Commit To Quit Smoking

Smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 430,700 American lives each year. This month, commit to quit. Nov. 19 is the Great American Smoke Out. The American Cancer Society encourages smokers to quit for at least one day, in the hope that one smoke-free day will lead to a lifetime of not smoking.  This website has resources and tips about how to stop smoking.

Within hours of quitting, your health improves. The carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal. Besides the health benefits, you smell better, your skin looks healthier, you have more money, and food tastes better.

Smoking harms not just you, but also those around you, especially babies and children. There is no safe level of second-hand smoke, says the American Lung Association. Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Pregnant women who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to have a low-birth weight baby. Underweight babies are weaker and have a higher risk for many serious health problems.

The American Lung Association is working to make America smoke free. Find your state on this interactive map to see if it has passed anti-smoking laws, then join the Smokefree Air Challenge. Give thanks for clean air.