ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire)– November 18th it’s the great American smoke out. The day thousands of people will try to give up cigarettes for good. Seventy percent of those who smoke want to stop and each year, about 1.3 million people do kick the habit. But what if you’ve been smoking for ten to 20 or even 30 years, does quitting even make a difference to the damage that’s been done?
How can you quit this smoking?
According to https://smokefree.gov/, smoking impacts every organ in your body and it’s never too late to reverse the damage that’s been done. Here’s what https://www.quit.com/ says you can expect: after six hours of quitting, your heart rate slows, and your blood pressure becomes more stable. After one day, your body is almost nicotine free. But it takes 2 weeks to rewire your brain to not crave nicotine. Within 24 hours, your risk of heart attack decreases as your blood becomes thinner and less likely to clot. After three to six months, your lungs will start to function better. In two to five years your risk of heart disease will lessen, and in ten to 15 years the risk of lung cancer, heart attack or stroke will be similar to someone who has never smoked. So do your body good and quit for good! I’
Forty percent of people who have been successful quitting attribute it to a strong cessation program. A few first steps include replacing nicotine with patches or gum. Even the act of leaving your hands idle can cause you to want to smoke, get up and move around to curb initial cravings. Avoid triggers by changing your routine, don’t participate in old activities that would allow you to smoke. If you or a loved one needs help quitting, call the helpline at 1-800-quit-now.
Source:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/What-to-expect-when-you-quit-smoking
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/quit-smoking/quitline/index.html
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Danielle Gober, Producer; Robert Walko, Videographer and Editor.
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