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 | health information | health living | lifestyle
What do I gain by giving up? |
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Good news. There are enormous benefits to be gained by quitting smoking. As soon as you stop, your body begins to repair the damage caused to it, and you start to reduce the risk of smoking-related diseases. After eight to 10 years of quitting smoking your risk of getting lung cancer or heart disease becomes the same as someone who has never smoked.
The benefits of giving up
The younger you stop the better, but even people up to 75 years old will have a longer life. It's never too late to benefit from quitting.
The benefits you will notice within a few weeks of giving up are:
- your hair, skin and breath no longer smell of tobacco smoke
- your breathing is easier
- your sense of taste and smell improve
- you'll see a reduction in phlegm and smoker's cough
- your lung efficiency starts to recover to a rate similar to a non-smoker
- you will be better able to cope with physical exertion
- you'll feel positive about yourself for having stopped
- and of course, you will have saved money through not buying cigarettes
Stop for your own sake
Smoking causes many diseases - some fatal and some seriously debilitating - which means poor quality of life. The question you have to ask yourself is - is it worth it?
- most smokers do not realise just how dangerous smoking is
- smoking causes about 90% of all deaths from lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema and a quarter of all deaths from heart disease. On average those killed by smoking will lose 10 to 15 years of life. For many it will be 20 or even 30 years more
- smoking is linked to other cancers including cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx and oesophagus. It can also cause peripheral vascular disease which can result in gangrene and amputation of the affected part of the body
- the suffering, distress and disability caused by these and other illnesses such as bronchitis and emphysema destroy not only the lives of those who suffer from them, but those of their partners and families as well
Stop for other people's sake
Passive smoking (inhaling other people's cigarette smoke) has been shown to be linked to an increased risk of lung cancer in non-smokers. The workplace is a particular hazard since we spend eight hours a day at our place of work. Eight hours a day, five days a week, week in, week out is a lot of smoking for non-smokers.
In households where the parents smoke, children are particularly vulnerable. Young children double their risk of developing bronchitis if their parents smoke. They are also at greater risk of pneumonia, asthma and chronic middle ear disease.
Stop for the earth's sake
Smoking costs the earth! Trees are used in the curing of tobacco and packaging of cigarettes and environmentalists are concerned about the impact on the earth's resources.
None of these risks will have any impact on you unless you really start to apply them to yourself and your life.
- What would it mean to you if you were told you had a serious disease?
- What dreams or ambitions do you have for yourself and others?
- How long do you want to live?
- Who do you want to live your life with?
- What is your life worth to you?
Enough to give up smoking?
There are many health factsheets on this website which deal with a range of issues, including smoking-related disease - click here to search.
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