03/29/2024
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By: Erin Smith

Thursday marks the Great American Smokeout—a time when every smoker is encouraged to give up smoking for one day. The event is sponsored by the American Cancer Society and was begun in the 1970s when smoking was prevalent in all buildings and public spaces and exposure to secondhand smoke was common.

The Great American Smokeout is designed to encourage smokers to explore various programs and methods to give up the habit of smoking tobacco products.

According to the American Cancer Society, almost one-half of those who smoke will die from some type of smoking-related illness. In the United States, tobacco-related health care costs reached $133 billion for the period 2000-2012. To learn more view the Cost of Smoking

According to the American Cancer Society, 42 million Americans still smoke and as of 2013 there were 12.4 million folks who still smoke cigars and 2.3 million who still smoke a pipe.

One tool that is available to assist those who want to quit smoking is an app that you can download to your iPhone or Android phone. The app is called “Quit for Life” and it offers support for those who are trying to quit smoking. The app is free and is designed to help smokers quit and stay smoke free for life by encouraging smokers to set a date to become smoke free and helping them to track their progress. They can also use products like vapes & salts e-juice or patches to help quit.

The health benefits of giving up smoking include a drop in heart rate and blood pressure; a decrease in carbon monoxide in the blood; within two to three weeks your circulation and lung function improve; within one to nine months coughing and shortness of breath decrease; within one year the increased risk of heart disease is cut in half; within five years the risks of certain cancers are decreased; within 10 years the risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half and within 15 years the risk of heart disease is the same as that of a nonsmoker. If this doesn’t make you want to give up smoking, I don’t know what will. With there being many routes you can look into, like using the Mighty vaporizer or even trying out something as simple as nicotine gum, this will hopefully get you on the right track to giving up smoking. You many think that this will be difficult, but you won’t know if you don’t try. As this is a way to improve your health, I don’t see why anyone would opt out of making a change.

The American Cancer Society has programs available that can help smokers who are seeking ways to give up smoking. Whether it be using vaping products like the ones you can find on https://www.pure-eliquids.com/nic-salts/, nicotine patches or chewing gum, or therapy to help you in the transition, you will definitely be able to find a way that will support you best. If you would like further information on stopping smoking, you can call 1.800.227.2345 or visit cancer.org/smokeout.

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