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Live your life Tobacco-Free...
Make the right choices for a healthier future...
Anti-smoking is the way to go!
Life seems to be stressful these days, is it not? Time is money and money is time! What seems to be the biggest stress reliever in the corporate world? Smoking! While it may decrease your stress level, it definitely increases your chances of an unhealthier lifestyle.
Facts on the Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking:
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Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in women and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in men. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with people who never smoked. |
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Smoking causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, cervix, kidney, lung, pancreas, and stomach, and causes acute myeloid leukemia. |
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Rates of cancers related to cigarette smoking vary widely among members of racial/ethnic groups, but are generally highest in African-American men. |
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Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body; causing many diseases and reducing the health of smokers in general. |
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The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 438,000 deaths, or nearly 1 of every 5 deaths, each year in the United States. |
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More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. |
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Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smokers are 2-4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers. |
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Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke. |
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Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease. |
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Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm. |
 If these facts are not enough, let's take a look at some effects of second-hand smoking on our loved ones.
Second-hand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke, is a complex mixture of gases and particles that includes smoke from the burning cigarette, cigar or pipe tip (side stream smoke) and exhaled mainstream smoke. It contains at least 250 chemicals known to be toxic, including more than 50 that can cause cancer!
Health Effects of Second-hand Smoke Exposure
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Second-hand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults. |
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Nonsmokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke at home or work increase their heart disease risk by 25–30% and their lung cancer risk by 20–30%. |
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Breathing second-hand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the cardiovascular system that can increase the risk of heart attack. People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk. |
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Second-hand smoke exposure causes respiratory symptoms in children and slows their lung growth. |
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Second-hand smoke causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more frequent and severe asthma attacks in children. |
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There is no risk-free level of second-hand smoke exposure. Even brief exposure can be dangerous. |
 Current Estimates of Second-hand Smoke Exposure
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Almost 60% of U.S. children aged 3-11 years-or almost 22 million children-are exposed to second-hand smoke. |
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About 25% of children aged 3-11 years live with at least one smoker, compared to only about 7% of nonsmoking adults. |
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The California Environmental Protection Agency estimates that second-hand smoke exposure causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths annually among adult nonsmokers in the United States. |
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Each year in the United States, second-hand smoke exposure is responsible for 150,000-300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia in children aged less than 18 months. This results in 7,500-15,000 hospitalizations, annually. |
Make the right choice and choose a smoke-free life!
Just thinking about quitting smoking may make you anxious. But your chances will be better if you get ready first. Quitting works best when you're prepared. Before you quit, START by taking these five important steps:
Set a quit date.
Tell family, friends, and co-workers that you plan to quit.
Anticipate and plan for the challenges you will face while quitting.
Remove cigarettes and other tobacco products from your home, car and work place.
Talk to you doctor about getting help to quit.
Preparing to Quit: Other Support |
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Check out the Try to Stop web site from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health! This free, interactive web site offers expert advice, success stories from former smokers and a Quit Wizard to help set up your own action plan. Join the TryToStop Community where people like you are helping each other to quit. |
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Call the National Network of Tobacco Cessation Quit lines at 1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669) TTY 1-800-332-8615. This number works anywhere in the U.S. You can get one-on-one help quitting. Support and coping strategies, and referrals to resources and local cessation programs. |
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Visit the National Cancer Institute's Web site at http://www.smokefree.gov or contact NCI's Smoking Quit line at 1-877-44U-QUIT. Smokefree.gov offers science-driven tools, information, and support that has helped smokers quit. You will find state and national resources, free materials, and quitting advice from the National Cancer Institute and its partners. |
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More and more workplaces have help for workers who want to quit. Some offer quit-smoking clinics and support on the job. Others will pay for outside programs for their workers. Ask at work about the choices open to you. |
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Your doctor may know about a quit-smoking program or support group near you. |
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