PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla./EWORLDWIRE/July 22, 2005 --- Sunday, July 24 is National Parents' Day, and Smoke Free Society urgently reminds parents that they are the most important role models in their children's life. If parents engage in self-destructive behaviors, such as smoking, chances are their children will too. Research indicates that children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to become smokers as children of non-smoking parents.According to the Federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), every day in the United States, nearly 4,400 children between the ages of 12 and 17 years start smoking. More than 6.4 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they will make as adolescents - the decision to smoke cigarettes.
"I was sadly troubled when I witnessed a two year old child imitating his father's movements of lighting up and puffing on a cigarette," said Carla Wakeman, volunteer for Smoke Free Society. "How long will it be before that toddler is smoking for real?"
One of the best things parents who smoke can do to improve their children's lives is to quit smoking, and Smoke Free Society can help. Smoke Free Society, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping smokers quit and educating kids not to start.
Support is the key to help a smoker quit and remain smoke free. As part of its "Save Your Loved One's Life" campaign, Smoke Free Society brings loved ones together to help them quit smoking. Its "Buddy System" allows family and friends to work with smokers through the entire quitting process - from preparation, to quitting, to follow-up support.
"It was a joy to see my father smoke-free after smoking for 50 years. Even though it took some convincing and support from his family, he was able to quit. His nasty cough and constant throat-clearing were gone, their home and clothes smelt fresher than ever before, he had more money in his pocket and he looked much younger in just a year after quitting. He was also much more of a pleasure to be with," said Rez Seyedin, founder of Smoke Free Society.
Smoking not only damages the smoker's health and that of their family, but expensive tobacco products and their related costs -- a Duke University report puts the true lifetime cost of smoking at $40 a pack -- drain family funds that could be used for basic items such as food, education and health care.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), exposing children to the hazardous poisons in secondhand smoke can hinder the growth of their lungs and put them in danger of severe respiratory diseases, effects that can last a lifetime.
The National Cancer Institute reports that about half of the smoke generated by every cigarette smoked is sidestream smoke. Sidestream smoke contains the same carcinogens as mainstream smoke, developmental toxins that alter the normal growth of cells, and mutagens that change cell genetics. And according to Katherine Hammond, PhD, University of California at Berkeley's School of Public Health, non-smokers receive the following equivalents of cigarette smoking:
- In the non-smoking section of a restaurant = 1.5 cigarettes
- In a pack-a-day smoker's home = three cigarettes
-In a smoky bar for two hours = four cigarettes
-Riding in a car one hour with a smoker = four cigarettes
This National Parents' Day help save parents by helping them quit smoking before it's too late.
"Because You Care!"
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