One Step

We had a wonderful guest speaker for the volunteers the other day. Her name is Bev Orrill and she works with the Chaffee County Health Department and their One Step program. She had some interesting facts in regards to smoking, tobacco, and a baby’s health. 
*A person who smokes usually comes from a smoking culture, meaning that everyone around them smokes also. 
*There are at least 7,000 chemicals in a cigarette and 70 of them are known to cause cancer. *Smoking is 10 times more addictive than heroin and cocaine so be patient and uplifting to those who want to quit. 
*Not your grandpa’s cigarette…It wasn’t until after WWI that they started to put nicotine in cigarettes because companies realized that only about 20% of those returning home were addicted. *When asked if he smoked, RJ Reynolds, owner of his own tobacco company made a rather nasty comment stating that he would never smoke his own product. 
**Smoking acts as a vasoconstrictor and it closes the arteries and veins for 20 minutes after smoking. If a woman is pregnant and she smokes half of a pack of cigarettes a day, then her baby is deprived of nutrients for 200 minutes on that day. 
**Small children take in more breaths than adults, so second hand smoke triples the effects of smoking on young ones. The One Step program encourages you to take on step… simply step outside to smoke. Use a smoking jacket or something that you can leave on the porch to put on and remove when smoking so that the effects on children, babies and pregnant women can be greatly reduced. 

There are many resources available for those who need it. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW in Colorado. There is also a texting app if you don’t want to make contact with anyone at Quit Mobile. If you would like a more hands on approach, then start by contacting Bev Orrill at 719-221-9777 or 719-539-4510 in Salida, Colorado. By joining up with Bev you can earn gift certificates for gas and diapers when you go through the One Step program. Plus you can earn points for the Buena Vista Pregnancy Center’s Earn While You Learn program well. It’s a win-win for everyone!