Free Class Helps Residents Ditch Tobacco

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- Cartersville Medical Center offers a monthly tobacco cessation class for residents looking to kick the habit.

The class, led by Sandra Bethune of the Georgia Department of Public Health, is free of charge and open to anyone interested in quitting tobacco, including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

The next class is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 27.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who stop smoking greatly reduce their risk for disease and early death, said Pam Warren, RN, evidence based care coordinator at Cartersville Medical Center.

"Although the health benefits are greater for people who stop at earlier ages, there are benefits at any age," she said. "You are never too old to quit."

Warren references the CDC's website, which includes information about the health benefits of quitting tobacco. According to the website, stopping smoking is associated with the following health benefits:

• Lowered risk for lung cancer and many other types of cancer.
• Reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of the blood vessels outside your heart).
• Reduced heart disease risk within 1 to 2 years of quitting.
• Reduced respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. While these symptoms may not disappear, they do not continue to progress at the same rate among people who quit compared with those who continue to smoke.
• Reduced risk of developing some lung diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, one of the leading causes of death in the United States).
• Reduced risk for infertility in women of childbearing age. Women who stop smoking during pregnancy also reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby.

The next class will be offered in Classroom 1 at Cartersville Medical Center.

To register, for more information or future class dates, visit CartersvilleMedical.com and click on “Events & Classes” or call MedLine at 800-242-5662.

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