Study: Third of students from 6th-12th grade exposed to second-hand smoke daily
(FOX 2) - "I never thought I was going to be one of those guys that was ever able to say, 'I quit smoking,' but I did. And there are real health benefits. I feel better at 40 than I did at 30."
Ryan Ermanni has now been smoke-free for 367 days, just over a year.
"There is no magic pill or gum or patch or anything like that; everybody's got their own story. But the one thing that is consistent in everybody's story - you change the way you think, you change the way you view it; it's all mental. Once you make the decision - really make the decision - that you are done, and you use those other things ... as a tool you're going to be fine," he told us.
One of the main motivators for him was having children.
According to a recent study, a third of students from sixth grade up to high school seniors are exposed to second hand smoke regularly.
"In this study they saw that when the students had someone in their home, their household that was smoking, most exposure was actually at their home. But, when the kids did not have anyone at their house that smoked, exposure actually would happen in the car, and in a vehicle, so it would most likely happen among peers, among friends," says Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Humberto Choi.
The data from the National Youth Tobacco survey, and finds that secondhand smoke exposure occurs when a person has been around someone who is smoking, and is not smoking themselves.
Dr. Choi says second hand smoke can cause health problems, just like first- hand smoking
"We actually see that secondhand exposure is associated with increased risk of lung disease and heart disease. It's not as high as if you smoked cigarettes yourself, but there's definitely a risk compared to if you did not have that kind of exposure at all."
Ryan says when he decided to quit, he set a Quit Date about 6-8 weeks out, and he built up his mind every day to that date. And then on Aug. 10, 2018 - he smoked his last cigarette that morning and hasn't had one since.