Did you know that the average smoker loses 5 ½ minutes of life per cigarette? Or that tobacco kills someone every 6 ½ seconds? Today InfoCision is joining millions of Americans in the American Cancer Society’s 35th Great American Smokeout.
We will be providing employees with information about tobacco cessation methods and products, employee cessation reimbursement, support groups and hotlines. We’ll also be collecting tobacco, encouraging employees to sign a one-day Commit to Quit petition and giving out Quit Kits to help distract employees from smoking for the day.
We know quitting isn’t easy – tobacco use is a real addiction. That’s why we offer a paid tobacco cessation program, which includes $250 worth of free nicotine replacement therapy per year. This allows tobacco users to try to quit again if at first they are not successful. Our program is pretty unique, since less than 25 percent of companies nationwide offer their employees programs or information to help them quit smoking.
Rosemary Beaver was one of the first employees to go through the program and remains smoke-free to this day. She shares how she was able to quit for good in this short video.
There are many reasons to quit smoking including a lower risk of having a heart attack, stroke and cancer, living longer and having more energy. Quitting doesn’t usually happen overnight.
The American Cancer Society outlines the benefits of quitting over time:
- 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
- 12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
- 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
- 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
- 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
- 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
- 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a person who continues smoking. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decreases, too.
- 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker’s.
We want to know: How were you able to quit your tobacco use or help someone else quit? How are employers helping workers kick the habit?
Steve, it is beyond my comprehension that so many people who smoke KNOW that it is harmful to them. I repeatedly suggest to my 18 year old son that he stop smoking and he says “OK dad” but he continues to do it. We have discussed the consequences and he says he know but like many youths he thinks he is invincible and cancer could never happen to him.
Congratulations to InfoCision for supporting your staff in their struggle to overcome this addiction.
Thank you, Edward! It’s often difficult for people to understand how harmful smoking is to their body when they don’t see any obvious negative effects. We try to educate our employees about the health risks and benefits of quitting.