Twenty minutes after taking his or her last puff, a smoker’s blood pressure and pulse begin dropping back to normal.
Within one year after quitting, a smoker’s risk of a heart attack is decreased by 50 percent.
After 10-15 years of being smoke-free, an ex-smoker’s risk of lung cancer drops to one-half that of a smoker’s.
Ex-smokers enjoy a higher quality of life with fewer illnesses from cold and flu viruses, better self-reported health status, and reduced rates of bronchitis and pneumonia.
Food tastes better.
Sense of smell returns to normal.
Ordinary activities, such as climbing stairs or doing chores, no longer leave you out of breath.
A pack-a-day smoker will save over $1,400 in one year if not smoking. A two-pack-a-day smoker will save more than $2,800.
| Get the facts about smoking and why it's important to stop: | |
Just about everyone knows smoking is bad for you…but just how bad is it really? Here are just a few examples of the negative effects smoking has on a person’s health:
Smoking cigarettes exposes you to more than 4,000 chemicals such as ammonia (a common household cleaner) formaldehyde (embalming fluid), arsenic (found in rat poison), and carbon monoxide (a highly poisonous gas) that can cause serious medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease and emphysema.
Tobacco smoke contains 69 cancer-causing chemicals. In addition to lung cancer, smoking also is a major risk factor for cancer of the mouth, voice box (larynx), bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, stomach, and some leukemias.
Smoking causes serious respiratory diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis for up to 20% of smokers.
Smoking is a leading cause of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.
Altogether, smoking kills more than 400,000 people in the U.S. each year-it's the nation's leading preventable cause of death. That's one death every 72 seconds - all day, every day.
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Print out this pledge card, sign it, and ask the smoker whom you want to quit to do the same. Then, put it on your refrigerator, a bulletin board, or somewhere where you both can see it and be reminded of your promise.
I, _____________, promise to try my best to quitting smoking, starting on ______________.
I, ____________, promise to do whatever I can to help _________through [his/her] quit attempt.