Thursday, February 6, 2014

Kudos, CVS!

CVS gives up tobacco: http://info.cvscaremark.com/cvs-insights/cvs-quits  CVS will phase out tobacco product sales by October, 2014.  They will also start to phase-in a smoking cessation program.

Makes sense, doesn't it?  The CDC reports that tobacco is responsible for roughly 1 in 5 deaths in America.   CVS is in the health care business with 7600 retail locations.  They have 800 Minute Clinic locations staffed with nurse practitioners and pharmacists. Presumably they plan to expand that part of their service.  Minute Clinics http://www.minuteclinic.com/about/ will service a much healthier clientele without tobacco users in their midst.

CVS will give up $2 billion in tobacco sales annually.  This is a brave move.  Support CVS, so that other retailers--are you listening Walgreens, Walmart,  et al?--get off the butts too.

Still a smoker?  Check out Can't Quit? Bullsh*t:  You Can Stop Smoking by Dr. Richard Brunswick.  http://www.quitsmokingmessageboard1.com/cant-quit-bullsht-you-can-stop-smoking One technique Dr. Brunswick recommends for quitting is to reward yourself with a treat with the money you save when you quit smoking. A FitbitOne http://www.fitbit.com/one might be a great reward.  What could be a better healthy lifestyle choice than to quit smoking and to start measuring your steps?

Full disclosure, I smoked a pack of cigs a day between the ages of 18 and 24.  My mother suffered a long, slow end-of-life with emphysema.  One of my older brothers has COPD.








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