Many people might think the damage they have done by smoking is irreversible, a study done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests otherwise when it comes to your arteries.
Smoking is a top cause of heart disease because it makes the arteries stiff so they have to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Looking at 18 and 30 years old who smoked and found that after smoking only one cigarette the stiffness of arteries increased by 25%.
State Rep. John Litz said smoking is legal in Tennessee and that state employees shouldn’t be forced to pay an additional $50 a month on their insurance if they use tobacco products. “I’m not sure that we as a state are not beginning to overstep our bounds by going into people’s personal lives,” said Litz. “They’ve already talked about adding obesity to this and putting a surcharge on this the next time it comes around. What’s going to be next — a diabetic?”
The Tobacco-Free Coalition of Delaware County has been helping residents quit smoking for several years.
Each month, The Star Press features success stories from people who have successfully quit smoking.
“Success stories are a fantastic way to give hope to those who are burdened by the nicotine addiction,” said Cecilia Williams, coalition program coordinator. “Since one of the biggest challenges smokers face is (believing) that they can quit, these stories will provide testimonies of those who believed that they could quit and succeeded.”
Today, meet Zera Setser
Occupation: Employee, Head Start
Number of years smoked: 20-plus
Quitting tobacco use is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your family. If you made a New Year’s resolution to stop smoking in 2009, free help is available.
The Alabama Department of Public Health offers a free telephone-based tobacco cessation service that provides free counseling and four weeks of free nicotine patches, if medically eligible. The Alabama Tobacco Quitline — 1-800-Quit-Now — is available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Calls placed after these hours or on weekends or holidays will be returned the next business day.