriate steps to do so.
- Some research studies show an increase in influenza infections among smokers compared to nonsmokers.
- There is a higher mortality rate for smokers than nonsmokers from influenza
Additional respiratory health consequences:
- Smoking is related to chronic coughing and wheezing among adults and children and chronic bronchitis and emphysema among adults.
- Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to have upper and lower respiratory tract infections, perhaps because smoking suppresses immune function.
Within 20 minutes after you smoke that last cigarette, your body begins a series of positive changes that continue for years.
Smoking Cessation:
- Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and reducing the health of smokers. Quitting smoking has immediate, as well as long-term health benefits.
- Individual, group, or telephone counseling by trained health professionals increases the chances of successful quitting. Nicotine replacement products and certain other medications also increase the chance that people can successfully quit.
To successfully quit smoking, you should take the following steps:
- See your doctor, call a telephone quitline, or join a group program to learn new skills and behaviors to deal with situations when you want to smoke.
- Get ready and set a quit date.
- Get support and encouragement from family and friends.
- Get medication and use it correctly.
For information on how you can quit smoking visit the following web sites and resources below:
- Online Guide to Quitting Smoking at http://www.smokefree.gov/
- Locate a Quitline in your State and Speak to Smoking Cessation Counselor at http://www.smokefree.gov/usmap.html
Additional Information on How to Quit Smoking at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm
Joey said
Countless Americans stopped smoking for the Great American Smokeout yesterday. But it’s important to remember that the average smoker quits 7-10 times, so the challenge is not only in quitting originally, but in making sure that you continue to live your life smoke-free. This year there’s a new idea to help smokers stay quit after the official Smokeout. Its called Quit and Stay Quit Monday – smokers who make the decision to quit smoking on the Great American Smokeout can reaffirm their commitment to staying tobacco free on the following Monday and each Monday after that. Each week is an opportunity for you to celebrate your progress or recommit to improving your health and well-being. Check out http://www.healthymonday.org/stayquit for more info.