Find The Courage To Quit Tobacco

Barrington, IL – Quitting anything can be difficult, but quitting tobacco on your own can be almost impossible. With World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2013 it is time to stop using tobacco for good.

Everyone knows that using any form of tobacco is dangerous to their health, but people still continue to use tobacco products. The health risks are extremely high whether someone is smoking or using smokeless tobacco. Smoking not only increases your chance of lung cancer, it also increases your chance of developing several chronic diseases such as heart disease, lung disease, different types of cancer, and fatty buildup in arteries.

When someone uses tobacco, the body reacts instantly to the nicotine. Nicotine is the main drug found in all forms of tobacco and acts as a stimulant and a sedative. Nicotine causes a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow, and causes the arteries to narrow.

 “The carbon monoxide found in tobacco reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. Between the nicotine and the carbon monoxide, it creates an imbalance for the demand of oxygen in the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood can supply to the rest of the body,” said Megan Sanders, tobacco treatment specialist at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital.

 The dangers of tobacco use have been made public for years, but people continue to use tobacco products. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital wants to help you quit using tobacco forever and show you the benefits of living your life tobacco free. Schedule an individualized consultation with a tobacco treatment specialist today. You can attend a 30 minute session where a personalized quit plan is developed. You will also discover what your personal “triggers” are and ways to overcome them. To assure your ability to stay tobacco free the treatment specialist will give you a follow up phone call as well. Each individual consultation is $30.

 For more information call: 847.620.7600 (Tobacco Quit Line) or 847.842.HUGS (4847)

About Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital

Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois is a 169-bed acute care hospital with more than 700 physicians representing 50 medical specialties. It is part of Advocate Health Care, named one of the Top Ten hospital systems in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters.  Good Shepherd has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics. Good Shepherd was the only hospital in the Chicago metropolitan area to receive this recognition. Advocate is a faith-based organization that exists to serve its communities. Advocate contributed $571 million in charitable care and services to communities across Chicagoland and Central Illinois in 2012. For more about Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, visit  www.advocatehealth.com/goodshep

###