November 15, 2017
When you’re a smoker, it never seems like a good time to quit. Maybe you’re in the middle of a stressfulwork project, or maybe you’re waiting for a big milestone—your birthday, say, or New Year’s Day. Maybe you just enjoy the ritual of taking a few minutes for yourself to get away, have that cigarette, and unwind.
We get it: People smoke for a reason. And if you’re still smoking, even in spite of the mountain of evidence demonstrating how harmful it is, it’s not because you’re weak-willed or in denial about how dangerous it is. It’s because quitting is really, really tough.
But the really insidious thing about smoking is that it can harm you in unexpected ways. Besides damaging your heart and lungs, smoking can also put you at greater risk if you have to undergo spine surgery by reducing blood flow, slowing bone healing, and increasing the risks of surgical complications. At Goodman Campbell, we’ve seen firsthand the negative effects that smoking has on our patients.
That’s why we’d like to encourage you to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout this November 16. Whether you use the event to quit smoking, or to devise a serious plan to stop, participation is an important first step to changing your life, and improving your health. And because this is a nationwide event, you don’t have to quit alone: This is an opportunity to be part of a larger community dedicated to kicking the tobacco habit.
To help you succeed, the ACS is also providing helpful resources for smokers, tobacco users, and their loved ones. We encourage you to take advantage of this information, and to use it as an opportunity to follow a successful plan to quit.
Giving up tobacco is difficult. But it’s also one of the best things you can do for your health. Learn more about how the Great American Smokeout can help you do it.
