Smoking Cessation

Butt Out! Try it for a week and see the results!  Where you live, work and play - do it for yourself and for those around you!

What a difference a week can make!

  • Within 8 hours, the level of carbon monoxide in your body decreases and oxygen increases to normal levels.
  • Within 48 hours your sense of smell and taste begin to improve.
  • Within 2 days your risk of heart attack begins to decrease.
  • Within 3 days your lung capacity increases, making breathing easier.

 

Remaining on track will only bring good things:

  • Within one year, your risk of suffering a smoke-related heart attack is cut in half.
  • Within one year, your risk of developing heart disease or stroke is half that of a smoker.
  • Within 15 years after you quit smoking, your risk of heart attack is approximately the same as that of someone who never smoked at all.

(information care of www.heartandstroke.ca)

 

Playing with Fire

  • Tobacco use remains the single most important preventable cause of death in the world!
  • Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both Canadian women and men.
  • Smoking is specifically related to about 87% of lung cancer cases and smoking is estimated to be responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths.
  • It is estimated that one out of every two smokers will die a tobacco-related death.
  • Chances of being cured of lung cancer are very low; the five-year survival rate is 15%.
  • About 330 non-smokers die from lung cancer due to exposure to second-hand smoke every year.
  • Smokers are 2 to 3 times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers.
  • Smokers are 3 times more likely to have a stroke than non-smokers.
  • Smoking increases the risk of developing angina (chest pain), atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and peripheral vascular disease (damaged blood vessels which may lead to blood clots and their related risks).

(information provided by www.heartandstroke.ca & http://cancer.ca)

 

Breaking the Habit

Good News! The number of Canadian smokers is decreasing.  Smoking rates continue to decline in Canada. In 1999 the rate was 25%.  In 2003 it declined to 21%, and in 2004, it dropped to an all-time low of 20%. It's time to be trendy!  Many people have faced the challenge and came out on top, you too can beat the addiction!

There are many hints and tips out there to help you go smoke-free and here are just a few:

 

For more information on smoking and your health from quitting tips to healthy eating visit The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or The Canadian Cancer Society.

Your health is worth the effort!  BUTT Out for yourself and for those around you.

 


Working at McMaster