| Smokers are bombarded with warnings about | | | | tend to be lower than that of non-smokers. The |
| smoking being bad for their health. We all know | | | | net result is not only to smokers elevate their risk |
| that smoking is bad for us but what are the real | | | | of heart disease from smoking, but their lifestyles |
| benefits from quitting? What are the reasons to | | | | are generally compromised to the same effect. |
| stop smoking once and for all? | | | | Stop Smoking Reason #4: Reduce your risk of |
| Stop Smoking Reason #1: Increase your life | | | | suffering a stroke |
| expectancy | | | | Smokers run a considerably higher risk of |
| Smokers who stop before about 35-40 years of | | | | suffering from a stroke than non-smokers and |
| age have been found to pretty much not suffer | | | | suffering from a stroke is one of the four main |
| from shortened life span. That is to say, there is | | | | causes of death in smokers. |
| a negligible change in the life expectancy of people | | | | A stroke is often survivable but it will leave you |
| who have never smoked and people who have | | | | incapacitated as a result. The stroke victim will |
| smoked to the start of their middle age. | | | | often lose the ability to speak, control their |
| That is not to say that it is OK for you to smoke | | | | movement or control their bowels. It is not |
| until you are 35, far from it. There are many | | | | uncommon for stroke victims to be completely |
| reasons why you should not and the numbers are | | | | dependent upon their loved ones for care. |
| just statistics - they hide the fact that real lives | | | | The quality of life people experienced in the |
| are affected by smoking at any age. Smoking | | | | aftermath of a stroke (if they survive it) is |
| related diseases are found in people in their 20s! | | | | seriously compromised. |
| It has been noted that for every year past the | | | | Stop Smoking Reason #5: Reduce your risk of |
| age range of 35-40, smokers who continue to | | | | living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease |
| smoke, tend to see a reduction in life expectancy | | | | (COPD) |
| of 3 months. So if you smoke from the age of | | | | Smokers often worry about lung cancer but the |
| 40 to 50, you might expect to have shortened | | | | damage that tobacco smoke does to the lungs is |
| your life by about two and a half years - on | | | | considerable in other ways. |
| average. You may also contract cancer during | | | | Every puff of smoke damages cells and tissue in |
| those ten years too! | | | | the lungs, irritating the linings of the lung to cause |
| Stop Smoking Reason #2: Reduce your risk of | | | | bronchitis (swelling of the bronchii) that also |
| cancer | | | | causes increased levels of mucus. This gives |
| Smokers run a substantially higher risk of | | | | smokers their familiar smoker's coughs and |
| contracting cancer than non-smokers. This risk | | | | wheezing, rattling chests. |
| subsides after quitting smoking. | | | | Another disastrous disease is emphysema, where |
| About a third of all cancer in Europe and North | | | | a smoker's lungs loose their natural elasticity and |
| America is found in people who smoked. This is | | | | the smoker becomes unable to breath properly. |
| disproportionately high when compared to the | | | | Emphysema leads to hyperinflation of the lungs. |
| fact that only about a quarter of the population | | | | This means that the lungs are nearly fully inflated |
| smoke. | | | | when you are trying to breath in. The obvious |
| Smokers are particularly susceptible to lung cancer | | | | result of this is that you are unable to take large |
| and around 90% of all lung cancer is found in | | | | breaths of air and the air that is in your lungs |
| smokers. This is not surprising when you consider | | | | becomes stagnant. |
| that tobacco smoke contains over 30 known | | | | Emphysema sufferers become completely |
| carcinogens including benzene, nitrosamines and | | | | incapacitated, loosing the ability to even walk up |
| polonium-210 (a radioactive metal) | | | | stairs or in very severe cases, they become |
| Stop Smoking Reason #3: Reduce your risk of | | | | completely bed-ridden. Death comes in the form |
| heart disease | | | | of complete lung failure and effective suffocation. |
| Smokers have a higher risk of suffering from high | | | | Stop Smoking Reason #6: You will become |
| blood pressure and are more likely to see plaque | | | | happier! |
| formation in their arteries. This elevated blood | | | | Research has found that over three quarters of |
| pressure and narrowing of their arteries means | | | | smokers wish they had never started or say if |
| that a smoker's heart has to work harder to | | | | they had their time again, they would not have |
| pump blood around the body. The result is that | | | | started. The main stop smoking reasons given |
| their hearts are more likely to become enlarged | | | | were health effects, expense, addiction and the |
| from this excessive workload and they are more | | | | stigma of smoking. |
| likely to suffer a heart attack. | | | | Studies have found that ex-smokers report a |
| Notwithstanding the elevated risk that smokers | | | | higher level of happiness and self-esteem. |
| run, your risk of heart disease is also largely | | | | Successfully stopping smoking gives smokers a |
| dependent upon diet and fitness. Smokers | | | | sense of achievement and improved sense of |
| become more breathless more easily and find it | | | | self-worth, making then generally happier, more |
| harder to exercise so their general fitness levels | | | | confident people. |