Smoking Facts & Reasons to Quit!
- It is easier to quit smoking if there are clear reasons. It means different things to different people, so think of some to add that are important to you.
- Better all around health.
- Heart attack risk drops to the same as a non-smoker three years after quitting.
- Cancer risk drops with every year of not smoking.
- Live longer and stay well.
- Set a good example for children.
- Have lots of money to spend on other things.
- Improved fitness and easier breathing.
- Better chance of having a healthy baby.
- Food and drink tastes and smells better
- Better skin and complexion.
- No early wrinkles.
- Fresher smelling breath, hair, clothes, car, etc.
- Back in full control of your habits.
- No longer distracted when I can’t smoke.
- Travel on planes, buses, cars, will be easier.
- Don’t want to support tobacco companies.
- Concern about the environmental impact of tobacco growing.
- Your parents/significant other/friends/doctor will get off your back!
Almost immediately your body begins to repair some of the damage that nicotine has caused. The chart below illustrates the beneficial health changes:
| Time Quit | Beneficial health changes that take place |
|---|---|
| 20 minutes | Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal. |
| 8 hours | Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal. |
| 24 hours | Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris. |
| 48 hours | There is no nicotine left in the body. Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved. |
| 72 hours | Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase. |
| 2 - 12 weeks | Circulation improves. |
| 3 - 9 months | Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function is increased by up to 10%. |
| 1 year | Risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker. |
| 10 years | Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker. |
| 15 years | Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked. |
Check out some of the illnesses attributed to smoking.
Increased risk for smokers
- Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (gum disease)
- Angina (20 x risk)
- Back pain
- Buerger’s Disease (severe circulatory disease)
- Duodenal ulcer
- Cataract (2 x risk)
- Cataract, posterior subcapsular (3 x risk)
- Colon Polyps
- Crohn’s Disease (chronic inflamed bowel)
- Depression
- Diabetes (Type 2, non-insulin dependent)
- Hearing loss
- Influenza
- Impotence (2 x risk)
- Optic Neuropathy (loss of vision, 16 x risk)
- Ligament injuries
- Macular degeneration (eyes, 2 x risk)
- Muscle injuries
- Neck pain
- Nystagmus (abnormal eye movements)
- Ocular Histoplasmosis (fungal eye infection)
- Osteoporosis (in both sexes)
- Osteoarthritis
- Penis (inability to have an erection)
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Pneumonia
- Psoriasis (2 x risk)
- Skin wrinkling (2 x risk)
- Stomach ulcer
- Rheumatoid arthritis (for heavy smokers)
- Tendon injuries
- Tobacco Amblyopia (loss of vision)
- Tooth loss
- Tuberculosis
Function impaired in smokers
- Ejaculation (volume reduced)
- Fertility (30% lower in women)
- Immune System (impaired)
- Menopause (onset 1.74 years early on average)
- Sperm count reduced
- Sperm motility impaired
- Sperm less able to penetrate the ovum
- Sperm shape abnormalities increased
Symptoms worse in smokers
- Asthma
- Chronic rhinitis (chronic inflammation of the nose)
- Diabetic retinopathy (eyes)
- Graves’ disease (over-active thyroid gland)
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Optic Neuritis (eyes)
Disease more severe or persistent in smokers
- Common cold
- Crohn’s Disease (chronic inflamed bowel)
- Influenza
- Pneumonia
- Tuberculosis