In the United States, there are more than 50 million smokers, around 1 in every 5 adults. This is the cause of more than 1,200 people dying from smoking related diseases such as lung cancer. This statistic makes smoking the largest cause of morbidity and mortality in the country. Smoking cigarettes can lead to cancer, breathing disorders, heart attacks, and strokes. It has also been linked to reduced infertility, miscarriages, impotency, gum disease, cataracts, bone thinning, hip fractures, and peptic ulcers. Cigarette smoking costs the economy over $198 billion in annual healthcare costs and a loss of productivity.

Freedom form Smoking is 7-week program, including 8 sessions, that introduces participants to key stages of behavior changes. In this program you will learn ways to cope with stress, learn weight management, set goals to ensure the habit is not picked back up, get support, track cigarette usage over a 24 hour period, and track how many days you have been cigarette free.

Benefits of Quitting Smoking:

20 Minutes After Quitting

-       Your heart rate will drop to a normal level

12 Hours After Quitting

-       The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal

2 Weeks to 3 Months After Quitting

-       Your risk of having a heart attack begins to drop

-       Your lung function will begin to improve

1 to 9 Months After Quitting

-       Both your coughing and shortness of breath will have decreased

1 Year After Quitting

-       Your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s risk

5 to 15 Years After Quitting

-       Your risk of having a stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s

-       Your risk of getting cancer of the mouth, esophagus, or throat is reduced to half of a smoker’s

10 Years After Quitting

-       Your risk of dying of lung cancer is about half that of a smoker’s

-       Your risk of getting bladder cancer is half that of a smoker’s

-       Your risk of getting cervical cancer or cancer of the larynx, kidney, and pancreas decreases

15 Years After Quitting

-       Your risk of coronary heart disease is the same as that of a nonsmoker

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of Smoking and Health, 2004.

For more information on the Freedom from Smoking program, please contact the Mississippi County Health Department at 573-683-219. If you would like to speak to our Health Educator, please use the extension 222.