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SMOKING CESSATION

QUITTERS ALWAYS WIN

Consider the benefits of quitting:

8 hours

Oxygen level raises to normal; carbon monoxide level drops to normal.

24 hours

Chance of heart attack may be lower.

48 hours

Ability to smell and taste is enhanced.

2 weeks to 2 months

Lung function increases by 20 percent.

1 to 9 months

Coughing, sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease; energy increases; cilia regrow in lungs,

increasing ability to handle mucus, clean lungs and fight infection.

1 year

Excess risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

5 to 15 years

Stroke risk is same as nonsmoker's; risk of mouth, throat and esophageal cancer is half that of a smoker's.

10 years

The risk of developing lung cancer drops by up to 70 percent and continues to go down with each additional nonsmoking year.

15 years

Risk of heart disease is the same as a nonsmoker's.

Adapted from American Cancer Society and Care24

Assistance guidelines.

            Here’s a scenario: after your employees complete a health risk assessment (HRA), you discover that 1/3 of your population smokes.  Considering the following statistics, it’s obvious that a cessation program should be implemented immediately.  A well-rounded smoke cessation program can help your employees kick the butt habit while improving your bottom line.  Wellness pays!

·        4,000 compounds are found in inhaled smoke, many of which are carcinogens

·        Every eight seconds, someone dies from tobacco use.

·        Cancer is the second leading cause of death and was among the first diseases casually linked to smoking.

·        Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in women and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in men. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with never smokers.

·        Smoking causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, cervix, kidney, lung, pancreas, and stomach, and causes acute myeloid leukemia.

·        Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.¹ Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.

·        Cigarette smoking approximately doubles a person’s risk for stroke.

·        Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease.

·        Smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.

·        Cigarette smoking is associated with a tenfold increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease.⁷ About 90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to cigarette smoking.

·        Cigarette smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects, including an increased risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

·        Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked. Women who smoke have an increased risk for hip fracture than never smokers.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention