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Valentines Day - The Gift of Being Tobacco-Free

Dr_Hurt
Mayo Clinic
0 9 72

There is an old commercial that aired back in the late 1960’s when public health messages about tobacco were permitted on television that said – “When she reaches for a smoke, give her a kiss instead”.  What a wonderful message to bring into Valentines Day this year.  If you love someone who smokes, let them know that you love them, that you want them around and healthy, and that you would love it if they made another effort to stop smoking.  Tell them that now there is more help available then ever, and that another try with the right plan and treatment will help them succeed.  And, give them a kiss.

If you are a smoker, you can give your special someone the gift of going smoke-free.  That is not only a gift from your heart, but a gift for your heart.  Each time you make the effort to stop smoking the chances for success increase.  That’s because we learn from each effort.  Look into getting treatment that will work for you, sign-up for your free EX plan on www.BecomeAnEX.org and make a full scale plan to succeed.  Then let your loved one know that your gift to them is a healthy heart and a smoke-free future.  You might also want to give a card or some chocolates but for those of you who may be thrifty, think of all the money you’ll save through this gift.

A rewrite of a line from that old Sting song might say “If you love someone go smoke-free”.

Dr. Richard D. Hurt is an internationally recognized expert on tobacco dependence. A native of Murray, Kentucky, he joined Mayo Clinic in 1976 and is now a Professor of Medicine at its College of Medicine. In 1988, he founded the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center and since then its staff has treated over 33,000 patients for tobacco dependence. Send your questions directly to Dr. Hurt at AskTheExpert@becomeanex.org

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About the Author
Retired in 2014. Dr. Richard D. Hurt is an internationally recognized expert on tobacco dependence. A native of Murray, Kentucky, he joined Mayo Clinic in 1976 and is now a Professor of Medicine at its College of Medicine. In 1988, he founded the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center and since then its staff has treated more than 50,000 patients for tobacco dependence.