You’ve heard it before.  In fact, you’ve heard it so often you’re sick to death of hearing about how your smoking is harming your health.  You’re an adult and you have the right to make your own decisions, right?  Well, what about all of the people who are forced to inhale your second-hand smoke?  Do you know how your smoking affects them?

Every year at least 800 Canadian non-smokers die from breathing in second-hand smoke.  That smoke coming from the lit end of your cigarette contains over 4,000 chemicals, and more than 50 of them are known to cause cancer.  These chemicals also contribute directly to other diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and heart disease.

Think you can clear the smoke from a room by opening a window or turning on a fan?  Think again.  Even air filters aren’t enough. 

Second-hand smoke hurts everyone, but it is especially dangerous to babies and children.  Their lungs are smaller and they breathe more rapidly than adults, so they take in even more harmful chemicals.  Because their immune systems aren’t fully developed, their bodies are less able to protect them from the harmful effects of the tobacco smoke.

As little as 30 minutes of breathing second-hand smoke is all it takes to cause lasting damage to the blood vessels of non-smokers.

So, if you don’t want to quit for the sake of your own health, what about quitting for the sake of your loved ones?  We can help.  Your Sobeys Pharmacist can help you develop a strategy for quitting, and can recommend products that will help you break the nicotine habit.  Come in and ask us.  We’re here for you.