Many people live with a child, or have a special child in their life. Children, with their innocence, can provide hope and inspiration to many things we try and do. Your child, grandchild, or some other special child you know can be a great motivator to help you stop using tobacco.
We all want the best for the children in our lives. We want to spend quality time with them doing fun things. In stopping tobacco use, you can improve your health so that you are able to do these things now and in the future. You can enjoy a football game together, go fishing, go for a walk, watch their soccer game or ballet recital, go out for ice cream, go camping, or just hang out. This is what children dream about doing with their parents, grandparents or another special adult in their life.
We also hope for our children to be healthy. Living with someone who smokes increases a child’s risk of being hospitalized for a respiratory problem and increases the number of emergency room visits and doctor visits they have. And now there is talk about “third hand smoke”, the tobacco smoke contamination that remains after the cigarette is put out. What might this be doing to the children we love, even when we do not smoke around them?
Lastly, we all wonder what our children’s future will bring. What they might do when they grow up?Or, if they will have children? We hope that they will grow up to be healthy and happy. We certainly hope they will not use tobacco. However, children are more likely to start using tobacco if one of their parents does. As a role model for the child in your life, you can show them that you can quit using tobacco. Click here to get the resources http://www.becomeanex.org/learn_how.php you need to be able to quit using tobacco for good and start enjoying time with your child, grandchild or other special child tobacco free. They won’t stay young forever.
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
