(RxWiki News) Everyone knows smoking is dangerous and the improvement to your health is almost immediate when you quit. If that's not reason enough, quitting cigarettes can fill up your piggy bank.
A recent study has shown that the economic benefit of quitting smoking is just as drastic as the health benefits. Smokers can save up to $3,300 a year by quitting. The Great American Smoke Out happens on November 17, 2011 and can be a way to begin the process of quitting.
"Consult your doctor about new ways to quit smoking."
Dr. Carlos Reynes, integrative medicine, Loyola University Health System’s Gottlieb Memorial Hospital notes that smoking is on a decline. Between 1995 to 2006, the smoking rate dropped from 42 percent to just under 21 percent. Continuing to educate smokers about health and economic benefits will further reduce those numbers.
The health benefits begin as soon as 20 minutes after you quit smoking according to Dr. Reynes. Your heart rate and blood pressure both drop and carbon monoxide levels return to normal after 12 hours. One year after quitting reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 50 percent compared to that of a smoker.
It is also believed that close to 80 percent of lung cancers are caused by smoking.
If those health benefits are not convincing enough, the economic benefit should be. The cost for a pack of cigarettes has risen astronomically. The average cost of a pack of cigarettes is between seven and nine dollars, with some places like New York are above 10 dollars. Dr. Reynes says one can save between $2,500 and $3,300 a year by quitting.
Smoking poses many problems that can be easily prevented. Close to 46 million individuals smoke and many have tried to quit. Future studies will continue to evaluate the health and economic benefits of quitting as well as new ways that could possibly help that process. Treatments such as nicotine patches and gums, acupuncture and even hypnosis may all be tools that can help smokers kick the habit.
This study was published by the Loyola University Health System.
