The Great American Smokeout

If at first you don’t succeed…try another way!• Acupuncture• Cold Turkey• Gum (with or without nicotine)• The Patch• Exercise• Help from Family and Friends• Lollipops, fireballs, root beer barrels, etc.• Decide on something you want and buy it for

yourself with the money you save!• Invent your own way

Some Facts to consider:

• Smoking-related diseases claim approximately 430,700 American Lives each year.

• Smoking costs the US approx. 97.2 billion each year.

• Smoking is directly responsible for 87% of lung cancer cases and most emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Stats provided by the American Lung Association

A Healthy Lung

A Lung With Lung

Cancer

A Lung with

Emphysema

How far does a dollar go?

At $3.25 per pack, if you smoke 2 packs a week for your four years of college you will have spent $1,352 on cigarettes.

What else could that money buy?DVD player

All 4 years of your cell phone calling plan

and

50 dominoes pizzas

and

and20 Compact Discs!

Breaking down the benefits by the hour…

• After 20 minutes Blood pressure and pulse are normalized, blood circulation increases.

• After 8 hours The level of carbon monoxide in

the blood falls. Improved fitness. • After 48 hours

Carbon monoxide due to tobacco smoke has disappeared completely.

and by the day…

• After 2-3 days

Less or no phlegm in the throat, fewer breathing difficulties. • After 5-7 days

Your senses of taste and smell will improve, your breath is fresher, your teeth cleaner and your energy level higher.

• After 2-3 weeks The withdrawal symptoms will stop, and you can now go several hours without thinking about smoking. Your risk of thrombosis is reduced.

• After 4 weeks Coughing, blocked sinuses and breathing difficulties should disappear. Less fatigue. More energy. The lungs are better able to resist infection.

….and it just keeps on going,• After 2-3 months

The function of the lungs improves by 5 per cent. • After 1 year

The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases is halved.

• After 2-3 years The risk of developing severe pneumonia or influenza is the same as for a non-smoker.

• After 5 years The risk of lung, throat, esophageal or bladder cancer is halved.

And going!!!

• After 5-10 years The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or thrombosis is basically the same as for a non-smoker.

• After 10 years The risk of lung cancer is halved. The risk of developing osteoporosis decreases.

• After 15-20 years The risk of lung, throat, esophageal or bladder cancer is basically the same as for a non-smoker. Heavy smokers, however, face double the risk of lung cancer for the rest of their lives.

If you still aren’t convinced, consider this…

• Every Cigarette shortens your life by 14 minutes

• 1 in 5 smokers dies of lung cancer.• You increase your risk of getting: Lung cancer,

emphysema, mouth cancer, asthma, infertility and heart problems (and more).

• Smokers wounds heal slower.• Smoking increases your risk of glaucoma and

blindness.