Smoking: Benefits of Quitting

Why should I quit smoking?

Smoking affects your health in many ways. It hurts your lungs. It causes cancer, heart attacks, hardening of the arteries, bronchitis, emphysema, cough, shortness of breath, wrinkles, and premature aging. It stains teeth and fingers, irritates the eyes, and causes bad breath.

Smoking can also hurt the people around you. The smoke exhaled by smokers and given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar is called secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can cause cancer and heart disease in nonsmokers if they are around the smoke much of the time, whether as family members or coworkers. People, especially children, who live with smokers also have more colds and are more likely to have asthma.

Most Americans are now living into their late seventies. One way to be able to enjoy a long life free of limitations and suffering is to stop smoking now.

Benefits of quitting smoking

When you quit smoking, your body gets right to the work of repairing as much as it can. It takes time to reverse many years' worth of smoking damage to your body, but some benefits of quitting smoking start right away.

Some of the health benefits are:

• You stop damaging your lungs. Your general health may start to get better right away because you are removing a constant source of irritation to your lungs. You may stop coughing.
• Your risk of heart disease begins to decrease as soon as you quit. By 1 year after you quit you will have decreased your risk of heart disease by one half.
• You also lower your chances of cancer, strokes, and circulation problems.
• You improve the blood flow to your heart, brain, and other body organs.
• It’s easier to fight colds and other respiratory infections.
• Your blood pressure may go down.
• You will protect your family and friends from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Other benefits are:

• Your blood circulation is likely to get better, so your hands and feet may feel warmer.
• Your senses of smell and taste will get better.
• Your teeth and fingers will gradually lose their nicotine stain.
• Your hair, breath, clothes, home, and car will smell better.
• You will feel more in control of your life.
• You will have more energy to do things.
• You won’t be spending money on tobacco products.

The following arguments are often given by smokers as reasons for continuing to smoke:

"Argument: I have to die sometime, so I might as well enjoy life until then."

True, but as a smoker you are much more likely to die from a stroke, cancer, or emphysema, which are not very pleasant ways to go.

"Argument: I'm only hurting myself."

True, if you don't count the heartache and grief you may cause your loved ones by your early death or permanent disability, or the damage your smoke does to others, or the example you are setting for younger family members.

"Argument: I know people who smoke and live to a ripe old age in perfect health."

True, but this is rare. Nearly all smokers have significant health problems.

"Argument: Smoking is one of my pleasures. I don't want to quit."

One of the reasons smoking can be a pleasure is the nicotine in tobacco. Nicotine is an addictive drug. Your body will continue to crave a regular supply until you can overcome the habit.

"Argument: It's my choice and I choose to smoke."

True. It is your choice. And many former smokers have quit because they choose to make themselves and their loved ones healthier and they want to be a role model for the children in their life.