A great day to quit smoking

By Staff Reports

Any day is a good day to quit smoking. But today, the day of the 33rd annual Great American Smokeout, is a better day than most.

The challenge for smokers is to try to go one day without tobacco. That one triumph could lead to many more tobacco-free days. And, if those who quit for a few days are both lucky and determined, they may quit for the rest of their lives.

Experts assure us that "the rest of their lives" for those who do quit could be significantly longer and of better quality than for those who don't. In fact, the health benefits of quitting begin within minutes of stubbing out that last smoke.

Within 20 minutes, blood pressure drops to nearly normal levels. Within eight hours, carbon monoxide levels in the blood drop to normal. Chances of a heart attack decrease within a day, and the senses of taste and smell improve in two to three days.

In the first year after quitting, circulation and lung function improve; coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decease, and the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's. If you quit for a year, the desire for a cigarette will have decreased significantly as the addiction to nicotine eases.

Part of the beauty of the Great American Smokeout is that misery loves company. If you decide to quit for the day, you'll have plenty of company, most of it miserable.

More importantly, however, you'll have help if you need it. Call the American Cancer Society's toll-free Quitline at 1-800-227-2345, and trained counselors will offer free, confidential advice. Studies indicate that using the Quitline can double your chances of quitting.

According to the American Cancer Society, smoking accounts for an estimated 438,000 premature deaths in this country every year, including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers resulting from secondhand smoke. Half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from smoking-related diseases.

Even if you have tried unsuccessfully to quit before, keep trying. And if you try today, you'll have a big support group to cheer you on.

Go ahead -- the only thing you have to lose is that cough, those smelly clothes, the expense of cigarettes, the nagging from family and friends... Well, you know. Good luck. We hope you succeed.