New Year’s Resolution: Quit Smoking

Many people use the beginning of a New Year to make the resolution to quit smoking. Here’s some information from the American Lung Association that will hopefully help people achieve their goal of quitting smoking:

Why should you quit smoking? Every smoker has his or her own personal reasons for quitting. Here are some common reasons. Think about what is most important to you.

* For your health! According to the Surgeon General, quitting smoking is the single most important step a smoker can take to improve the length and quality of her or her life. As soon as you quit, your body begins to repair the damage caused by smoking. Of course it’s best to quit early in life but even someone who quits later in life will improve their health.
* To save money! It’s getting more expensive to smoke cigarettes. State and federal cigarette taxes continue to go up and in some places, a pack of cigarettes can cost $10.00. Even if a pack costs “only” $5.00 where you live, smoking one pack per day adds up to $1,825.00 each year.
* To save the aggravation! It’s getting less convenient to smoke. More and more states and cities are passing clean indoor air laws that make it illegal to smoke in bars, restaurants, and other public places. Are you tired of having to go outside many times a day to have a cigarette? Is standing in the cold and the rain really worth having that cigarette? Wouldn’t it be easier if you had the choice to go outside only when you want to and not when you need to?
* It’s good for the people around you! Cigarette smoke is harmful to everyone who inhales it, not just the smoker. Whether you’re young or old and in good health or bad, secondhand smoke is dangerous and can make you sick. Children who live with smokers get more chest colds and ear infections while babies born to mothers who smoke have an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).