It's the Great American Smokeout, a day when smokers are encouraged to give up the habit for 24 hours in hopes of helping them quit forever.
A previous surgeon general compared the addictive properties of tobacco to that of cocaine and heroin. It takes the average smoker three to five attempts before they can finally quit. Health experts say the best way is through a combination of counseling and medication.
You can see the health benefits of quitting in as few as twelve hours. Your blood pressure goes down, you blood flows more freely. You can breath more easily. After three months you're less likely to develop one of the 15 cancers associated with smoking.
A previous surgeon general compared the addictive properties of tobacco to that of cocaine and heroin. It takes the average smoker three to five attempts before they can finally quit. Health experts say the best way is through a combination of counseling and medication.
You can see the health benefits of quitting in as few as twelve hours. Your blood pressure goes down, you blood flows more freely. You can breath more easily. After three months you're less likely to develop one of the 15 cancers associated with smoking.
Charlotte Ames is the area's only local Health Reporter and brings you the latest medical health news weeknights. You can catch Healthcast on WTAJ News at 5:00pm and her Health Headlines report on WTAJ News at 5:30pm.