Without the risk of sounding like a broken record, most college students say that they want to quit smoking by the time they graduate. Then why donʼt they? Maybe they need to be reminded of all the benefits of quitting According to www.quittobacco. org quitting smoking begins to improve your health in just 20 minutes. In 20 minutes, blood pressure and pulse drop to a normal rate and temperature of hands and feet increases to normal. Also, according to quittobacco.org after eight hours without a cigarette, the carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal and the oxygen level in blood goes up to normal. After a day, the chance of a having heart attack starts going down. On day two, nerve endings start regrowing and ability to smell and taste begins to improve. Just imagine: beer and pizza will taste even better.
Also from the website, during the milestones of two weeks through three months, circulation improves, walking gets easier, and lung function improves 30 percent. Throughout the first ninth months, you will notice that coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath are less. Cilia (small hairs) regrow in lungs to better handle mucous, clean the lungs and reduce infection.
After being smoke-free for a year, risk of coronary artery disease is half that of a smoker. After five years, lung cancer death rate goes down by half, risk of stroke becomes the same as a non-smoker, and risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas goes down, according to the website. In addition, ifor those with a chronic illness like diabetes, asthma or kidney failure, quitting can dramatically improve your health, according to quittobacco. org.
Quitting smoking can also have a positive effect on a studentʼs funds as well. We all know that the one thing that college students are low on is cash. According to the Washington Policy Center this year, the average pack of cigarettes cost just over $5.00. Therefore smoking a pack a day comes to about $35 a week, over $100 a month about $1,500 a year. Thatʼs a lot of money that could be going to something more beneficial like shopping trips or going out to dinner with friends. The Health and Wellness Center offers assistance in quitting smoking. They offer free medication and counseling.
The health center can also help to make a plan, and give tips on how to stick with it. Keep a look out for the programs they run to help students quit smoking, including hypnosis sessions, which are offered several times during the year.
The Health and Wellness center are located on the second floor of Wayne Hall. Call to make an appointment to discuss free medication with the Health Center at 610-436-2509. Pick up a tobacco-quit kit from the Wellness Center, and call them at 610-436-3276, for dates and times of the programs that they offer.