As a person who smokes and has COPD, you're standing at a very important crossroads ...
Will you keep smoking? Or will you decide that it's time to quit?
Well, let's look at what will happen if you choose to stay on the smoking path.
There's the vicious cycle that comes from being short of breath.
It makes everyday things hard to do.
And that makes you feel anxious.
It'll keep getting worse.
It will be harder and harder to do the things you're still able to do now.
Later on, even the simplest things ... like getting the mail ...
may become very difficult.
You'll get sick more often ...
because smoking makes it harder for your lungs to fight infection.
Being sick means having less time and energy for the people and activities that are important to you.
Eventually, you may be breathing from an oxygen tank ... night and day.
But ... and this is really important ...
you can decide right now to take that other path ... the quit-smoking path.
This path can be harder, because quitting is hard.
But it is possible.
Quitting is a path that leads to a healthier life, because you'll be slowing the lung damage caused by COPD way down.
You may be able to keep doing the things you like to do now.
You'll feel better physically.
You'll probably live longer.
You say you've already been down that quit-smoking road?
Maybe more than once?
Well, most people who smoke have to try many times before they quit for good.
The secret ... is to keep trying.
It takes courage ... and strength ... to choose this path, but there's lots of help out there.
So take a moment ... right now ... and think about what will happen if you choose the path that starts with having another cigarette ...
or the path to quitting.
The choice is yours.
Which one will you choose?
