Smoking, Tobacco & Health
Information Line
Centers for Disease Control and prevention1-800-232-1311
(24h recording) |
Cigarette smoking is
responsible for:
- Over 130,000 deaths from lung cancer in the US
- 180,000 deaths from heart disease in the US
- Over 3 million deaths worldwideEvery day, 6000 teenagers try a cigarette for the
first time. (source: Department of Health and Human Services)
Smoking is linked to:
- Lung cancer
- Heart attacks
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
- Asthma
- Ear infections
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Chronic respiratory problems |
Tips to Succesfully
Quit Smoking |
 Get support from your family and friends, or consider
joining a "quiting group"Conside nicotine
gum to progressively replace cigarettes
Ask your doctor about skin patches, that will reduce your dependence to
nicotine.
Exercise regularly. This will give you more energy and reduce your body
need for nicotine.
Ask for guidance from somebody who successfully stopped smoking, and
consider similar approach. |
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Smoking: A Deadly Addiction
But There is Hope if You Quit ! |
 Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of
preventable death in the United States, with over 300,000 deaths from resulting lung
cancer, and heart disease. |
Cigarettes' nicotine is a very addictive
drug, but once you've quit smoking, your life will be back to normal, and you will feel
better than you've ever felt in years !
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Even non-smokers are affected ! |
 Every year, secondhand smoking is estimated to kill
as many as 50,000 Americans who don't even smoke themselves ! Being around smokers and
breathing the smoke can actually be worse than smoking yourself, because it contains twice
as much tar and nicotine as smoke inhaled from a cigarette.
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| Smoking and Kids |
Parents smoking increases the risk for their kids to
get colds, ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome. It can also aggravate asthma
in children.
If you have children and you do smoke, consider quitting, or
at least don't smoke at home or around them.
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Positive Effects of Quitting Smoking |
If you stop smoking, your risk of heart
disease can reduce by half within a year of quitting, and get back to normal after fifteen
years of giving up cigarettes. You can also greatly reduce your chances of getting cancer.
To help you quit now, check the left section "Tips
to Succesfully Quit Smoking".
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| Quitting Smoking |
Once you stop smoking, you may
experience some withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, headache, fatiuge, diarrhea or
drowsiness. You may also feel more irritable or depressed. These symptoms come from your
body trying to adjust to the sudden absence of nicotine.
After a few days, these symptoms will cease, and you'll feel
better than you have ever felt in years !
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