Happy New Year!

The Boulder City Fire Department came out with their own message on New Year’s resolutions. They say, the best New Year’s resolution is to stop smoking!

This January, more than a million people will toss out their cigarettes and try to kick their deadly addiction to nicotine.

The incentive to quit smoking can be seen with many of the Fire Departments’ medical calls. A large portion of our respiratory emergencies involve patients who have smoked all of their lives and for their remaining years will struggle for every breath due to diseases like emphysema.

Whether you’ve been smoking for a few months or many years, it doesn’t take much time to start feeling the benefits of quitting smoking and you’ll also enjoy these improvements in your health and life:

- Increased life expectancy. The earlier you stop, the longer you’ll live and the better you’ll feel. If you quit before age 50, for instance, your risk of dying from a tobacco-related disease will significantly decrease.
- Improved appearance. Smoking encourages premature wrinkling, bad breath, stained teeth, gum disease and yellow fingernails.
- Money saved. Not just on cigarettes, but also on health-care costs.
- The gratitude of friends and family. You won’t affect their health with second-hand smoke.

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