This year The Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 19^th.  This is the day that smokers are encouraged to try and quit smoking for 24 hours.

Mark Twain said “Quitting is easy.  I’ve done it a thousand times.”  Mark Twain also did not have available to him the resources we have now.  The internet has many sites dedicated to quitting smoking.  There are also smoking cessation products available at your local drug store or supermarket.

In case you need a few more reasons to quit smoking:

• After 20 minutes of quitting: your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
• After 12 hours of quitting: the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
• After 2 weeks to 3 months of quitting: your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
• 1 to 9 months after quitting: coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce the risk of infection.

Remember it is never too late to quit smoking. Who knows?  November 19, 2009 could be the beginning of a brand new you.

Are you going to try and quit smoking?  Are you going to encourage someone you love to quit?