No Butts About it – There is No Safe Level of Secondhand Smoke!
This National Parents’ Day, Smoke Free Society Asks Parents Who Smoke
to Quit for the Sake of Their Children

Stock Photo: MicroSoft FP

No safe level of secondhand smoke! The Surgeon General’s newly released report clearly states even a few minutes inhaling someone else's smoke harms nonsmokers. And nonsmoking sections, even the best ventilated ones, don't protect enough. Over 125 million nonsmoking Americans are regularly exposed to someone else's tobacco smoke, and tens of thousands die each year as a result, including more than 35,000 from heart disease. The 670 page study cites "overwhelming scientific evidence" that secondhand smoke causes death from heart disease, lung cancer and a host of many other illnesses.

Not only that, parents are the most important role models in their children’s lives and if they engage in self-destructive behaviors, such as smoking, chances are their children will too. Research indicates that children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to become smokers as children of nonsmoking parents. Every day in the U.S., nearly 4,400 children as young as 8 years old start smoking. More than 6.4 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents — the decision to smoke cigarettes.

“I quit smoking when I saw my 2-year-old son put one of my cigarette butts to his mouth and pretend to smoke like me. It put so much fear in me that I decided, this was it, I must quit for my child’s sake,” said a mother, now a volunteer for Smoke Free Society, after attending one of the group's local “How to Quit Smoking” sessions.

Children are the ones who are most affected by secondhand smoke in our homes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposing children to the hazardous poisons in secondhand smoke can hinder the growth of their lungs and put them in danger of severe respiratory diseases, effects that can last a lifetime. Children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are 31-40 percent more likely to have poor lung function than children born to non-smokers.

The effects of smoking during pregnancy last up to age 12, while exposure to cigarette smoking after birth further worsens lung function, according to Dr. Manfred A. Neuberger of the Medical University in Vienna. Parents who smoke should quit smoking before the destructive addiction becomes their children’s lethal legacy.

Just as important is the savings to smokers by quitting. A Duke University study puts the true cost of lifetime smoking at $40 a pack – that’s over $15,000 a year that could be used to provide food, education, healthcare and fun activities for their family. Smoke Free Society provides calculators on its website to help smokers calculate how much smoking costs them and their family as well as how much time they waste smoking.

The good news is that one of the best things parents who smoke can do to improve their children’s health, wealth and quality of life is to quit smoking and Smoke Free Society can help. Support is one of the keys to helping smokers quit and remain smoke-free. Research shows smokers are up to eight times more likely to be successful quitting when participating in a smoking cessation and support program. Smoke Free Society offers a support program to help smokers quit and stay smoke-free. Its “Buddy System” allows children to work with their parents or loved ones through the entire quitting process – from preparation to quitting to on-going support.

“It was a joy to see my father smoke-free after smoking for 50 years. The support he received from his family enabled him to quit. His nasty cough and constant throat-clearing were gone, his home and clothes smelt fresher than ever before, he had more money in his pocket and he looked much younger in just a year after quitting. He was also much more of a pleasure to be with,” said Rez Seyedin, founder of Smoke Free Society. “A few months into his nonsmoking days, he had taken control of his habit and it was his proudest moment to announce it to others, while sporting a big, confident smile!”

Smoke Free Society is a national, not-for-profit organization solely dedicated to providing information and techniques to help smokers quit smoking, educating children to prevent them from starting to smoke or use tobacco, and uniting the community to promote a healthy, tobacco-free lifestyle. It is currently offering free eCards for all occasions. Its Web site is a portal to an array of information on the adverse effects of smoking and the benefits of quitting. Smoke Free Society offers a variety of quit smoking seminars, plans and programs for individuals as well as corporations, government, schools and special events to help smokers quit before it’s too late. Visit the Web site at:
www.smokefreesociety.org, to take the first step in helping their parents quit smoking today for a longer, better and healthier tomorrow. Because You Care!

For related photo: http://www.smokefreesociety.org/Press/PRelease/Parent-Photo.asp

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