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Quitting Smoking
 

No one ever said quitting was easy, but First Choice wants to help you stop smoking.

Benefits to Quitting

How much is smoking costing you now? If a pack of cigarettes is $4 and you smoke a pack a day, in a yearâ??s time you will save close to $1,500 if you quit today. If you smoke two packs a day, you will save almost $3,000 a year. Imagine what that amount of money could do for you or you family.

So you think quitting smoking doesnâ??t have any immediate benefits? Why should you quit now since you will not see any results for a while? Here is a timeline of how quitting smoking will affect your body right away:

  • In 20 minutes, your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
  • In 8 hours, the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half. Oxygen levels will return to normal.
  • In 48 hours, your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
  • In 72 hours, your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
  • In 2 weeks, your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
  • In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10 percent.
  • In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.

Resources

First Choice Community Resources Booklet 

If you would like help quitting smoking, we can mail you a packet with resources and information. To request a packet, call 1.888.276.2020 or fill out this form.

Telephone Quit Lines

  • South Carolina Tobacco Quitline: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669)
  • Cancer Information Service Quit Line: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)
  • American Lung Association Freedom From Smoking Quit Line: 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872)
  • American Cancer Society Great Start Program (for pregnant women): 1-800-866-66-START (1-866-667-8278)

Websites

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