Are there any good reasons to quit smoking?

Just because you are a health nut and eat your required portions of food groups a day and maybe even exercise, doesn’t mean you are healthy. Your healthy lifestyle will all be for nothing if you smoke. Perhaps you don’t feel bad today or even tomorrow, but scientists and physicians can almost guarantee that in the future you will be at a much greater risk for several severe health issues because you smoke versus if you didn’t smoke.

For instance, did you know that smoker is at greater risk of asthma or emphysema? Both these conditions affect the way a person is able to breathe. With emphysema a person has trouble getting enough oxygen or air into their lungs. They are always straining to breathe. You might see someone with emphysema having to use an oxygen tank to help ease their condition. Someone with asthma also has a hard breathing, but it is because their airway is inflamed and feels blocked. People with asthma will need special medication for when they have an attack.

A smoker also has an increased risk of cancer. The longer a person has smoked and the more cigarettes they use in a day increases their risk of cancer, particularly lung cancer. Other types of cancer in smokers are mouth cancer, bladder cancer, pancreas and kidney cancer as well as cancer of the esophagus. Smoking raises the risk of mouth cancer in an individual to as much as 4 times more than a non smoker. One good bit of news is that if you do quit smoking your lungs can eventually clear themselves. Doctors say that a smoker’s risk of lung cancer can be the same as a non smoker after 15 years.

When you smoke that cigarette did you know there are chemical compounds and toxins that you are inhaling? Do you know any of these chemicals?

· Benzyl Benzoate

· Acetic Acid

· Acetanisole

· Acetoin

· 6-Acetoxydihydrotheaspirane

· 2-Acetyl-3-Ethylpyrazine

· Acetophenone

· 2-Acetyl-5-Methylfuran.

These are some of the compounds in cigarettes. There are over 4000 chemical compounds in the cigarette you smoke, as well as over 400 toxic substances. This is what you put into your lungs when you smoke.

Another affect of smoking is that it cuts down the amount of years you have to live. It has been shown to reduce your lifespan by as much as 8 years. If you quit smoking, that would be 8 healthy years you could enjoy.

Not only would giving up smoking benefit yourself, it will benefit all of those around you. This is because there are health issues from smoking that harm those around you by your cigarette smoking. The term for this is passive smoking. This means that the smoke that is given off your cigarette is deadly. That smoke actually carries higher risks associated with it than the smoke you inhale yourself. Your children are at risk of asthma and bronchitis, adult friends and family are at greater risk of lung cancer. What better reason to quit, for you and for them.

Tags: healthy lifestyle, quit smoking, stop smoking