Reasons to Quit

• Quitting improves your appearance:
  • Healthier skin
  • Fresher breath
  • Whiter, healthier teeth.
• Your clothes and hair smell better.
• Your sense of taste and smell revitalize.
• Improve your game, climb stairs and vacuum without losing your breath.
• Save money—the cost of cigarettes are continuing to increase. Complete the following to calculate the cost of your smoking in the past year.

1. How many packs smoked per day? ________

2. Multiply the number of packs by 365

     ________ x 365 = ___________

     This is the average number of packs smoked per year.

3. Multiply the average number of packs smoked per year by the average cost of a pack of cigarettes:

     _________ x $_________ = _________
      This total is the cost of your smoking for the past year. Think about putting what you spend daily on cigarettes in a “ciggy bank.” Use this money to reward yourself for quitting smoking.

• Sense of accomplishment. You have now taken control of this part of your life. Being in control projects a positive attitude toward yourself and others.

Reap the Benefits of Quitting…Fast

Everyone knows your health improves when you quit smoking/chewing, but you might be surprised at how fast it happens…

20 minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette. The temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
8 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
24 hours after quitting: Your chance of heart attack decreases.
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation and lung function improve.
1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection.
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a tobacco user.
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting.
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing tobacco user. The risk of cancer of mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease.
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease falls to that of a nonsmokers.