The American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout
Thursday, November 17, is the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout®, a day when smokers are encouraged to put down all tobacco products and formulate a plan to quit tobacco for good. Research shows that nearly 70% of smokers want to quit.
Today, they have more tools than ever to consider for help quitting:
• Nicotine replacement therapy
• Telephone and online based support and counseling
• Quit smoking programs and support groups
• Prescription drugs
Here is a timeline of the benefits of stopping smoking:
• 20 minutes: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
• 12 hours: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
• 2 weeks to 3 months: circulation improves and lung function increases.
• 1 to 9 months: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to clean the lungs and reduce infection.
• 1 year: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by half.
• 5 years: Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half. Stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker after 2-5 years.
• 10 years: The risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancer of the larynx (voice box) and pancreas decreases.
• 15 years: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.
For more quit tools and information, visit cancer.org/smokeout or call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345. ###