Tomorrow’s Great American Smokeout is a good time for Iowans to kick the tobacco habit.
According to the American Cancer Society, the decision to quit using tobacco has nearly immediate results. Within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop. Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. Within two to three months, your circulation improves and your lung function increases. After one year of living tobacco free, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker’s.
Free help is available by calling Quitline Iowa at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visiting www.quitlineiowa.org.