Want to stop smoking but can't seem to motivate yourself? Well, here are some facts and figures that should give you all the incentive you need to take the plunge! I'll start by spelling out some health risks you may not know about...
* Cigarettes contain at least 43 distinct cancer-causing chemicals.
* One out of every five deaths in industrialized nations is caused by tobacco use.
* Half of all smoking-related deaths occur between the ages of 35 and 69, which translates into an average of roughly 23 years of life lost due to smoking.
* For men, smoking can lead to impotency. When you smoke tobacco, you inhale fatty chemicals that damage the lining of arteries and slow the flow of blood. Nicotine constricts the arteries to make them even narrower. When the arteries leading to a man's sexual organs are blocked, he is impotent. Arteriosclerosis, as this is called, is the most common cause of impotence in North America.
* For women, being a smoker increases your chances of developing a wide range of unpleasant conditions, including pelvic inflammatory disease, menstrual problems and osteoporosis. Smoking also reduces fertility and increases the risk of premature menopause.
And here's a fact you'll seldom see advertised. Smoking doubles (at least) your chances of going blind.
Chemicals from tobacco damage the blood vessels behind your eyes and increase your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). International research shows that the risk to your sight is increased by anything from two to four times. Smoking is also associated with other eye diseases, including cataracts.
That's the bad news (well, some of it...). But there is good news as well. As soon as you quit, your body begins to repair the damage caused to it, and you start to reduce the risk of smoking-related diseases.
* After five years of quitting smoking, your risk of having a heart attack is halved.
* After eight to ten years of quitting smoking, your risk of getting lung cancer or heart disease becomes the same as someone who has never smoked.
And you don't have to wait years to feel the benefits of quitting either. Some benefits you will notice within a few weeks of giving up smoking are:
* Your hair, skin and breath will no longer smell of tobacco smoke.
* Your breathing will be easier.
* Your senses of taste and smell will improve.
* You'll see a reduction in phlegm and smoker's cough.
* Your lung efficiency will start to recover to a rate similar to a non-smoker.
* You will be better able to cope with exercise and physical exertion.
* You'll feel positive about yourself for having stopped.
* And, of course, you will have saved a shed-load of money through not buying cigarettes.
So there really is no excuse for delaying giving up smoking any longer!
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Marvin G. Power is the author of the top-selling manual Stop Smoking in 28 Days , available from www.stop-me-smoking.org .
|
