Did you know, there are 4.000 chemicals in every cigarette.
Health benefits of quitting:
You will start seeing health benefits soon after you smoke your last cigarette. After quitting, within:
- 20 minutes – your blood pressure drops to a level similar to what it was before your last cigarette.
- 8 hours – the level of carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) in your blood drops to normal.
- 24 hours – your risk of having a heart attack starts to drop
- 2 weeks to 3 months – the airways in your lungs relax and you can get more air into your lungs and breathe easier
- 1 to 9 months – you cough less and your lungs work even better.
- 1 year – your added risk of coronary heart disease is half than that of a smoker’s
- 5 years – you have the same chance of having a stroke as a non-smoker
- 10 Years – your chance of dying from lung cancer is much lower. So is your chance of getting cancer in your mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and/or pancreas
- 15 Years – your risk of coronary heart disease is similar to that of a non-smoker
January 20-26, 2019 is National Non-Smoking week in Canada, with Weedless Wednesday being a day when individuals are encouraged to avoid tobacco for one day to kick start the process of quitting.
The Barrie and Community Family Health STOP program can help you quit. The program is comprised of eight interdisciplinary Health Care Providers who provide counselling and support to guide and assist individuals with smoking cessation.
The program is supported by the Canadian Association of Mental Health (CAMH), and allows each individual enrolled to access up 26 weeks of free Nicotine Replacement products to assist them in the process of quitting.
STOP is a self-referral program accessible to all Barrie and Community Family Health patients. Patients can access the program by calling 705-737-9539.