Why Stop Smoking – The Downsides of Smoking
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This is the first part of a pair of articles on why you might want to consider stopping smoking. All the aspects explained here are the negative points you should understand about smoking. The second article (Why Stop Smoking – the upsides of quitting) focuses on the improvements in health that have been found in people who stop smoking.
It is well known amongst smokers and non-smokers alike that smoking is bad for your health. Cigarette packets carry terse warnings explaining the health risks associated with smoking but this article explains them in some more detail than can be found on a cigarette packet to help you rationalize your decision to stop smoking.
Why Stop Smoking Reason #1: Smokers are 8 times more likely to contract lung cancer from tobacco smoke largely caused by the plethora of toxic, carcinogenic chemicals found in tobacco smoke.
More than 85% of lung cancer found in women and over 90% of lung cancer found in men can be directly attributed to smoking. It is the single largest cause of death in smokers.
Why Stop Smoking Reason #2: Smoking is responsible for 80% of all deaths caused by emphysema and bronchitis.
Emphysema is a disease where your lungs lose their elasticity and it becomes impossible to exhale properly. The result is that your lungs become hyper inflated. To understand what that feels like, take in a deep breath and then without breathing out, take in another. That second breath is what every breath feels like when you have emphysema!
Bronchitis is a disease where the airways in the lungs become inflamed and so reduce the flow of air through the lungs. This makes it difficult to breath and reduces the effectiveness of your lungs. Most smokers suffer from mild bronchitis throughout their smoking lives, manifesting in wheezing and a smoker’s cough.
Why Stop Smoking Reason #3: In the US, Canada and the UK, over 460,000 people die every year from smoking related diseases.
I want to frame that in really stark terms for you to understand the enormity of the number. That is the equivalent of a 9/11 attack every other day! It is the same as 3 jumbo jets ploughing into mountains every day! It is more than the equivalent of 2 Hiroshima’s and 2 Nagasaki’s a year!
The idea that it won’t be you is a very risky approach to take. The chances are it very probably will be you!
Why Stop Smoking reason #4: One third of all cancer deaths can be directly attributed to smoking, despite the fact that only a quarter of the population smoke. In general your chances of contracting cancer are about 50% greater if you are a smoker than if you are not.
Cancer treatment is painful and once you have had cancer, you are very likely to contract it again, even if your initial treatment appears to be successful.
Why Stop Smoking Reason #5: Women who smoke are likely to bring forward their menopause by 2 years on average, as a direct result of tobacco.
Men who smoke have a higher risk of impotence as a result of the toxins found in tobacco smoke affecting sperm production. The peripheral vascular disease caused by smoking is also likely to damage erectile tissue in the penis leading to impotence from an inability to achieve an erection. I don’t think any man would think that is a price worth paying for anything, let alone smoking!
Why Stop Smoking Reason #6: Smoking causes peripheral vascular disease as a result of high blood pressure and narrowing of the peripheral arteries. The result is that blood flow to the extremities (hands, feet, legs and arms) becomes reduced. The long term effect is poor tissue condition followed by tissue death. The only treatment is amputation.
Why Stop Smoking Reason #7: Women who smoke can cause serious damage to their unborn child. The foetus becomes addicted to nicotine and the growth of the baby is interrupted and altered from the toxins found in tobacco that in turn find their way through the mothers blood stream to the baby.
Women who smoke during pregnancy should expect low birth weight babies and the child will likely suffer from reduced health in the early years of their life.
In part two of this article, I shall explain some of the positive reasons to why you might want to stop smoking, rather than just explaining these negative effects of smoking on your health.
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